Someone posted to me the following question, claiming that he hasn't posted/registered yet(because he doesn't know how?). Anyway, I've posted my answer below at his request:-
Hi Tyler..Can you please post this question on the raw paleo forum as I am yet to become a member and cannot post. You do not have to post it on this site or e-mail me back. I will check for your posting on the "Raw Paleo Forum" as I have been following your posts daily. Is it safe or beneficial to eat dirt to repopulate a severely damaged leaky gut with living fresh dirt? Has anyone done this? Wouldn't this be far better than store bought probiotics? Can others please give thier opinions on this?
"
If you don't mind, I'd also like to answer this question here, so others who don't frequent the raw forums can read this too:-
Dirt-eating has been a key aspect of some tribes:-
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,525726,00.htmlHowever, it should be noted that it's not "dirt" as such that they look for but edible clay-rich soil. It would be better for you to just buy any edible clay on the market as long as it's guaranteed not to be heated, in any way at all("sun-dried" edible french green clay is what I buy). I think(?) Aajonus recommmends against bentonite clay or is that azomite clay? Anyway, french-green clay is fine. I used to have 1 teasponnful a day(mixed with alkaline mineral-water), now I only have a table-spoonful of clay once a month, or so.
The clay is more useful re killing bad bacteria than repopulating the gut with bacteria, as such. Certainly, store-bought antibiotics are largely useless as they invariably contain far too few bacteria and generally of the wrong kind(lactobacillus? etc.). You'd be better off getting hold of "EM"/Effective Microorganisms products,
http://www.eminfo.info/ if you're new to raw diets. "High-meat" is also an option, but really only once you've done 1 or 2 years on a raw animal food diet and are fuly used to the whole raw diet.
When I first started the diet, I did things slowly, starting with meats slightly aged for a couple of days (this wasn't just for the slight increase in bacterial-content, but also to soften them and save my teeth as they had become extremely weakened due to past dairy-consumption. The myth that dairy builds strong bones and teeth is one of the biggest urban legends of the past century).
Re leaky gut:- Obviously, don't touch raw dairy or fermented grains or foods with chemicals, alcohol etc..
HTH,
RPG.
