A citizen science study conducted by The Wildbiome Project indicates that integrating foraged food into the diet can lead to improved gut health, BMI and blood sugar. The study documented the progress of 26 UK foragers who consumed a 100% wild diet for a period of one to three months during spring 2023. The project was conceived by foraging expert Monica Wilde, inspired by her own yearlong experience of survival on foraged finds for the whole of 2021. Wilde suggests that a wild diet is beneficial for a number of reasons, including its ability to enhance mental wellbeing, increase energy levels and improve gut health.
Participants in the study consumed a range of wild food items, such as fruits, seaweeds, mushrooms, pigeon and wild greens. Some participants even indulged in roadkill badgers, while others were given organic chicken eggs because it is illegal to consume wild bird eggs. The study measured the impact of a wild diet on blood sugar, BMI and gut health. Participants classified as obese at the outset lost an average of 5.6 kg, equivalent to 16% of their body weight by the end of the study. Foraging teacher Matthew Rooney shared that he was able to reverse his diabetes in just 10 days, reducing his blood glucose level from a diabetic 65 to a normal 40.
Nutrition science company Zoe conducted a series of tests to measure the participants’ gut microbiomes and found that the average score improved from ‘52’ at the beginning of the study to ‘65’ at the end. Wilde argues that the high diversity of a wild diet is responsible for its effect on gut health. She suggests that incorporating even a few wild foods into the diet can be beneficial, citing fresh nettle tips in the spring as a good option to replace spinach and boost iron intake.
Wild foods are often more nutritionally dense than farmed ones, which are bred for size rather than nutritional value, making wild foods an excellent option for those who are looking to eat seasonally and reap maximum nutritional benefits. Though Wilde does not expect everyone to adopt a 100% foraged diet, Mawby, one of the participants in the study, still incorporates acorns, a staple of his three-month wild diet, into his regular meals
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