It's seeming more and more like wellness influencers are just trying to prank us . . .
The latest health advice from TikTok is to start eating DIRT. There's even a term for people who do it . . . "crunchers."
They claim it can help with everything under the sun, from improving gut health to reducing wrinkles and curing acne. The idea is it's loaded with all kinds of minerals that are good for you. But experts say it could be dangerous.
First off, don't just scoop some dirt out of your yard and chow down . . . that would be nuts. Normal dirt is often loaded with chemicals, rocks, and rusty nails. So you need to buy SPECIAL dirt called "biodynamic soil."
Most crunchers prefer it in the form of edible chunks of clay though. Sites that sell it use flowery language, like saying it has a "medium hard crunch" and a "pleasant earthy taste."
But is any of this actually good advice? Someone asked a nutrition expert about it, and their answer was . . . probably not. And definitely talk to your doctor first.
There's not much scientific evidence to back up the health claims. And those clays aren't regulated, so there's no telling what's in there. The biggest concern would be heavy metals like mercury and lead.
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