How nature can help you quell a sudden yearning for sticky toffee pudding

Spending time in nature can apparently help you choose healthier things to eat. Picture: Matt Cardy | Getty Images

Evidence that human beings like sandy beaches, tranquil lakes and forest walks isn’t hard to find. However, in recent years scientists have been discovering there may be deeper reasons behind our fondness for natural environments than simply their appearance.

It seems they are actually rather good for our health. This is perhaps unsurprising given they are, generally speaking, less stressful and more peaceful places than the towns and cities where most of us live.

Now a new study has suggested spending time in nature can have an indirect effect on our eating habits. A survey of 500 people found that levels of “self-compassion” and “body appreciation” improved and that these qualities were linked to a greater degree of “intuitive eating”, defined as listening to your body’s signals when deciding what to eat.

You may suggest having fish and chips followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice cream is an act of “self-compassion” but that doesn’t seem to be what happened in the study. And if you’ve suddenly decided what you’re having for tea tonight, you may need to go for a walk in a park or something...