Squeaky Clean

I knew it! Being too clean is not good according to scientists who work with friendly and not so nice bacteria. We need those little things inside us to keep our alimentary canals in order and they just love a little dirt now and then. Apparently, it makes their lives interesting and productive. I have always harboured a suspicion that houses with pristine corners and counters or those who put bleach in the water to wash their vegetables have deeper problems than a bit of grime. I always ask myself on entering these domains of super cleanliness, "What are these folks really trying to clean up? Their lives?"  Now it seems we should not worry over-much about scrubbing little junior germ-free but rather, allow him to get his pound of dirt going early on. Also, running to the doctor for a load of antibiotics every time the kiddies bloom runny noses and slightly sore throats isn't a good idea. Recommendations say, find some other way to relieve those minor discomforts for fear of using antibodies that destroy all bacteria, even the good guys lurking inside us that we need for healthy lives. Apparently, a bit of a battle goes on in our intestines when the good bacteria battle it out for dominance and usually win. Scientists say it makes them stronger and last longer. Squeaky clean innards are apparently not as much fun as we were once told. Those little things in our bodies just love a good fight once in awhile. So next time the little one kisses the dog, don't panic. Or when mud pies in the back yard are served up by tykes who take an experimental bite occasionally, no need to run screaming out with a toothbrush and mouth wash. A few bad boys in the mouth, don't necessarily do the harm we think they do. Not to say we should loll in  mud or let the house go to rack and ruin, but rather, we needn't be fanatics about scrubbing those apples or potatoes to a shine. Also, the foods with the pro-biotics are not quite as effective in our bodies as just plain old dirt. Not that we want to go out and feed it to the kids. Fibrous foods remain king and things like red wine, EV olive oil, garden veggies or naturally pickled items such as sauerkraut, for example, do lots of good work in the body. The difference between slim and fat surprisingly has more to do with how many of those little workers inside your intestines can be mustered up and not by counting the calories. By the way, nice to know that dark chocolate is one of the good fellows!