365 IN 365 - Lessons from Ötzi the Iceman

Jennifer Armstrong is the creator of this series of posts, published bi-monthly, entitled 365 in 365. These posts will help guide us all as we accept the 6D opportunity to diversify our plants in order to nurture and nourish our microbiome and thus improve our health and wellness. You can join us for this year-long event either via our 365 Facebook group or by following along via our 365 website page.

Nerds like me who had a childhood fascination with mummies always get a bit excited when there’s news about Ötzi, the Ice Age hunter whose mummified body was found in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, having perished and been buried by snow some 5,300 years ago.   And now that I’ve tuned in to news about the gut microbiome you can imagine my delight at reports on Ötzi’s intestinal flora.

We already know that a diversity of plant foods (and fungi) corresponds to a diversity of gut microbes; and it turns out we’ve lost entire populations of bacteria that used to be common when we followed heritage food patterns.  Researchers at the center for mummy studies in Bolzano, Italy (field trip, anyone?!) found that there were microbe species in Ötz’s GI tract that have been found in Mexican mummies, and are still present in people still pursuing traditional foodways, but that are missing in most of the developed world.  Although the roles - beneficial or otherwise -  of all of these extinct or threatened microbes isn’t conclusively established, here’s what the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology has to say about it:

“This loss of diversity in our intestinal flora could play a significant role in complex diseases, such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and increasing obesity. The study was published in the renowned scientific magazine “Cell Host & Microbe” on October 10th [2019]”

Food Plants International has a database of the known edible plants around the world - an astonishing 27,000.  Obviously that’s not the number that was available to Ötzi - he would have been limited by his climate and his territory.  Furthermore, the variety of plant foods available to him would have changed seasonally and by geography.  Studies of contemporary hunter-gatherers suggests that a much smaller number of plant foods make up a larger share of their regular diet - food plants that grow most abundantly, and offer the best nutritional value compared to the labor “cost” of collecting them.  

Some climate zones and habitats have more edible plant diversity than others, meaning some cultures evolved with a greater number of edible plants to choose from than others.  But the point it clear - humans evolved with access to an incredibly rich buffet of edible plants, some of which became staples of the diet, others of which would have been consumed more sporadically.  

With so many plants to choose from, and so many good reasons to diversify, it only makes sense to widen our lens.  Find an edible plant you’ve never eaten before.  Maybe you won’t like it, but I think your microbiome will.

About Jennifer Armstrong

Jennifer Armstrong has spent her life making things; she has had a long career of writing books for children, decades of gardening, painting, making music, and cooking. A 2023 graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies course in Plant- Based Nutrition, she has also combined her interest in sustainability with her love of food by learning how to can and dehydrate, saving as much of the local harvest as possible for use throughout the year.  She lives in upstate New York.

Jennifer is both a blog writer and event moderator at 6D Living. Her blog post series 365 in 365 will explore how we can all diversify and improve our microbiome. Jennifer is also an administrator for our public, world-wide event of the same name. This free event is a year long community activity with one goal only - get more people on the planet a wider variety of plants.

About our 6D Community Activity - 365 in 365

This is a 365 day challenge to try 365 different plants in your nutritional routine over the next 365 days. We will explore new and known plants, share their nutritional benefits as well as recipes so we can all enjoy the splendor of the plant world and improve our health - as a united community.

We know that the diversity of plants we eat determines our microbiome health, which in turn determines our overall health and wellness. Our goal at 365 in 365 is to try to get as many different plants as possible into our bodies over the year - steadily becoming healthier together.

We invite all our members to share recipes, new plants they have 'discovered' for themselves as well as resources where we can all find these wonderful gifts from nature no matter where we live in the world.

This is an international plant-based community for curious minds which want to learn how to be healthier, happier and more balanced in their lives. This is a group of hope and encouragement for all sentient beings on the planet we call home. This activity/event is taking place both on Facebook as well as our 6D Blog - you can join via either venue, or join both by sharing your journey through comments and posts!

Be well

Stop.Breathe.Focus.Move.Flow.