More energy, thicker hair, and my jeans started to fit a bit better.
I first learned about food grade diatomaceous earth from Lee Holmes. Lee has been such a wonderful friend and inspiration to me, I have always loved her books so I was really excited when she came out with her Love Your Gut powder because it was a practical ingredient that I could add to my food and drinks. At the time I was juggling a family and my first business so I was run off my feet most days and my gut health wasn't a priority, but this was something easy that I could do.
I started adding her Love Your Gut powder to my morning coffee, and then to my food and family meals, and those three changes are exactly what I noticed.
My customers clearly noticed something too. When the powder first launched at my first store, we sold so much of it that a huge pallet would arrive, and when the staff asked me where to put it all away, I would tell them to just leave it by the roller door as is, because by the end of the day every bag was packed into an order. It was in every order. 15 years on, I still love her Love Your Gut powder and it is still one of my best selling products.
Since those days, Lee and I have gone from friends to co-hosts of the Lee & Irene Show, where every week I get to tap into her clinical nutrition and gut health knowledge.
What Is Diatomaceous Earth?
Lee describes diatomaceous earth as a "natural vegan wholefood". Technically it's a mineral powder of fossilised freshwater algae from ancient lake beds, naturally rich in silica, iron, magnesium and 17 other trace elements, and completely tasteless.
Not all diatomaceous earth is the same. Lee compares the grades to salt: "You have salt for the pool, and then you have Celtic sea salt." As a clinical nutritionist, she spent two years sourcing the highest nutritional-grade available from around the world for her Love Your Gut range.
Gut health is what Lee made her name in, and these days I get to tap into it every week on our show. Her short version of this powder: it supports the body's own elimination process. The silica is the other part of the story, diatomaceous earth is approximately 90% amorphous silica, and silica is the mineral most associated with hair, skin and nails. It carries iron and a range of trace minerals too, which is why Lee suggests taking it with orange juice or any vitamin C source, vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
5 Delicious Easy Ways to Use Diatomaceous Earth
Because it has no taste, I add it to family meals, my coffee or smoothies. Lee recommends starting with a teaspoon daily and gradually working up to a tablespoon (about 3 grams).
1. A smoothie is the easiest place to start, it disappears completely.
2. You can bake with it too, Lee and I made these goat's cheese, tomato and spinach muffins together, and they were delicious.
3. You can simply stir it into water, juice or tea. Lee's own routine is warm water first thing in the morning, and mine was always my morning coffee.
4. My other favourite way is straight into scrambled eggs, yum, and it hides just as easily in pasta sauce, salad dressings and soups.
5. Or just sprinkle it over whatever is in front of you, yoghurt, porridge, avocado toast.
Diatomaceous Earth to Try
The Supercharged Love Your Gut Powder is the original formula, the one I have used all these years and the one from the pallet by the roller door, a naturopathic-grade diatomaceous earth rich in silica and 13 trace minerals.
The Supercharged Golden Gut Blend combines the same base with turmeric, organic black pepper, ginger and cinnamon. I love a turmeric latte. On Sunday mornings it's an almond turmeric latte from the Nourish cafe at Avalon Beach with my two dogs, but during the week I make my own with this blend, and it gets my DE in at the same time.
And the Love Your Gut Capsules are what I take these days, mostly because I am so busy I forget the powder, so I keep them at my desk and just quickly have them there (two capsules twice daily with water is the recommendation).
About the Author ~ Irene Falcone
Irene Falcone is a clean beauty writer and co-host of a wellness podcast. She has spent more than 15 years reading the back of beauty labels, and is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and a judge for the Clean + Conscious Awards.
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