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 When indigenous people of the Amazonian rainforest were evaluated to assess their health, it was with amazement that doctors found a virtual absence of degenerative diseases. The same thing was seen among the Hunzakuts, a people living in a tiny country in the mountains of northwest Pakistan. Among people living near Lake Chad in Africa, in the plains of Mongolia, and the Northern provinces of China, there also were seen to be very few cases of degenerative diseases. What do these people all have in common? They all consume wild foods on a daily basis.
True wild food is a rarity in our modern world, where we rely mainly on domesticated foods. Wild foods are fully designed by nature without any intervention from humanity. Obviously, in the wilderness, it is the survival of the fittest and the strongest. Plants that do not have the strength to survive the heavy moisture, sun exposure, the high winds, or the many other environmental challenges, may not live. A plant that does not contain the optimal amount of minerals and nutrients may not be able to compete successfully against other plants. And because they grow in the wilderness, the weaker ones typically don’t make it. Therefore any wild food harvested represents the strongest of its species and the strongest nutrition available.
What does this mean nutritionally? Interestingly, this is still an open question. Many studies have tried to show that organic and wild foods have more minerals and more nutrients than commonly farmed foods, but without success. Wild and organic foods do tend to have more minerals and nutrients, but the difference is minimal and cannot explain the significant impact of wild food on health. The difference seems to be in the manner in which nutrients are put together—what could be referred to as the “energetics” of the food. It is a little like comparing a house whose roof is leaking with a strongly built one. They are made of the exact same elements—wood, nails, shingles—but it is the manner in which all of it is put together that makes the difference.
A significant difference seen between wild foods and commonly farmed foods pertains to what is referred to as the redox potential. The metabolism of the human body is a complex symphony of reactions of oxidation and reduction. Oxidation and reduction go hand in hand: they are two sides of the same coin. At the cellular level, virtually every biochemical process is linked to oxidation. To reset the cell for the next reaction, oxidation must be followed by reduction.
It is commonly known that an imbalance toward oxidation leads to premature aging. This is why we hear so much about the importance of antioxidant nutrition. Food with a negative redox poetential (high in antioxidants) is what the body needs to balance the oxidation taking place. The more negative the redox potential, the better the food. When foods produced using common farming techniques, with fertilizers and pesticides, were tested, they showed a positive redox potential. When wild foods were tested, however, they showed a highly negative redox potential. This confirms why wild foods taken on a daily basis provide a unique opportunity for the body to rebuild health and to remain strong..*
Plants from the Amazonian rainforest provide more than compounds that promote various aspects of health. It is the fact that they are growing in the wilderness, without the intervention of humanity, without anything to bolster their growth or protect them, that makes them so beneficial for the body. We have been trained to think that products made in a laboratory under controlled conditions are more “pure” and therefore better, but this is a misconception. Research shows, nothing does it better than nature. The more you eat wild, the better it is for your health.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. The information provided on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease.
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