Wild – What if we lived on only Wild Food?
Taking part in Wildbiome 2, a Citizen Science Project
I am delighted that I will be taking part in this amazing Citizen Science Research Study in 2025, part of the Wildbiome Project 2.
But what is the ‘Wildbiome Project’?
In 2020 two expert foragers, Mo Wilde and Matthew Rooney, set about seeing what would happen if, for a year, they just survived on wild foraged food. That means nothing bought or agriculturally grown, but living on free, foraged, wild food. In short, they were able to ensure that some testing was undertaken and found that the change in their gut microbiome soon meant they were reaping the benefits. Over the year Mo found her BMI returned to healthy levels and in just over two months Matthew found his Type 2 diabetes receded to pre-diabetic levels. But this was just for two, what if they could test on a wider audience.
In 2023 two dozen members of the Association of Foragers participated in further research, eating only wild foods for either 1 or 3 months. Professor Tim Spector OBE, Kings College London - renowned for his work during Covid – helped to sponsor the research, at ZOE, the personalised nutrition company that runs the world’s largest nutrition-science study and the ZOE Health Study (formerly ZOE COVID Study).
For this next project, in 2025, a far larger cohort are taking part over 1 or 3 months, which will ensure more extensive research can be undertaken, especially with regards to the effects of a wild only diet on the gut microbiome, blood sugars, blood pressure and other physical markers. To test the effects of wild food on the human body and gut the research will use recognised testing methods. The research team includes Mo Wilde as Lead Researcher, Circadio Ltd, and Drs and Professors from the University of Bradford (Archaeological & Forensic Science) and Rzeszów University (Institute of Biology).
So why should I take part?
Growing up on the West Coast of Scotland in Argyll meant I was incredibly fortunate, from a young age, to be introduced to the outdoors and the amazing world of nature that surrounded us from the twisted geology of Dalradian rock to an incredible array of wild species. Mum and dad were keen sailors so every summer we would explore the west coast, fishing, collecting shellfish and eating wild fungi and plants, often accompanied by various reference books left open on a page – just in case (this was back in the 60’s and 70’s so no mobile phones!).
At age twelve I went on a ‘Survival Expedition’ round Cape Wrath where we were expected to hunt for (with fishing gear or catapults) or forage for own food. Limpets, woodlice, rabbit, nettles, seaweed, winkles and even boiled Guillemot were all on the menu. Of course, we would not dream of eating our seabirds now and they are rightly protected, but at the time this was legal.
My fascination with wild food grew and by the time I was ready to leave school I had opted out of an offered place to do a Geology degree to do a degree in Catering, Food Science and Nutrition instead. That was back in the 80’s and my love for food and wild ingredients has grown over the decades, accelerated by the formation of this company, Heathery Heights, offering outdoor adventures and foraging courses. Sharing knowledge and enjoying good healthy food together is something we should all be able to do.
When I joined the Association of Foragers a couple of years ago I was privileged to meet an incredibly diverse and knowledgeable group of people who share a keen sense of purpose: caring for our environment, preserving the many species we share our planet with and learning to use wild foods safely as part of a natural diet or for medicine.
Following Wildbiome Project 1, with a smaller group on a wild food only diet last year, I was keen to be able to participate in the 2025 Wildbiome Project, which looks at the effects of eating a wild foraged food only diet. No processed foods from the supermarket, nothing cultivated or homegrown, not even my homemade wild seeded sourdough (which uses ancient grains such as Emmer and Einkorn but they are still ‘cultivated’). No home fermented Kefir/Yogurt (which uses dairy from farms) or my array of wild jams, pickles or wines (which contain sugar, processed oils and modern wine yeasts). I am also not a meat eater so will not be eating wild meat such as venison, rabbit or grey squirrel.
However, I do eat local seafood so will eat the shellfish I can find or fresh fish that can be caught locally. I have been collecting seaweeds, leaves, berries, fruits, nuts and seeds to dry, freeze, salt or ferment. The good acorns are currently soaking to leach out tannins before I dry and grind them for flour. But it will be a hard to find enough to eat whilst working. And 2024 has not been a good year for acorns or hazelnuts in the UK; many of the acorns I collected whilst working in Wales were infested with acorn weevil, luckily the Scottish ones I found less so! I am also looking at other sources of carbohydrates such as roots and the inner bark of birch (both the latter I obviously need permission for as you can’t just go cutting trees or uprooting plants). I am also trying to eat only the foods which can be found or grow in Argyll as I think this is an important aspect of how our bodies would have coped within an area at any one time.
Following all this I am walking across Scotland on a self-supported backpack in May (the TGO Challenge) so need to keep up my energy, muscle mass and strength! This means I will undertake the wild only diet for April then carefully reintroduce other foods to ensure I have the 1000s of calories I need to consume and burn up when backpacking in the hills (this is also a safety consideration as I will often be in remote areas).
Nevertheless, the funding required for the testing is enormous and we have to raise our own funds. If you are able to support me to do this please visit my Just Giving Page
Thank you for reading! I will add updates during the project, both here and on Facebook.
