There are too many reasons why a wild food diet makes sense.  Remember, it does not have to be all or nothing.  Even incorporating just a small portion of wild edibles into your current diet will provide numerous benefits.

Here are 6 reasons to practice Wild Foodism:

1:  It is the most natural diet

For a long time, it seemed as if local and organic were enough.  Then raw foodism exploded onto the scene, raising the point that humans are the only animals that cook their food.  And more recently, we have the Paleo diet, which advocates an ancestral way of eating.  But the proponents of these diets rarely mention the kind of food that Homo sapiens consumed for the majority of their time on this planet:  food from the wild.  No matter how local, organic, raw, or Paleo a diet may be, none can be as natural as a wild food diet.

2:  More nutritious

Wild edibles are, on average, more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts.  They generally contain more phytonutrients (antioxidants), more vitamins and minerals, more fiber, less calories, and a better omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio.

3.  Connection to your ecosystem

Modern humans consume meals with ingredients sourced from all over the world.  Even something as simple as a fruit salad can contain apples from New Zealand, bananas from Ecuador, and pineapple from Costa Rica.  Eating wild organisms directly from your ecosystem connects you immediately to your land.  You know where the food grows, when it grows, and what it looks like.  Harvesting wild food creates a story between yourself and what nourishes you.  Those who do not share this same connection will be less likely to express concern when wilderness is cleared to make room for the next big-box store, for these individuals experienced no value from the land in the first place.

4:  Food security

When you can locate, identify, and harvest your food, food security is greatly increased.  Many of us are completely dependent upon grocery stores for our food, and pharmacies for our medicine.  But knowing how to source our food and medicine directly from our land provides a huge safety net, especially in times of need.  In an emergency, would you be able to feed yourself from the land?  Could you locate and harvest clean water?

5:  The cost

Many people claim that eating healthy is expensive.  “I’d buy organic, but it just costs too much,” they say.  Well, what if I told you that you could eat healthier (much healthier!) and do so for free?

Eat wild food (plants, animals, fungi) and watch your food expenses drop.  Sure, nibbling on wild greens from time to time may not save you much, but if you know how to source the calorically-dense wild foods, like nuts, tubers, fruits, and animals, you will really see a difference in your expenditures (and your health).

6.  Outdoor experience

Many of us spend most of our hours indoors.  We sleep indoors, play indoors, shop indoors, cook indoors, and work indoors.  Is it any surprise that we long for a summer vacation with a beautiful landscape – the beach, the mountains, the woods?  Harvesting wild food is not feasible indoors.  Instead, it requires you to get outside and immerse yourself in a door-less world.   As you begin the foraging process you will discover many more reasons to step outside.  Need some greens? Berries for a smoothie?  How about some roots for a hot-water decoction?  Explore the outdoors and see what you stumble upon.

Of course, there are so many other reasons why a wild food diet makes sense.

What are some of the reasons that inspire you?

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Thank you!
Adam Haritan