So, Should I Let My Kid Eat Her Boogers?

You may want to repress this knowledge as soon as you read it, but we all ingest about a liter of boogers each day through the nasal cavity. Your daughter is just consuming them via a different route—albeit one that’s less socially acceptable. We can assure you that it’s quite harmless. Boogers are more than 80 percent water, plus some proteins, salts, and antibodies. The main function of boogers is to trap airborne dirt, dust, and other grime. Although nose goblins do ensnare pathogens, your stomach can handle them. “Our bodies have been built to digest snot, since we swallow it all the time,” says Scott Rickert, associate director of pediatric otolaryngology at New York University. The worst that can happen is a nosebleed from exuberant mining.