“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.”
-Claude Monet
To understand the nature of humanity and our true needs, we must look back into our evolutionary history to appreciate how we have thrived as a species, living in harmony with nature. Growing and eating natural foods is not only central to subsistence but is directly related to pivotal turning points in human evolutionary history including brain expansion, family formation, cooperation, and longevity. The nutrition of our ancestors, like the remaining contemporary hunter and gathering humans of our planet, is based on a predominantly plant-based diet of wild food directly from nature. Such varied diets, in stark contrast to the diets we have been consuming since the birth of agriculture, are associated with a diverse gut microbiome which is essential to warding off the chronic diseases afflicting our modern world.
The human species is the only inhabitant of this planet to deliberately manipulate the environment for our survival, beginning with nomadic tribes to the modern-day ever expanding food print from our exploding population of 8 billion and counting. Agrochemicals and unsustainable agricultural practices pollute our planet, disrupt our ecosystems, and degrade the fertility of soil and atmosphere. Modern fruits and vegetables are not nutritionally equivalent to our ancestors, and our ancestors ate a far wider variety of foods than modern humans. In the U.S., most of our foods are ultra-processed and loaded with sugar, and this poisonous trend is rapidly spreading across the globe. Much of the population is literally eating themselves to death and in desperate need of revival.
Returning to nature and discovering the way our ancestors lived and ate is imperative to fuel body-mind-spirit for the long run. Recent studies are raising the alarm that most people are Vitamin D deficient, so get out and till the soil like your ancestors did to reap the benefits for true flourishing. It’ easier than you may think to begin cultivating a garden of your own filled with delicious herbs, fruits, vegetables, even in a small yard, community garden, or in pots on your deck to bring in and enjoy in the colder months. Start creating your own personal masterpiece while enjoying your hands in the soil, your head in the sun, and your heart with nature!