{"id":5762,"date":"2023-02-02T11:53:57","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T10:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturallybalanced.devversion.pl\/?p=5762"},"modified":"2023-04-03T21:58:27","modified_gmt":"2023-04-03T19:58:27","slug":"eating-wild-foods-for-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/naturallybalanced.devversion.pl\/en\/eating-wild-foods-for-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Eating Wild Foods for Health and Connection to Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

\u201cWild foods connect people to the treasure box of Mother Earth, changing their mindset on nutrition and nature, and opening them up to a new universe of sustainability.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n– Jouko Kivimets\u00e4, Finnish expert on wild edible plants<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Table of contents:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Introduction<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Wild Edible Plants – Nutritional properties, and how to prepare them<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You can read this article in 3 minutes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Introduction<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Modern society\u2019s increasing disconnection from nature is manifesting in higher numbers of physical and mental illnesses, as well as environmental degradation, as people feel less inclined to care for ecosystems that they rarely visit. It is time to reverse this trend. According to recent studies, spending time in nature alleviates people\u2019s levels of stress and depression, increases the release of \u2018happiness hormones\u2019, boosts creativity, and strengthens our immune systems, amongst many other benefits, thus making nature key to our mental, emotional, and physical health. To thrive in today\u2019s society, we must each find a balance between keeping pace with the high-tech world around us, and nurturing our relationship to nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most fundamental ways to connect with nature is through our food. Our survival depends on eating, and yet most of the time, we don\u2019t even know where our food comes from. To explore this connection, in January 2023 Naturally Balanced collaborated with a leading Finnish foraging expert \u2013 Jouko Kivimets\u00e4 \u2013 and organised a group excursion to explore the wild edible plants in Barcelona\u2019s nearby Collserola park. All who attended were taken in by Jouko\u2019s passion for incorporating nutrient-dense and delicious wild foods into a diet of local seasonal produce, and were inspired to continue gathering wild foods as part of their nature connection practice. Gathering wild edible plants both enhances our nutrition, and strengthens our understanding of the origin of our food, thus contributing to the slow food movement that\u2019s gaining momentum across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For people based in Southern Europe, below are some of the plants we identified along the way. So, put on some comfortable shoes, head into the woods, and come home with a basket full of treasures!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Explore more:<\/strong> Edible wild plants \u2013 how to use them safely?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wild Edible Plants \u2013 Nutritional properties, and how to prepare them<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Malva Sylvestris (Common Mallow)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: anti-inflammatory, healing for the skin (used topically to treat bruises, burns, and swellings)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves can be eaten raw, or infused into a tea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wild radish <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: contains vitamins B and C, potassium, rutin, and folic acid<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wild nettle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: Contains vitamins A, B, C and K, antioxidants, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, amino acids<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves can be eaten cooked, or infused into tea (avoid eating the leaves raw as the barbs can cause irritation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Milk thistle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: This plant is liver cleansing, antioxidant, and moisturising for the skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The root, stem, leaves and flowers can all be eaten raw or cooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wood sorrel (Oxalis)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: Supports digestion and reduces inflammation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves can be eaten raw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Dandelion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: Contains vitamins A, C, E and K, iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw, cooked, or infused into a tea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plantain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Nutritional qualities: Contains vitamins A and C, and calcium; the leaves are anti-inflammatory (used on skin to treat bites, stings, and eczema), good for the digestive system, and astringent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ways to consume: The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, or infused into a tea<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Don\u2019t wait any longer – go and discover the wild edible plants near you, and connect with the abundant nature and food around you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep an eye out for future events on Naturally Balanced\u2019s social media channels, website, and newsletter! *add here link to the newsletter signup form<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Check out also:<\/strong> Wild Edible Plants \u2013 Nature\u2019s Forgotten Potential<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u201cWild foods connect people to the treasure box of Mother Earth, changing their mindset on nutrition and nature, and opening them up to a new universe of sustainability.\u201d\u00a0 — Jouko Kivimets\u00e4, Finnish expert on wild edible plants <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":5768,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-based-therapies","category-plant-therapy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEating Wild Foods for Health and Connection to Nature - Naturally Balanced<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eating Wild Foods for Health and Connection to Nature - 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