Wild Food
‘The act of putting into your mouth what the earth has grown is perhaps your most direct interaction with the earth.’
~Frances Moore Lappe
In recent history we wanted more food, easier food, food to feed the masses. But what has this food done to the human’s health? Food is integral to our life and health, but also has huge implications for our planet.
My main area of expertise is nutrition and I strongly believe in a ‘food as medicine’ approach to health and wellness. Our food directly impacts both our mental and physical health, and without healthy food both would suffer immensely. My battle with mental illness has led me to try several different approaches to nutrition. I have never been on a specific diet (other than a brief stint on a ketogenic diet to see if it calmed my mind and stabilized my mood: which it did), but I have primarily adopted a whole food approach. I love wild food!
What is wild food I hear you ask? Well it certainly is not banana cake wrapped in plastic packaging in the bakery isle of your local store. Or the inviting packets of all kinds of biscuits on the shelves, the meat pies and spring rolls boxed in the freezer section, even the glistening apples, polished in all their perfection in the fresh produce department. You know that’s wax making those apples shiny, right? There may not be any research indicating that wax is harmful to human health, but I would prefer not to have shellac with my fruit!
Although wild food is by definition food not cultivated or grown at home; we will refer to wild food as food that has not been produced, refined, or processed in a plant or factory, and is not sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. Wild food also includes animals that have been raised on pasture or found in the wild; not confined and fed an inappropriate diet for their species.
True wild foods include those considered invasive plants; for example, dandelions, plantain, hawthorn berries, blackberries introduced by early settlers as food. We spray them with chemicals to get rid of them from cities and our own yards. These kinds of wild foods won’t feed populations en masse, but they are highly nutritious and can supplement our diets.
Thankfully the pursuit of optimal nutrition has come full circle with many nutrition researchers exploring potential health benefits of Paleolithic or ‘wild’ eating. It’s a confusing area as logically we can’t be sure what our primitive ancestors actually consumed; food choices relied on geographical latitude, climate and food availability.[i] However, according to Loren Cordain (Ph.D), the healthiest diet is one only containing foods found during the Paleolithic era. He has defined this dietary pattern as one containing copious amounts of nutrient rich foods such as vegetables and fruits, lean meats and seafood; while eliminating inflammatory foods such as refined grains, refined sugars, refined seed oils, and processed foods. Human biology is not geared for optimal health when consuming these foods as they have arisen in the food supply so late in our evolution.
I will not enter the ‘paleo’, or ‘keto’ camp but I will use the phrase ‘Paleolithic’ here to discuss a dietary pattern consistent with what we know was available in the Paleolithic era as its close to this wild food idea that I follow.
There is a plethora of evidence indicating that adherence to a Paleolithic dietary pattern has beneficial effects for health and wellbeing. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials compared the Paleolithic nutritional pattern with any other dietary patterns in 159 participants with one or more of the 5 components of metabolic syndrome. [ii]The authors concluded that a ‘paleo’ diet resulted in reduced waist circumference, reduced triglycerides (a type of fat in your body usually measured with cholesterol), improved blood pressure, higher HDL cholesterol, and lower blood glucose; all markers of a healthier metabolic profile. A study looking at the short- term effects of a hunter gatherer/ paleo type diet in diabetes patients reported that in just under three weeks there was improved glucose control and lipid profiles compared with a conventional diet containing moderate salt intake, low-fat dairy, whole grains and legumes. [iii]There is also evidence that this type of dietary pattern reduces liver fat, [iv] improves glycemic control and several cardiovascular risk factors.[v]
Importantly a Paleolithic style diet is associated with lower levels of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in humans, as determined from the low-plasma high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) and F2-isoprostane levels. [vi] F2-isoprostane is a marker of oxidative stress which can damage cells, proteins, and DNA, and contribute to aging. It may also play a role in development of a range of health conditions, including diabetes, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Why is it difficult to change our ways?
‘We are literally poisoning ourselves with highly processed, nutrient deficient foods. Our food supply is causing a decline in modern human health and wellbeing.
Our modern Western diet has wreaked havoc on out physical and mental health- there is no doubt. But even when we are presented with ample evidence that current western dietary patterns are harmful, why is it difficult to change?
There are many reasons. One explanation is that food means survival and we are resistant to alter anything concerning energy sources that have helped us survive thus far. If we are raised on a diet with loads of processed foods, then these foods are our friend; no one will convince us otherwise. Dietary changes can induce fear for people who have a history of food insecurity, food addiction or poverty.
Inability to change our behavior, despite seeing strong evidence for ill effects of a poor diet, is because we aren’t thinking as ourselves anymore. What I mean is there have been structural changes to our brain resulting from processed food intake and poor lifestyle choices, so we aren’t thinking as ourselves. These changes are certainly not in our best interest.
I explored the work of Dr. David Perlmutter, who with his son Dr.Austin Perlmutter, coined the phrase ‘disconnection syndrome’ in A Well Mind. Disconnection syndrome refers to ‘the modern disconnection with our DNA accompanying the exposure to foods that the human genome does not recognise’.[vii]
The prefrontal cortex in the modern human brain is influential in decision making, thinking of others, planning for the future, controlling emotions and also impulsivity. It’s the area of the brain responsible for deciding what is best for us, for our family, and others, and sets us apart from other mammals. Significantly, one-third of our brain consists of prefrontal cortex.
Modern processed, inflammation producing, fake food, and lifestyle factors impairs the function of the prefrontal cortex. While this important area of the brain is off duty, other areas of the brain can run amok. The main offender is the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for our fight or flight response and is activated at times where our safety is compromised. Activation causes us to act impulsively, irrationally, and selfishly. It is one explanation as to why, after a long day at work, we will grab a greasy burger and fries without acknowledging the long- term effects of these foods on our mental and physical health.
This vicious cycle can be broken, but only with some effort to make dietary changes. For example, after significantly altering my intake of chocolate and only consuming (smaller amounts) of dark chocolate, I no longer experience intense brain fog or high levels of irritability. This has enabled me to make better decisions regarding what I put into my body and I feel much better as a result. Now there is no way I want to return to how I was feeling eating huge amounts of sugar laden chocolate treats.
Don’t just take my word for it, try to add some ‘wild foods’ to your daily diet in place of processed ‘fake’ foods and you will begin to notice the beneficial effects.
[i] L Cordain, SB Eaton, A Sebastian et al (2005). ‘Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the 21st century.’American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol 81(2)pp 341-54.
[ii] E W Manheimer, E J van Zuuren, Z Fedorowicz et al (2015).’Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.’ The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol 102 (4) pp 922–932.
[iii] U Masharani, P Sherchan, M Schloetter et al.(2015) ‘Metabolic and physiologic effects from consuming a hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic)-type diet in type 2 diabetes.’ European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol 69 pp 944–948.
[iv] J Otten, C Mellberg, M Ryberg et al.(2016). ‘Strong and persistent effect on liver fat with a Paleolithic diet during a two-year intervention.’ International Journal of Obesity. Vol 40 pp 747–753.
[v] T Jönsson, Y Granfeldt, B Ahrén et al. (2009). ‘Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study.’ Cardiovascular Diabetology. Vol 8 p 35.
[vi] KA Whalen, ML McCullough, WD Flanders et al. (2016). ‘Paleolithic and Mediterranean Diet Pattern Scores Are Inversely Associated with Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Balance in Adults.’ Journal of Nutrition. Vol 146(6) pp1217‐1226.
[vii] D Perlmutter, A Perlmutter (2020). ‘Brain Wash: Detox your mind for clearer thinking, deeper relationships, and lasting happiness.’ Yellow Kite Books, Great Britain.