Last week I wrote about the many benefits of walking in
nature, but further research has shown even more value from walking among trees.
Let’s start with the problems of our busy lifestyles. No matter what you do, from the moment you wake, you are presented with a bunch of distractions which deplete all the lovely mental calmness you stored up while sleeping.
Even if you’re not surrounded by a houseful of demanding/noisy
occupants, every conversation distracts your attention from your current task,
and usually requires some kind of decision to be made. Even if you live on your
own, just the background chatter from the inevitable TV/radio has the same
effect. It’s one reason I switch off all “news” reports – they rarely contain anything
I want to hear, and if I need to keep up to date, reading news is much less
affecting than having someone pump it into your ear every hour. This level of distraction ramps up once you leave your “safe” house – now you're adding many more opportunities to take a chunk out
of your serenity. Any journey involves crowded streets, roads, shops, honking
horns, people arguing/talking loudly, fighting for a parking spot – an endless
list.
And that’s before you consider air quality. A short exposure to polluted
air can trigger lung and heart problems, and chronic exposure has been linked
to cognitive decline. Even downtown parks and riverside bike paths are likely
to have significantly better air quality than busy city streets, and trees
offer an additional protective effect. The level of vehicle emissions just 200
metres away from a road is around four times lower than it is walking next to
the road.
Recent research speaks of two types of attention:
“voluntary,” where we consciously focus on something, and “involuntary,” where
something attracts our attention whether we want it or not. We need to direct
voluntary attention for so many daily tasks, but it’s tiring.
Walking near trees lets your mind wander aimlessly, away from attention-grabbing loud-noises,
while your brain gently registers the natural scenes and sounds, revitalising a
fatigued mind. A study showed volunteers suffering from depression demonstrated a
marked improvement in cognitive ability after an hour’s walk in a woodland park compared to those walking on city streets.
A Japanese research team propose that trees emit a fine mist of
essential oils which reduce levels of stress hormones, lower blood pressure and
enhance immune function. Called phytoncides, these olfactory-provoking
chemicals can protect against cancer – rates of lung, breast, uterine and
prostate cancers are lower in highly-forested areas.
On a personal note, if I am ever stuck trying to figure out a tricky plot point or find a way to connect the dots between a scenes I've just written and where the story needs to go next, I don my trainers and walk around my local farmland. My preferred route takes me through four small woods and along a babbling stream. I never fail to get inspired - usually fixing whatever was broken/stalled. An absolute must for any kind of writer's block!
Growing/eating seasonal fresh food
I learnt long ago that the green leaves surrounding cauliflower make a fabulous, authentically cauliflower-flavoured soup without a single floret. Last week, I learnt that, instead of discarding the huge leaves
from rhubarb, if you boil them, the resulting juice tastes of rhubarb. It may
not look as appetising, being dull greenish-brown instead of day-glo pink, but
you can be sure it has every one of the same vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients.
I then used the rhubarb stalks, along with gooseberries and apples (all lightly stewed) and raspberries to make one of my favourite breakfasts –
a fruit fool with cold custard and a generous dollop of creamy yoghurt. I always add cinnamon, ginger and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper to wake up my metabolism. Yummy! All accompanied by a glass of the juice.
But the
real boost was the sense of accomplishment from growing all the fruits myself
- free from all pesticides, preservatives and zero air miles. Even my husband
remarked on how much better the raspberries were than the ones you buy in
shops. Like eating proper fruit instead of a watered down imitation. One of the side-effects of lockdown is that people have had
much more time to spend in their gardens and many have resorted to the old ways
of growing their own and making their own bread (hence the shortage of tomato
plants and flour).
N.B. Before trying this at home, it makes sense to research well – for example, rhubarb leaves are high in oxalic acid and anthraquinones which can cause problems, particularly in those prone to kidney stones. As ever, it’s about being sensible, trying a sample first, and listening to your body.
There are many sites extolling the virtues of eating locally-grown, seasonal food, and here’s a summary of the benefits:
1.
Health
Seasonal food includes ingredients essential to the body's needs for that time of year, such as the anit-histamine properties of summer fruits, and the spring-time leafy greens to support liver function and regulate the body's energy system. As well as supporting your immune system, there's a feel-good factor of eating mindfully and conciously choosing what you put into your body.
2. Flavour
Without the toxicity of pesticides or the preservatives required to grow out of season and transport from distant shores, foods are bursting with unadulterated flavour and pleasing textures. Growing your own means you pick it when it's ripe, unlike transported produce which has to be picked before the flavours and nutrients have properly developed, and often taste bland or watery.
3. Nutrition
The potency of the vitamins and minerals decreases as the food ages and most forms of food preparation in processed foods kills or reduces the efficacy. Mass-produced fruit and vegetables are often genetically engineered to improve appearance, usually at the expense of flavour and/or nutrients. Where possible, eating raw foods, reducing cooking time to eat al-dente, and not adding salt/sugars increases the nutritional value tremendously.
4.
Harmony
Living in harmony with nature has a tremendous impact, reducing the air miles, supporting local businesses and our own bodies. We were designed to benefit from the variety of foods available throughout the year, eating root vegetable stews to combat the wintry months and staying hydrated in the summer with water-dense salads and fruits. Many holistic nutritionalists suggest getting in touch with Mother Nature's cycles connects us more deeply to the earth, helping us to get in touch with our own natural rhythms.
5. Cost
When food is in season it is more abundant and therefore cheaper. Out-of-season produce is more expensive to grow locally in a greenhouse, or there are travel costs if it comes from a different country. And, of course, if you grow it yourself, the outlay is minimal.
If you’ve ever been in the UK around midsummer, you cannot fail to have noticed the wall-to-wall media coverage of the Glastonbury Festival. Billed as one of the world's most famous music and performing arts festivals, it attracts some of the world’s biggest names who whip up a storm on the many stages. A couple of hundred thousand people spend up to a week getting alternately burnt to a crisp and drowned in mud as they camp out in the massive complex centred on Worthy farm. With a backdrop of the famous Tor, this “tented city” hosts a multitude of spectacular things to see and do over the long weekend.
Since my first visit in 2009, I've been completely under the spell. I walked the Tor twice on the day after my arrival, at 9am and 9pm, without knowing it was Beltane eve - until I met the drummers. And I met so many friendly, fascinating people, some of whom became good friends, like the owner of a bookshop who hosted my first signing down there, co-opting the services of a couple of real-live archers. They invited me to take part in a Reenactors' (Rennaisance) Fayre in Glastonbury where I saw my second real-live joust and set up stall next to a falconer. Good times.
The Chalice Well was completely enchanting - and my first encounter with Druid magic. So many enchanted places, but my favourite piccy is still this one from one of my many visits down there. Each part of the picture is a different plant, flower or seed, and the message speaks for itself.
