Get in, You're Going On a Self-Care Reset Vacation

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Wellness travel involves taking a well-deserved vacation to focus on yourself. After all, dedicating some time for yourself should be a priority. 

*Licensed mental health counselor [Brittany Johnson](https://brittanyajohnson.com/) says, "**By taking breaks, your brain and body can regain the energy it
needs to carry on**."*  

Here are a few cities to consider, presented by [Revivified](http://www.revivified.co).


[Myrtle Beach](https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/myrtle-beach-sc-population) is a smaller city with a population of 32,300 people, but it’s a hot destination for people who want to spend some quality time with sand and the ocean. In addition to Broadway at the Beach, you can enjoy a stroll on the Boardwalk and Promenade.

Seaside is one of the [top vacation home cities](https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/best-small-towns-to-buy-a-vacation-home-us) in the United States and is the crown jewel of Florida. Enjoy the beautiful coastal architecture, picture-perfect beaches, fine dining, and luxury shopping. 

If you want to make your move more permanent, consider staying there long-term. Purchasing a vacation home in such a place, however, comes at a hefty price, and
don't forget the [20% or more](https://www.redfin.com/guides/how-to-buy-a-vacation-home) down payment. If you can't afford that amount, you can take out a second mortgage on the house you already own or use a home equity loan. It's a good investment in your wellness, giving you a break from your everyday life.

It’s one of the oldest cities in the United States and a perfect place to learn more about American history. You can enjoy historical sightseeing at Freedom Trail and visit the many Revolutionary War landmarks throughout the town. 

If you're taking a trip with your family, the kids can enjoy the swan boats at the [Boston Public Garden](https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/boston-public-garden.html). You can purchase discounted tickets to watch the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Some online ticket sellers offer an interactive seating chart that allows you to view your seat in 360 degrees. 


Phoenix has something for everyone, whether you're a sports fan, history buff, or nature lover. Visit the [Desert Botanical Garden](https://dbg.org/), go on a hot air balloon ride, take a tour of Heard Museum, and watch the Diamondbacks play at Chase Field. You can do a deeper cleansing and reset at [Civana](https://civanacarefree.com/), a wellness resort, and spa with peaceful settings overlooking the
desert. You can also get an elegant room with mountain views so you can enjoy the sunset.


There's rarely a bad time to plan a reset trip. Going somewhere to rest your mind and body, as well as unplug from your job, is always worth it. Just make sure you [plan ahead](https://www.zenbusiness.com/blog/taking-time-off-when-youre-self_employed/), save up plenty of money ahead of time, and turn off those notifications on your phone. Whether your idea of a relaxing time is simply exploring the country or taking some well-earned relaxation in a scenic location, there's something out there for everybody.


For more great content to help nourish your body and mind, be sure to visit the other articles
on [Revivified.co](http://www.revivified.co).

*Justin Bennett is an author and the creator of [Healthy Fit](https://healthyfit.info/), which collects valuable fitness resources from across the web.*

What is Natural Health? 8 Steps To Live A More Naturally Healthy Lifestyle

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What does it mean to be “naturally healthy” exactly? Well, that can mean a lot of different things depending on whom you talk to. 



The concept can be flexible, and if you’re looking to live a more naturally healthy lifestyle, you can always start with small, manageable steps and make changes over time. 

It’s not easy to just change your entire lifestyle at once. 

If you try to do too much at one time, it will be all too easy to give up. So as with anything, start small and go from there.



**Why would you want to go naturally healthy, anyway?**


If we want to turn our health around, we’ve got to start with our lifestyles. 

**Many chronic diseases are lifestyle-induced.** Type II diabetes, heart disease, and other life-threatening issues all come down to the choices we make throughout life, including the foods we put in our bodies, lack of movement and exercise, too much time indoors, using toxic chemicals to clean our houses, among others. 



Making small steps to live more naturally healthy can potentially reduce the risk of these health problems while making you feel better in the moment. It’s also a low-risk way to at least try something that may benefit you in the long term. 



With the versatility of what natural health means and the variety of the little things you can do, it’s good news that incorporating natural health into your life can be very easy. 

Here are a few ideas you can start with. Try one. Try all. Mix and match. See what works for you.





**1. Skip the processed and fast foods.**


Processed foods are loaded with preservatives and other chemicals that are arguably not suitable for human consumption. Particularly if you live in the U.S., you can find things on ingredient lists that are outright banned in other developed nations. 



[The effects](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/) processed and fast foods have had on our society is detrimental; 71% of Americans are considered obese, and about 7 out of 10 deaths in the U.S. can be linked back to one of these lifestyle-based illnesses. 




If you learn to buy whole foods and cook with ingredients, then you don’t have to worry about toxic ingredients lists; the food you are using *is* an ingredient. 

If cooking isn’t your forte, start simple. Use only a couple of ingredients keep the seasonings basic, and slowly learn to incorporate more as you get comfortable with what you know.

*If you want some healthy, holistic recipe ideas, check out [Revivified's recipes](https://www.revivified.co/categories/recipe) section.*


Always choose local over international. Shipping food overseas is harmful to the ecosystem and an overall unsustainable system. (Did you know there are not even enough fossil fuels in the world to sustain the world’s food system?)



**Buying local ensures your food hasn’t traveled over an ocean to reach you.**

You can go to a local farmers’ market and buy directly from the farmer, typically at cheaper prices. 

You can find a local rancher and purchase a quarter or half of a cow in bulk (if you eat meat) and go pick it up from them yourself. Grocery stores are getting better at sourcing foods locally and labeling them as you shop. 



As an added bonus, you can learn about foods that are indigenous to your area and learn to cook with them more often. 

I live in Minnesota and love buying [wild rice](https://nativeharvest.com/products/manoomin-wild-rice) in bulk when I go up north and cooking things like wild rice hot dish with venison. (The company linked here is Ojibwe-owned and the wild rice is hand-harvested by members of the tribe).


Living naturally is living the way nature intended, and that means spending time in nature. There are certain [microbes in the soil](https://www.revivified.co/articles/microbes-in-soil-make-you-happy) that are known to work similarly to antidepressants, so it’s no wonder we tend to feel depressed when we aren’t in touch with nature.




*So dig your hands in the dirt, plant a garden, forage for edibles in the forest, or just go on a walk and breathe in that sweet nature-made oxygen that our tree friends produce to sustain us.*

Human beings were created from nature, and we were meant to be connected with nature. What better way to reconnect with mother earth than just to spend a little time outside every day? 

Houseplants make a wonderful, inexpensive way to decorate your home and bring a little bit of nature to your living situation. 

Through photosynthesis, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is (obviously) vital to our survival. 



The debate about whether plants purify air still seems to be ongoing. 

Recently, some studies came out saying plants actually do *not* remove toxins from the air in your home. The initial claim was based on [a famous NASA study](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930072988 ) from 1989 when scientists were trying to find ways to detoxify the air in space stations and found house plants could scrub the air of certain airborne toxins. 



The problem with the study was that it was done in small, sealed environments and didn’t really translate to bigger, open houses where the air turns over with the outdoor environment every hour. 



***That doesn’t mean there aren’t science-backed benefits to having plants around.*** [Studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419447/) have shown having plants around can decrease stress and make people feel happier overall. 

[Also, spending time in and around nature has been proven to be good for your mood.](https://www.revivified.co/articles/healing-with-nature)



It wasn’t until recently in human history that we began living sedentary lifestyles, and the health of society is showing just how bad it can be. 

Not long ago, in the grand scheme of things, our ancestors had to constantly move, whether they were hunting, gathering, farming, or migrating. 



*Physical inactivity has been named one of the [biggest contributors](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2857374/) to heart disease mortality in the world. Lack of exercise is also linked to obesity, which is then linked to other life-threatening health problems.*



Our circulatory system needs movement in order to function. 

When you are sitting still for a long period of time, blood stagnates in your legs, not circulating back up to your heart the way that it should. When you move, this function can actually happen. **The functionality of our bodies depends on us moving regularly.**



There was a period of human history when we all *had* to live with the seasons. Humans hibernated, or at least more so than we do now. 



Acknowledging that our bodies are connected with the earth and her seasons can help you live a more naturally healthy lifestyle. It can also help you become more in tune with what your body needs. 



In the winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer. When the sun goes down, your body produces melatonin, which helps you sleep. You may need more rest in the winter than you do in the summer when the daylight hours are long and the warm weather beckons you outside regularly.



**Honoring these cycles can be a key component of natural health.**




**7. Focus on preventative health care.**


The issue (I believe) with your healthcare system these days is that it’s very reactive. 

*[**Bonus read**: Finding Balance in your Health Care](https://www.revivified.co/articles/finding-balance-in-health-care)*

We wait until something is wrong, then try to treat the symptom instead of finding what went wrong to cause that ailment in the first place.



One primary difference between organic farmers and conventional farmers is that when a crop isn’t doing well, a conventional farmer tries to fix the crop. An organic farmer fixes the soil from which the crop grows so the crop can heal itself.



Investing time and money into preventative healthcare will not only help you feel better today but will save you a lot of stress (and money) in the long run. 

Preventative healthcare can be eating the right foods and exercising. 

It can also be getting massages, doing yoga, or finding ways to manage stress. 

Alternative treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic, and functional medicine look to optimize your body’s health so that you can thrive on your own, the way an organic farmer fixes the soil to help their crops thrive.

 

I’m not saying don’t go to the doctor if you have, say, a sepsis infection or a broken leg. Essential oil won’t mend bones or prevent you from dying of an acute infection of sorts. 

(I'm also not advocating to not talk to your doctor about natural things, either).

There are certain things modern, western medicine does better, but it also has its shortcomings. When in doubt, chat with your trusted, professional health care provider.





**8. Ditch the toxic cleaning products.**


Many conventional cleaning products are filled with toxic chemicals that don’t only contribute to issues like groundwater contamination but also aren’t good for humans to be consistently getting inside of them.



Natural cleaning products can work just as well, too.

**Teatree oil, which has been used for centuries, has been shown to have antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties.**



*Did you know lemons also make a great household cleaner?*

There’s a reason that many traditional cleaning products are lemon-scented. A 2015 study in Germany actually showed that lemon juice was effective in killing the norovirus! 



My household all-purpose cleaner includes a glass bottle refilled with Dr. Bronners, tea tree oil, and lemon essential oil, diluted with water and shaken. It smells great, is non-toxic, and works just as well as any conventional cleaner. 



Natural health can mean many different things, but a basic idea of coming back to nature, living in tune with our bodies and the world around us, listening to our inner voice, and prioritizing staying healthy are a few of the underlying principles behind the concept of natural health. 



If you’re looking to be more naturally healthy, you can take a few of these concepts, apply them, play with them and see what works in your life. 

The idea is to listen to your own intuition, doing what’s right for you. 


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As an introvert, I have times when I wish I could just be alone all day. I enjoy solidarity. There is something so therapeutic about the quiet, unstructured time of being by myself that when I don't get it, it feels like a missing necessity.



I know for many, this may be considered a luxury. (Hi, mom friends).



I spent years living with multiple roommates and also with my then-boyfriend (now husband), working in highly social environments and never, ever having time to myself. The introvert in me exploded regularly.



As we as a society have shifted through the last couple of years, forced to stay home and away from our social lives, the energy of this experience has changed. In the beginning, I loved the extra solidarity. A part of me that had become so exhausted with “people-ing” that I reveled in the indefinite extended solitude. Another piece of me didn’t really want to go back to work when the world re-opened. (I’m glad I did, though).



**But even introverts need social connections.**



**By nature, we are social creatures.** We have packs, as do wolves and lions and other predatory mammals like us. On a quantum level, everything, and everyone, is connected. 

*All humans across the planet are connected through the sound and light frequencies that, at a subatomic level, make up absolutely everything, defying the constraints of space and time.*



Not too long ago, we (humans) lived in tribes. The world outside of the tribe could be a scary place. We lived really intertwined with nature, but for better or worse, that meant we also faced the many unknowns of the great outdoors. From the predators to the unpredictable weather, we also had to hunt, gather, and farm together, then survive the brutality of winters together. If we didn’t have this cohesion amongst ourselves, it was sure death. 

Back in those days, one could not just pull up their bootstraps and buck it up solo. We needed each other for survival. 



Today, there is a semblance that we must somehow make it on our own. We have to “take care of ourselves.” The idea that we’re actually that independent is a disillusion... 

We may live independently and even be self-employed, but we still go to the grocery store and buy food that somebody else grew, harvested, and shipped; we get supplies that we didn’t create with our own two hands; we likely live in a house that somebody else built. There are people in the world who do many of these things on their own, but even farming takes a crew, as does building and creating. Independence, in this sense, is leaning on others from a distance.




While the word ‘socializing’ may trigger ideas of going out with groups of friends, laughing over happy hours, or being in big crowds at events, the human connection we need doesn’t have to fit into that category.



Personally, I’m not into crowds unless my favorite band is playing nearby. Even so, I prefer it outdoors so I can look to the sky and remember how small we really are. 



What we need is just genuine human connection.


**Without positive, durable relationships, our bodies and minds can actually deteriorate.**



[Research](https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-isolation-loneliness-older-people-pose-health-risks#:~:text=Health%20effects%20of%20social%20isolation,Alzheimer's%20disease%2C%20and%20even%20death.) has linked social isolation and loneliness to a myriad of physical health issues, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and a weakened immune system. It also comes with other mental health issues including anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease, and even early death. 



Dr. John Cacioppo (1951-2018) pioneered groundbreaking research into loneliness and isolation and their effects on our health and wellbeing, as well as co-founded the field of social neuroscience. 



Dr. Cacioppo distinguished between loneliness and isolation. *Isolation is being physically separated from other humans whereas loneliness is the subjective feeling of being alone.* You can be lonely and surrounded by people, yet you can also be isolated and still feel a sense of connection. 



When somebody feels lonely or separated from the world, it activates an actual biological defense mechanism. Chronically lonely individuals may feel distrustful and threatened by others. When we feel threatened, our body’s immune system kicks in, triggering inflammation. 

Inflammation is great if you are healing from injury or fighting off a virus, however, when it lasts too long, it increases the risk of chronic illness and also weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to getting sick. 



Increased isolation and loneliness also increase stress levels, [which have their own detrimental effects on the body](https://www.revivified.co/articles/how-can-stress-affect-your-body?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_smartloop&utm_content=smartloop&utm_term=66728544).



On the positive side, there are [dozens of studies](https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-health-benefits-of-strong-relationships) that have shown that people who have healthy, satisfying relationships in life tend to live longer, happier lives with fewer health issues. 



One of the [earliest studies](https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/109/2/186/74197) on social ties that began in 1965 studied over 7,000 men and women over the course of nine years. The study looked at social ties as well as other health habits and lifestyle choices that affect one’s wellbeing.



***Those that felt disconnected from others were roughly three times more likely to die during the nine-year study than their more socially connected counterparts.***

 

**Interestingly enough, people who had poor health habits like smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise but had close social ties actually outlived people who had more healthy lifestyle habits but lacked those close social ties.** But of course, the participants of the study that practiced healthful habits and had healthy social relationships outlived both of the other groups.





**How do you initiate socializing again?**



You don’t need to frequent happy hour to have a good social life, although if that’s your jam, happy hour away.



If you’re a fellow sober introvert like me, learning to forge a social life can feel tricky. Particularly in this post(ish)-pandemic world, the landscape of socializing has changed. I also gave up drinking mid-COVID so coming back to the real world and having to find new ways to spend time with others has presented new challenges but also new opportunites. 



Personally, I connect better with people in small groups. I love one-on-one walks with friends (and our doggos, of course) or just chilling at a park with a couple of other like-minded individuals. 



Here are a few ways I’ve been able to improve my social life (if you find yourself feeling better being cautious, much of these can be pandemic-friendly and I was actually able to do some of this during the pandemic[depending upon when you are actually reading this]).



Meetup is stocked full of various local groups with common interests. There is everything from meditation groups to hiking groups, recreational sports pickup games to your activism groups like NORML (or whatever your cause maybe). There are networking groups if business is your thing and just hangout groups for moms or non-moms or people who are new in town or whatever. 



For so long, I thought it was a bit cheesy. But when I was 27, I moved back to my home state of Minnesota after living away for 8.5 years. I learned that as an adult, it was much harder to meet people than it was in college where everybody was new and therefore anybody could be your new bestie.



I started attending Meetup groups and found so many local people around my age with similar interests. It was an easy way to integrate back into a new/old state where I’d lost touch with many of my old friends.




**Start a book club or coffee club or a walk-around-the-lake-on-a-Tuesday-morning club.**


You can even start your own Meetup, but you don’t really need Meetup to do it. Connect through social media with people local to you (there are many Facebook groups that are specific to regions and neighborhoods) and start a book club, a coffee connect, a hiking club, whatever-club, transplants-to-the-area club, video game fan club, or whatever floats your boat. Just post about it, you never know who may respond. 




**Reconnect with friends just to go on a walk.**


LIterally, my favorite way to socialize with friends is just going on walks or hikes. Sometimes we walk locally. Other times we drive out of the city a bit and find new state parks to meander. 

We often get into existential conversations and intellectual banter on the ways of the world. That’s just us, though. The walking is a nice exercise, it gets us into nature, and we are able to connect. 




**Host a dinner party, but you can order Doordash if you want.**


Sometimes, I like just texting a few random friends that may or may not know each other and having them over for dinner. 

I love cooking, but sometimes we just order out. We hang out, maybe play a round or six of Cribbage, cheers some Komboucha, and, depending on the weather, maybe go for a post-dinner walk to digest. It’s small and chill but brings people together for that much-needed medicinal socializing. 


Why You Need a Social Life

Is Going Vegan Better for Your Health and the Environment? (Probably not)

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1604335310236-0ca3d4e4afcc?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0OHx8dmVnYW58ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM3NzAzMjYx&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080

I was a vegetarian for several years as a teenager. I made this decision while attending a summer camp where I met other teenagers who followed a vegetarian diet and liked the concept of not eating other living creatures. I impulsively, and misguidedly decided to give up meat as well. 



For years to follow, I picked pepperoni off pizza and threw it in the trash, as if that was somehow honoring an animal’s life more than just eating the pizza as it was. Steaks got replaced by highly-processed fake meat patties, and due to my lack of cooking skills, many after-school meals consisted of refried beans from a can, cheese, and tomatoes on a microwaved tortilla. Don’t get me started on my public school lunchroom options. 

I gained weight and was plagued by fatigue and brain fog most days. I'm sure I was nutrient deficient and spiraling towards other diet-based health issues, pillaging through and blaming it on high school starting at 7:20am. I honestly remember feeling terrible most days, and to be fair, it was probably many factors. 



Eventually, succumbing to an instinct that something in my body wasn’t right, I went out to dinner with my friends, ordered a cheeseburger, ate the whole thing, felt great, and never looked back.




**You literally can't eat without causing death on some level.**

Many people pick up veganism or vegetarianism for ethical reasons, not wanting to contribute to the loss of life for another sentient being. 

I get it, I was there once, and that is fine; hunting or raising your own livestock isn't for everyone, anyway.




However, unless you are growing all your own food and can see the *entire process* from start to finish yourself, you are probably still causing death with your diet in some way or another. It's actually impossible not to.



Firstly, crop fields aren’t natural. If you eat fake meat, it comes from GMO soy, which is grown on massive clear-cut fields. When a field is cleared for farming, many small critters that live in and rely on that field for food and shelter are chopped up by the equipment. If they manage to survive that, they lose their food sources and are exposed to predators.



Many mono-crops are grown with chemical-based fertilizers that degrade the organic microbial activity in the soil, as well as create runoff that gets into waterways, killing off fish and other water-dwelling creatures. Roundup, one of the more popular chemical herbicides, is made with glyphosate, a chemical that’s been [linked](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6706269/') to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. 




If you go buy something organic, then it is likely grown with **bone meal, blood meal,** or **fish emulsion** for fertilizer. Those are exactly what they sound like. Bone meal and blood meal come from cattle slaughterhouses where the bones and blood are ground up for use in gardens, and fish emulsion is made from leftover fish carcasses at fish-processing plants. There is also manure, which subsequently comes from animals. Smaller-scale home gardens can use compost from the kitchen, but this isn’t often done on large, commercial-sized farms. 


Other popular protein-rich food sources that replace animal-sourced protein in human diets include things like quinoa. 



Eighty percent of quinoa is grown in Peru or Bolivia. It’s been the staple crop of the indigenous Andean people for nearly 7,000 years, who, in recent years, can no longer afford to eat it because of its boom in popularity in the western world and increasing food prices. While since 2000, production of quinoa in Bolivia has increased, domestic consumption of it has decreased as local populations turn to carb-heavy bread and pasta. Bolivia is already the poorest and most food-insecure country in South America, and exporting its primary nutrient-dense crop is contributing to that. 



This doesn’t even include the greenhouse gas emissions released by sending quinoa around the world, or sending that cheap, processed bread and pasta back to Bolivia to replace what’s been taken away.


***Read more on the quinoa industry [here](https://web.colby.edu/st297-global18/2019/01/22/superfoods-dark-side-increasing-vulnerability-of-quinoa-farmers-in-bolivia/).***

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1586201375799-47cd24c3f595?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwxfHxxdWlub2F8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM3NzAwNDY0&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080




**Most vegan alternatives are highly-processed.**



The data shows that consumption of highly-processed foods is probably the biggest contributor to health issues in the United States, meatless or otherwise.



Meat and cheese substitutes are full of artificial ingredients that are calorie-dense, addicting, and quicker to digest, meaning you don’t absorb as many nutrients and are more likely to pack on pounds eating them.



A five-year [study](https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/eating-highly-processed-foods-may-raise-cancer-risk) of 100,000 people also showed that those who ate 10% more processed foods led to a 12% increase in cancer risk. 



There are also additives like sugar, fat, and sodium. One serving of Impossible Burger contains **370mg of sodium**, which is about 16% of your daily recommended intake on a 4oz patty.

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1530554764233-e79e16c91d08?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0fHxpbXBvc3NpYmxlJTIwYnVyZ2VyfGVufDB8fHx8MTYzNzcwMDY3OA&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080



***That doesn’t even include growing it...***



Fields that grow the soy required to create these alternatives use tons of fertilizers and pesticides, and that’s just to grow it. The tractors, equipment, and energy required to maintain it burn up even more fossil fuels, and that’s even before it’s loaded into that semi-truck used to transport it to your local grocery store. 




**The vegan diet means nutrient deficiencies and other health risks**



Nutrient deficiency risks of a vegan diet include iron, zinc, vitamin B12, [vitamin D](https://www.revivified.co/articles/chronic-widespread-pain-and-vitamin-d-deficiency), and omega-3 fatty acids.



In the grand scheme of human history, the vegan diet is relatively new, meaning our bodies haven’t evolved to be able to sustain it. Any how-to-vegan information will explain that there are certain supplements you actually *need* to take, as you can’t get the same quality nutrients from a plant-based source as you can from an animal-based source. Because of the high risk of potential nutrient deficiencies, veganism is actually considered an [extreme diet](https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-go-on-an-extreme-diet). 



There are a few common health issues that arise from veganism gone wrong. Such examples include…



- **An increased consumption of soy can lead to hormone disruptions and increased heavy metal intake.** Soy is a source of plant-based protein that many vegans often use to replace animal-sourced protein, and while it may be okay in moderation in non-processed forms, highly processed forms include things like tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and other fake meats that are marketed as a plant-based alternative. Soy has been named as a primary contributor to increased levels of the toxic heavy metal [cadmium](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31902034/) in vegetarians. There is also a high risk of [hormone interference](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25587246/) due to phytoestrogens found in soy.


- **Iron deficiencies are a huge risk for vegans**, as plant-based iron is considered *non-heme* iron which isn’t as absorbable by the body. This has been [linked](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31617971/) to iron-deficient anemia and can be particularly bad for women of child-bearing age, who lose a lot of blood around their menstrual cycles and are already susceptible to iron deficiencies anyway. 


- **Vitamin B12 deficiency or depletion** is accompanied by [symptoms](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamin-b12-or-folate-deficiency-anaemia/symptoms/) such as anemia, disturbed vision, irritability, depression, mouth ulcers, paresthesia (pins and needles feeling in the body), a pale yellow tint to the skin, soreness in the tongue, changes in behavior, memory, cognitive function, and ultimately an increased risk of dementia. Because vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods, it absolutely needs to be supplemented by vegans and vegetarians, however, there is a genetic variation in many people called [MTHFR](https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/gene/mthfr/) that impacts how vitamin B is absorbed, so supplementation for these folks may not even cut it.



- **Poor zinc absorption** is another common issue with vegan and even vegetarian diets. [Zinc](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23595983/) is another essential mineral that isn’t as readily available in plant form as it is from animal sources. Zinc plays a huge role in keeping your immune system healthy. Nutrition professionals recommend increasing zinc intake up to 50% more than the daily recommended levels to ensure adequate intake while on a strictly plant-based diet. 

While many of these nutrients can be supplemented to an extent, getting nutrients from a pill form is still consuming a machine-made synthetic substance and isn’t the same in quality as getting your vitamins and minerals directly from a natural source.



Other issues that can arise from veganism include Orthorexia Nervosa, a form of disordered eating that includes a pathological obsession with “clean” eating. [Studies](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29397564/) have shown that rates of Orthoexic eating behaviors in vegans and vegetarians were substantially higher than in people who ate meat. 

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1596733430284-f7437764b1a9?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw2fHxjYXR0bGV8ZW58MHx8fHwxNjM3NzAxMzAz&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080




**If everyone went vegan, the environment wouldn’t be saved. It may actually do more harm than good.**




[Research](https://www.pnas.org/content/114/48/E10301) has been done on what the impact of removing animal agriculture from the US would look like, and the actual reduction in greenhouse gases, a pain point often looked at when it comes to animal agriculture, would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a net total of 2.6%.



**Livestock agriculture provides more than just meat for humans.** Animals are often grazed on land that is unsuitable for crop agriculture, and contribute to recycling 43.2 × 109 kg of human inedible food and fiber processing byproduct waste that is consumed by livestock and ultimately gets turned into things like fertilizer. 

The model also described how a plant-only agriculture system may produce more plants by about 23%, but it also doesn’t meet requirements for the population’s essential nutrients, which would lead to higher rates of nutrient deficiencies and other related health issues. A higher risk of nutrient deficiencies also means people would eat more food to feel like they were acquiring adequate nutrition, which would quickly eat up the excess plants grown. An agriculture system based on plants only may reduce some greenhouse gas emissions, it would subsequently create a food system that is incapable of meeting the population’s nutritional requirements. 

**There are responsible agriculture practices that include livestock as an integral part of the system...**



I’m certainly not saying factory farming is the answer. Of course, there are livestock farms that have inhumane practices and *they* certainly do more harm than good. However, livestock can be raised responsibly and used as an essential part of the cycle of agriculture, contributing to improving the land instead of deteriorating it.



Farms like the [Organic Compound](https://www.organiccompound.org/about), a regenerative permaculture farm in Northfield, Minnesota (run by my friends who are awesome, by the way) is a commercial-sized organic farm raising Tree-Range™  Chickens. 



[Tree-Range™ chickens](https://www.regenerationfarms.com/) are raised in small flocks within a system intended to eliminate the negative impacts of poultry production while contributing to improving the soil quality and environment around them. They are raised happily among perennial plants like hazelnuts and elderberries that provide food and canopy, and their poop provides organic fertilizer to the crops in return. 



This farm uses what’s known as a [Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agriculture system](https://regenerationinternational.org/poultry-centered-regenerative-agriculture-system/); a type of [regenerative agriculture](https://www.aglaw.us/schroeder-ag-law-blog/2019/7/26/regenerative-agriculture-and-livestock), the systems are meant to “do no harm” as well as contribute to improving the quality of the soil while providing nutrient-dense, healthy food. Regenerative farming focuses on practices like no-till farming, cover crops, crop rotation, and rotational livestock grazing to sequester carbon emissions and improve the quality of the soil. 



**Even hunting has its place in the cycle**. Until recently in human history, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. If you wanted meat, you went out into the wilderness and hunted it down yourself, and you probably wouldn't survive if you didn't get any.



Until the late 1800s, hunting was highly unregulated. Wood ducks and wild turkeys nearly went extinct, and the white-tail deer population from coast-to-coast withered to less than 500,000. 

Middle-class sportsmen that hunted to feed their families became the original conservation champions, pushing for regulations in hunting and conservation efforts to revitalize these populations. Over the course of the first half of the 20th century, a series of laws were set in place that protected wild spaces and animal habitats and created wildlife areas that were collectively owned by the public and could be used by anybody. Hunting became *highly* regulated, and limits were set based on how healthy the animal populations were. 

Today, there are over 32 million white-tailed deer that are even considered “overpopulated” in some areas. Selling wild game became a felony, so if you want [wild-caught deer meat](https://www.revivified.co/articles/is-wild-game-meat-healthier), you literally have to go into the woods and harvest it for yourself. 

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1611782712936-6247d9711816?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyNXx8ZGVlcnxlbnwwfHx8fDE2Mzc3MDE5MjQ&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080





**Veganism has come about because we’ve lost our place in the cycle of nature.** 



Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, many humans have moved closer to cities, relying on the convenience of grocery stores rather than needing to farm, hunt, or forage to survive.

 

At a time in history not so long ago, we *needed* to do the latter. Our lives depended on it. We also lived lifestyles that were naturally more connected with the wilderness around us. This migration to cities has disconnected us from what it means to be a part of the cycle of life. 



As explained in Braiding Sweetgrass, many misguided humans believe that there is absolutely no way humans can use nature without destroying it. We are the plague, so they think. 



Humans are omnivores, meaning we eat both meat and plants to survive. For thousands of years, this is how we have survived and thrived. It wasn’t until farming became industrialized that we began seeing the detrimental effects it can have on our ecosystems because industrialized farming was not created with the natural cycles of nature in mind. We clear cut fields to grow one crop at a time, and if something goes wrong with that crop, we drench it in chemicals or genetically modify it to fix the plant, instead of fixing the environment around it to help that crop thrive.



As far as meat, our ancestors were hunters. When we lived more connected with nature, hunting was a natural part of the process. **Humans are mindful predators.** A hunter can still feel the grief and sorrow of having taken a life, yet be filled with gratitude for the sacrifice that will nourish their family for the coming year.



Because we eat both plants and animals, we don’t need that much meat. One cow can produce nearly 400lbs of meat, which can feed a family for a year. Animals like bison, moose, and caribou can produce even more. 



I’m not advocating for our current system of agriculture. Industrialized agriculture has depleted soil quality and has not been built with the harmony and balance of nature in mind. We can certainly see the detrimental effects of it.

There is a lot of work to be done, but eliminating livestock agriculture would, according to research mentioned before, would likely do more harm than good, both to the land as well as to our bodies.

It's hard to eat without contributing to the negative side of agriculture to some point, so what do we do?


Focusing on sourcing your food locally is one of the best ways you can contribute to an improved environment and ensure you receive healthy, ethically grown and raised food. Many local food co-ops have regulations on where and whom they source their meat, dairy, and eggs from so you don’t have to stand in the meat section googling where the heck your chicken was raised.



Shipping food all over the world contributes to massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to our fossil-fuel-based transportation system, as well as an unsustainable system that is highly susceptible to contamination. 



Eating locally-sourced food can eliminate those excess GHG emissions produced from the transportation, as well as support small-scale, local farmers. Small farmers, while only occupying less than a quarter of all global farmland, do more to feed the world than large-scale industrial agriculture farms. (Read the GRAIN report [here](https://regenerationinternational.org/2015/10/06/hungry-for-land-small-farmers-feed-the-world-with-less-than-a-quarter-of-all-farmland/).



Farms like those that raise Tree-Range™ chickens are contributing to carbon sequestration and improving soil quality, while humanely raising livestock that goes out to local food co-ops, grocery stores, and restaurants.



When I went vegetarian as a twelve-year-old, I meant well, I really did, but as a city-dwelling school girl, I wasn’t very educated in the cycles of agriculture and livestock. If you’d told me then I’d grow up to marry a hunter whom I happily followed into the woods deer season after deer season, I would not have believed you.



I do believe vegans mean well, but the idea comes from a disconnection with our place in the cycles of nature. The nutrient deficiencies that come from a vegan diet are the proof in the pudding. Our bodies need high-quality, animal-sourced nutrients and minerals, and while it’s possible to supplement these when needed, supplements are just another machine-made artificial substitute that doesn’t have the same quality as what you can source from nature itself. 



I have friends and loved ones who have gone vegan for a while, sometimes to get certain health issues under control, other times to learn how to use more vegetables in cooking. Heck, I even have a vegan cookbook for meatless meal ideas (I don’t eat meat every day). But when it comes to long-term sustainability and healthfulness, the diet is just a bit misguided.

veganism health

What’s with all the “Gut Health” hype?

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1618771622532-421eda797750?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxNzY0MzN8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwzfHxzdG9tYWNofGVufDB8fHx8MTYzNDgzNzIyNA&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=1080




You may have been hearing a lot about the concept of *gut health* lately, and no, we’re not talking about just farts. We’re talking about the 100 trillion little tiny microorganisms that dwell inside of your small and large intestines. 



Actually, all that [dwells](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21295072/) in your intestines are made up of 10% human cells and 90% microbes.




Hippocrates, who’s known today as the father of modern medicine, said almost 2,000 years ago that “all disease begins in the gut.” Well, not quite *all* diseases start there, but many of them, including some surprising conditions, do begin in your own guts, according to modern scientific research. 



Take obesity, for example, a growing epidemic all over the world that has been linked to conditions such as heart disease and type II diabetes. Historically, obesity was associated simply with energy intake being greater than energy output (lots of fast food, low physical activity level). However, a growing body of [evidence](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21295072/) is realizing the role the microbial community plays in fat mass development, insulin resistance, and low-grade inflammation. (I’ll get more into that in a bit).




In this article, I’ll go over what exactly your gut flora is, various conditions that are associated with gut health (including prevailing mental health issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression), and how you can take back your gut health. 




**First, more on your "gut microbiome" or "gut microbiota"…**



We all have a massively diverse array of bacteria living inside of us. As I said before, your intestines have somewhere around 100 trillion tiny microorganisms living inside of them, a diverse, independent ecosystem that plays a vital role in your health and wellbeing.



In the 19th century, [Robert Koch](http://​​https://www.newscientist.com/people/robert-koch/#:~:text=Koch%20discovered%20rod%2Dshaped%20bacteria,every%20case%20of%20the%20disease) (also known as the father of bacteriology, along with Louis Pasteur), discovered that it was indeed bacteria that caused certain diseases like cholera, anthrax, and tuberculosis. His research paved the way for others to discover different pathogens, and eventually establish antibiotics and vaccines, which have saved a lot of lives over the past century and a half.


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