Can farm animals really aid in healthy living? I’ll let you be the judge. I had a conversation last night about animal welfare and some misconceptions that people may have about where their food comes from. We discussed how farmers pour their hearts and souls into taking care of livestock to be sure they’re warm, well fed, healthy, etc. This really got me thinking that living on a farm, taking care of animals, can lead to a healthier life style. Then, I found this article on abcnews.go.com which discussed this very topic.

“Animals in general can be beneficial. A study published last year in the Journal of Pediatrics suggests that babies raised around dogs are 31 percent more likely to be healthy. Cats were shown to improve a baby’s health by 6 percent. The research suggests that exposure to pets may help children’s immune systems mature faster, with animals helping them grow anitbodies to better combat infections.”

To this day, I rarely get sick. Like the McDonald family, I’m sure it’s because I was surrounded by animals growing up, baling hay (which was a workout in itself), playing in the creek, building tree forts, working in the garden and so on and so forth. I was constantly outside building my immunity. What do you think? Do you think farm life leads to stronger immunities?