Weekly Reads: Eat Dirt

I listened to Eat Dirt on audiobook several months back and am still recommending it to people left and right. It was so good and informational, that I purchased a copy of it to reference to help fix my digestion.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:


Doctor of Natural Medicine and wellness authority Dr. Josh Axe delivers a groundbreaking, indispensable guide for understanding, diagnosing, and treating one of the most discussed yet little-understood health conditions: leaky gut syndrome.

Do you have a leaky gut? For 80% of the population the answer is “yes”—and most people don’t even realize it. Leaky gut syndrome is the root cause of a litany of ailments, including: chronic inflammation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, diabetes, and even arthritis.

To keep us in good health, our gut relies on maintaining a symbiotic relationship with trillions of microorganisms that live in our digestive tract. When our digestive system is out of whack, serious health problems can manifest and our intestinal walls can develop microscopic holes, allowing undigested food particles, bacteria, and toxins to seep into the bloodstream. This condition is known as leaky gut syndrome.

In Eat Dirt, Dr. Josh Axe explains that what we regard as modern “improvements” to our food supply—including refrigeration, sanitation, and modified grains—have damaged our intestinal health. In fact, the same organisms in soil that allow plants and animals to flourish are the ones we need for gut health. In Eat Dirt, Dr. Axe explains that it’s essential to get a little “dirty” in our daily lives in order to support our gut bacteria and prevent leaky gut syndrome. Dr. Axe offers simple ways to get these needed microbes, from incorporating local honey and bee pollen into your diet to forgoing hand sanitizers and even ingesting a little probiotic-rich soil.

Because leaky gut manifests differently in every individual, Dr. Axe also identifies the five main “gut types” and offers customizable plans—including diet, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations—to dramatically improve gut health in just thirty days. With a simple diet plan, recipes, and practical advice, Eat Dirt will help readers restore gut health and eliminate leaky gut for good.

Green Chef

Shortly after Kyle and I moved into our new house, I started trying some food delivery boxes. Blue Apron is the subscription box that everyone has heard of, and probably tried, but honestly I wasn't that blown away by the options.

I received a free week of Green Chef and was instantly excited that they had options for omnivore, vegetarian, carnivore, vegan, paleo, and gluten free (and varying pricing for the different dietary options). Thus far, I've only ordered the vegetarian meals because I don't really like meat, and I hate having to cook it (aka touch it. eew.). I love trying new, incredibly flavorful vegetarian meals.

I was able to pull out all of our new pots and pans from our wedding and feel like a regular ol' chef! There were even meals that Kyle enjoyed!!! Kyle who only likes meat and potatoes, was enjoying my vegetarian meals.

Some of the dishes I had include:

Indian veggie rice bowl. I made this meal shortly after my mom passed, and brought some of the leftovers to my dad when I went home to visit. Needless to say, my tastes are more outgoing than his. :p More for me I guess!

Creamy corn farro risotto. I had never had farro before, but it is freaking DELICIOUS. This pic is not super beautiful but the taste made up for its level of unphotogenic-ness.

Korean noodle bowl. This meal has been, hands down, the best of all that have been delivered, and not just because I made the most amazingly beautiful sunny side up egg of my entire lifetime. Vinegary vegetables, black noodles, a runny egg. GAH! So good.

For the vegetarian subscription, it is $10.49 per portion, so for three meals for 2 people it ends up being around $64. Which is a lot. But then I think about Kyle and I going out to eat and realize that one meal plus two delish beers is easily $64 with tip. I also think the portions are larger than 2, so I tend to get at least 3 if not 4 meals out of each. Kyle isn't always a fan of what I order, so I have lots of leftovers for lunch. I don't order the meals every week, but if I could afford it, you'd better believe I would!

If you want to try this for yourself, feel free to use this link to get 4 free meals. If you order a second box I do receive some money off of a future box order, so technically this needs an ad disclosure. So there it is. Let me know if you have any questions, and share your favorite recipes!