Nature's Influence: How Plants Enhance Our Wellbeing

This episode is a celebration of spring, renewal, and the healing power of plants. Learn how reconnecting with nature—through houseplants, gardening, and food—can support your body, calm your mind, and bring more life into your daily spaces. Small steps, big transformation.

Links

Allan Savory Ted Talk

Regenerative Soil - Matt Powers

Transcript

Natalie: 0:40

Hello and welcome back to Design Your Well Life. It's officially spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, which means the world around us is coming back to life. Trees are budding, flowers are beginning to bloom, and the grass is returning to that lush green, we all associate with renewal. Spring is always a reminder of just how deeply connected we are to the natural world. Whether we notice it or not, our surroundings have a profound impact on us. Have you ever gotten to the end of winter and just can't wait to get outside again, craving the sun, the fresh air, and the plants. That's not just a coincidence. It's biology at work. In today's episode, I'm talking all about plants, why they're essential to us, not just for the planet, but for our own wellbeing. We'll look at how house plants purify our air and improve mental health. Why soil health and gardening affect the nutrition of our food. and The practical ways that we can incorporate more plants into our homes, diets and daily lives. Humans have relied on plants since the very beginning. In modern times, we've become increasingly disconnected the way we live today, inside our air conditioned buildings surrounded by artificial materials and just consuming that ultra processed food, it has really distanced us from the very environment that actually can sustain us. But the good news is that even small efforts to reconnect with nature, whether it's adding a house plant to your space, growing your own herbs, or eating more plant-based foods can have a tremendous impact on your overall wellbeing. We often think about designing our homes. Our routines and our schedules, but how often do we intentionally design our environment in a way that supports our wellbeing? That's my whole purpose with this podcast. The spaces we live in, our homes, our offices, our neighborhoods can either nourish us or drain us. Think about this, the air inside our homes can be more polluted than the air outside due to toxins from furniture, cleaning products, and artificial materials. Our modern food system produces vegetables that contain far fewer nutrients than they did a century ago because of soil depletion and the industrial farming. Research has even shown that just looking at plants can help lower cortisol levels and reduce stress. So let's get more plants back into our lives. Whether you have a green thumb or not, there is something here for you. Okay, so let's talk about houseplant and how they can improve our indoor environment. What happens inside of our homes? You know, I'm all about creating spaces that look great, that feel good, and that function well. That's why I want to spend some time talking about one of the simplest, most beautiful ways to boost the health of your home environment. It's house plants. Plants can be a great way to bring life into your environment and add a beautiful aesthetic, something to really bring a space together. But plants can be so much more than just an added accessory. They are living organisms that interact with the space around them in incredible ways. When I first started learning about indoor toxins, I was blown away by how many chemicals are constantly around us. Things like formaldehyde, benzene, and VOCs are released every day from household items like furniture, carpet, cleaning products, wall paint, and even some types of flooring. And we're not just talking about small amounts when these chemicals are emitted, and because our homes are sealed up pretty tight, especially in colder or hotter months, when we keep the AC or the heat on, those toxins just continue to build up in our indoor air. The EPA has actually reported that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air, but here's where nature steps in house plants can actually help filter some of these toxins out of the air. Back in the late 1980s, NASA did a clean air study because they were trying to figure out how to purify the air in the space stations. Turns out plants weren't just helpful. They were highly effective. The study found that plants like the Peace Lilly, English Ivy, and Bamboo Palm, were able to remove significant levels of formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene from the air and the bamboo palm was especially good at filtering out chemicals from synthetic rubbers and detergents. Now, I'll be honest, follow-up studies have shown that in a regular home, you would literally need a jungle of plants to completely purify the air the way that some of these HVAC filters can now do it. So having a snake plant in the corner isn't going to eliminate all your toxins, but here's the beautiful thing. They still help. They contribute to better humidity. They absorb carbon dioxide, and yes, they do remove a lot of the airborne chemicals. It's one of those small habits that adds up over time, and it's just one of the many layers to create a low tox home. But even beyond air quality, there's another layer benefit here that's just as important. Your mental health. Have you ever noticed how much calmer you feel when you surround yourself with greenery? It turns out there's science that actually backs that up. A recent study from Texas A and M University. Found that adding house plants to your space can significantly lower your stress and anxiety. The researchers called it a small step with a big impact, especially for people who work or study indoors all day. The reason this works is partly because of something called biophilic design that basically means designing your space to include natural elements like wood, water, stone, and of course, plants. The idea is that we are biologically wired to feel better when we're surrounded by nature. It's how our brains evolved. When we add those natural elements back into our environment, even in subtle ways, our nervous system responds. We calm down, we breathe deeper, and we feel more at ease. I also love how different plants can shift the energy of a room. A big leafy monstera or bird of paradise can make a room feel alive and vibrant. My sister-in-law actually has an eight foot bird of paradise in her living room. It's so beautiful and thriving. A delicate fern can soften the space and make it feel so much more restful. You don't have to be a designer to play with this. Just start tuning into how a room feels when you add a plant to it. I recommend bringing that plant life into every room of your home. Okay, and speaking of tuning in, caring for plants brings you into the present moment in a really beautiful way. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, okay, but what if I don't have a green thumb? You're not alone. I used to say the same thing and I have killed my fair share of plants over the years. For a while, I could just not get the right amount of water or light to keep them alive, but the key is choosing the right plant for the right spot. For example, if you have a lowlight bathroom, try a piece. Lily or even a ZZ plant, they all do great in shadier spaces. If you've got lots of sunlight in the kitchen or a living room, go for something like a snake plant or aloe vera. Bedrooms are great for lavender or jasmine, which may even help with sleep thanks to their calming scent. The placement of your plants can also support their function. Humidity loving plants like ferns or Cs, do great in bathrooms because of the moisture in the air. Plants that absorb toxins like the spider plant or the piece lilly can really be effective near electronics or synthetic furniture. A nightstand would be great for one of these. When it comes to decorating with plants, don't be afraid to get creative. Try mixing up textures, sizes, and colors. Cluster a few smaller pots together in a window seal or on a coffee table. And remember, you don't need a jungle. Even a single plant in a beautiful pot can really bring life into a room. So yes, plants will help purify your air, but even more than that, they can help us reconnect with nature in our overstimulated, fast-paced world. One of my favorite houseplant right now is a Peperomia I have to keep an eye on them and occasionally take them outside for a good dose of sunshine, but they hold up beautifully and have amazing shiny coin shaped leaves. Okay. Now the next thing we're gonna touch on a little bit is the importance of gardening. If you've ever grown, even one thing, whether it's a tomato plant on your patio or a few herbs in your kitchen window sill, you'll know there's something incredibly satisfying about watching it come to life. Gardening isn't just a pretty backdrop For Instagram, it's more important than most of us realize. Let's start with the soil because everything begins there, and right now our soil is in trouble. Over the past century, industrial farming practices have done a number on the ground beneath our feet. Researchers have been sounding the alarm for years, and the numbers are honestly quite shocking. A landmark analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition compared USDA Nutrient Data for 43 garden crops from 1950 to 1999 and found significant declines in magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B 2 and C. In some cases, those levels dropped by as much as 38%. That means the same spinach that you eat today doesn't have the same nutritional power it did for your grandparents and the culprit. A farming system that's prioritized speed, shelf life and appearance over actual nourishment, as Scientific American puts it, our quote, disturbing nutritional trend unquote, has a lot to do with the way that we grow food. Monoculture, synthetic fertilizers and the push for rapid growth have stripped the vital minerals out of the soil, and with them, it's also stripped it out of our food. Now there's a great TED talk from Allan Savory on climate change, but it really touches and points out the reason this is happening and how we can fix it. I would highly recommend watching this TED Talk and I'll put a link to it in the show notes. And here's the good news. We can take these lessons to the way we garden a home. It may feel small, but when you choose to grow your own food, even in a few pots, you have the power to rebuild the health of the soil right where you are. Now, don't underestimate the impact of your backyard, your balcony, or your window sill garden. It makes a big difference in the food that you have. Let's talk a little bit now about how we garden. One of the most common practices people think of when starting a garden is to till the soil. It's what many of us grew up seeing, digging, turning, flipping the earth and prepping it for planting. But here's the thing. Tilling might look productive, but it's actually doing more harm than good, especially when it comes to the soil's microbiome and releasing carbon into the air. Now we've talked a lot about microbiomes. We know there's one in our gut. We know that there's one in our mouth, and we're gonna continue to see microbiomes in things all around us. Soil isn't just dirt, it's alive. A single teaspoon of healthy soil contains more microorganisms than there are people on earth. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and other microscopic life forms that all work together in this incredible ecosystem to break down organic matter, retain the water and feed the plant roots. It's a whole cycle for the nutrients. When we till the soil, we're disturbing this delicate balance. We break apart fungal networks. We expose the microbial communities to UV light and to oxygen, and it releases the stored carbon into the air as CO2. Now, over time, this leads to really depleted soil and reduced fertility. That's why regenerative agriculture. And its home scale version of no-Till Gardening has become such an important conversation. Matt Powers is a friend of mine and he wrote the Regenerative Soil Trilogy, which is amazing and breaks down how healthy undisturbed soil systems can regenerate themselves, store water more effectively, resist erosion and grow more resilient plants without the need for synthetic inputs. By layering compost, using mulch and planting cover crops, we mimic the natural process that happens in the forest and in wild meadows. And the result we get healthier plants that are more nutritious. The food is better and the living soil system keeps improving year after year. I'm gonna put a link to all of his books in the show notes as well. If you've ever tried gardening this way, it can feel kind of radical at first. You're not breaking ground with a shovel. You're layering and nurturing and letting nature do the heavy lifting. But once you see the results, those rich dark soil layers full of worms and microbes, you will never want to go back. And it's not just about what's happening beneath the surface. Gardening actually affects us too in powerful ways. There's growing research showing that spending time in the garden can significantly reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and add back missing bacteria and microbes that our bodies need. One of the most fascinating findings comes from studies on a soil microbe called Mycobacterium vaccae. This little organism found naturally in healthy soil has been shown to help our bodies in various ways when we come in contact with it through our skin. Now, think about that for a second. Just by digging your hands into the soil, you could be giving your body a boost. No prescription required. It's part of why so many people describe gardening as therapeutic. It slows us down. It gets us out of our heads, and it roots us. And there's the joy of watching things grow. The miracle of planting a tiny seed and seeing it become a head of lettuce, a tomato plant, or a blooming flower, that experience brings a sense of accomplishment. Now, my husband has really gotten into gardening over the last several years, and he loves trying new varieties of heirloom seeds. I kid you not, we had over. 14 kinds of tomatoes last year in the garden. I think his plants have become like kids to him because throughout the summer he will text me pictures all the time of of his plants. I love it. My husband and sister will also exchange garden tips and tricks, and it's become so much fun for the family to spend time in the garden that even my six and 8-year-old nephews can't wait to spend time with their uncle planting and picking. Their favorite plant is called a dragon tongue bean. It's a green bean variety that has bright purple and yellow streaks. They pick them right from the plants and eat them. This is such a great way for kids to connect with both food, where it comes from, and how fun it can be to grow and eat. Okay. Now some interesting things that my husband has learned over the years to keep the soil extra healthy. If you add green bean bush plants around all of your other plants, it helps bring that extra nitrogen to the soil that you could be missing. And if you use a coconut husk for mulch and layer over the top of everything, it breaks down into amazing soil and really helps retain the water around your plants. And also you can use worm castings. If you can get the leftover worm dirt from a fishery, it adds so many nutrients to your soil. So whether you're planting in raised beds, container pots, or a patch of earth in your backyard, know that every little step counts. Not just growing your food, you're regenerating the land, you're supporting biodiversity, and you're improving your own mental and physical health in the process. And honestly, it just feels good to get your hands in the dirt again. A little bit of grounding goes a long ways. Okay. Now let's talk a little bit about the role of plants in our diet. Because when we're talking about plants and our health, it's not just about what we see in our homes or in our soil, it's what we eat that can make some of the biggest differences. And I'll be honest. This was one of the areas that surprised me most in my own healing journey. Once I really started learning what food could do for my body and how it could support, nourish and repair, I couldn't unlearn it. I shared a lot of my resources in my first episode, and I linked to a lot of books that I use to understand the nutritional quality of each food. I love looking foods up and finding out what parts and pieces I can bring together to make amazing meals for myself. We've all heard the phrase, eat your vegetables, but that advice barely scratches the surface of how powerful plant-based nutrition really is. Plants are packed with micronutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and this amazing category of compounds called phytonutrients. These aren't just your everyday nutrients like vitamin C or potassium. Phytonutrients are natural chemicals plants produced to protect themselves from pests disease and UV radiation, and when we eat them, we get those same protective benefits. Now, this is different from the genetically modified or GMO plants that they modify to protect themselves. All of this is natural and beneficial when you eat heirloom organic natural produce. Now there are tens of thousands of phytonutrients that we know about so far, and scientists are discovering more all the time. These are things like flavonoids, glucosinolates and polyphenols compounds that have been linked to everything from reducing inflammation and better immune function to lowering risks of heart disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. Now, the beautiful thing about these nutrients. Is that they're often tied to color. That's why you'll hear the advice to eat the rainbow, and this is why bright orange carrots are rich in betacarotene. Deeply leafy greens like spinach and kale, offer chlorophyll and folate. Berries, especially blueberries and blackberries are packed with anthocyanins. Which have been shown to support brain health and reduce oxidative stress. Even red onion contains quercetin. A flavonoid with powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Now, what's fascinating is how much of this kind of eating also supports our gut. When we eat a wide variety of whole unprocessed plant foods, we are feeding the beneficial bacteria that live in our microbiome. These good microbes help us digest food, regulate our immune system, and even produce neurotransmitters like serotonin. Now, according to a recent research published in Nature Reviews, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, people who eat more than 30 different types of plant foods a week have a much more diverse and resilient gut microbiome than those who eat fewer than 10. So I want you to take a minute and think about this last week or start making a checklist. How many different colors or how many different varieties of fruits and vegetables have you gotten in your diet this past week? Now a diverse microbiome we know is one of the key markers of good health and longevity, and I have personally experienced this. When I did testing for Viome, which I discussed in our toxic burden episode, I found out that my gut microbiome has a 92% diversity way to go plants. I was thrilled with this information and I believe it's due to eating a large variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Now, of course not all plants are grown equally. That brings us to something that I think more people are becoming aware of. Why organic and local food matters. I know it can be overwhelming at first, the labels, the prices, the decision fatigue when you're in the grocery store aisle, but understanding why these choices matter can really help you feel confident in how you shop. I go into detail on this in episode three, Healing From Within, but as a general recap, let's touch on a few things here. So let's start again with organic. The USDA defines organic produce as being grown without synthetic fertilizers. They are not genetically modified. And they're prohibited to have pesticides for at least three years prior to harvest. Now, this means when you eat organic, you're reducing your exposure to chemicals like glyphosate, which the World Health Organization has classified as a probable carcinogen, and we know glyphosate destroys our gut. Organic practices also tend to support soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity win-win. And here's the thing. A number of studies have shown that organically grown produce can have higher levels of certain nutrients. For example, a comprehensive review published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that organic crops on average have higher concentrations of antioxidants compared to conventionally grown ones. Now that's a big deal because antioxidants are what help us fight off the free radicals, those unstable molecules that can cause damage to ourselves. So buying local food, whether it's from a farmer's market or even your neighbor's backyard garden, offers some beautiful benefits too. First, local produce is picked at peak ripeness. This means it's fresher, it's more flavorful and it retains more of its nutritional value. Second, when food doesn't have to travel thousands of miles, it uses fewer fossil fuels and it creates less pollution. And third, you're supporting your local economy and your food system. That might seem small, but it creates big ripple effects that strengthen communities. Now, one thing that I've also come to love is seasonal eating. When you start paying attention to what's naturally available each season, it's, it not only helps you eat fresher, but it also brings a sense of rhythm and connection to the earth. When you know squash comes in the fall, citrus peaks in winter and greens burst in the spring, it makes you and your body more in sync with the world around you. And if you really wanna take it to the next level, grow your own food. I know that sounds ambitious, but it doesn't have to be a full homestead. It can be a pot of herbs in your kitchen. A few leafy greens in a raised bed. A tomato plant in a five gallon bucket. The point isn't to be perfect, it's to start somewhere. Now, growing your own food isn't just about cutting grocery costs or knowing what's in your produce. It's about knowing that you can provide something nourishing and real for your family and yourself. And it creates this whole new appreciation for the effort that it takes into growing food and producing it. I remember after growing my own veggies, I had a huge appreciation for the clean, organic produce that was so readily available all around me. I actually have a great story about my husband. I mentioned earlier that he loves to garden. Well, one year he decided that for the whole season, he was only going to eat what he grew in the garden. Nothing else. It was really impactful experiment to see how much we needed to grow to support our family and that we could. He also got super healthy that season because he was feeding his body only whole organic food straight from the garden. This whole shift towards eating more plants, choosing organic and local when you can, and growing a few things yourself is about understanding that every bite is either moving you closer to health or further away from it. And with plants you can trust that nature knows what it's doing. I love a saying from Dr. Mark Hyman."If God made it, eat it. If man made it, leave it." So now that we've talked about plants from every angle, how they support our air, our soil, our food, and even our mental health, you might be wondering, okay, but where do I start? How do I bring this into my daily life in a way that actually works with my schedule and my lifestyle? I want to say this right off the bat. You don't have to change everything overnight. In fact, I would even argue that the best way to make lasting change, especially when it comes to wellness, is one small, intentional step at a time. And the beautiful thing about plants is that they're incredibly forgiving. They meet you where you are. If you've never kept a plant alive in your life, start small. I always recommend low maintenance, beginner friendly house plants, like a snake plant. This is where I had to start. These plants are incredibly resilient and they're a great way to build your confidence. Snake plants, for example, can go weeks without water, and they're known for their ability to tolerate low light and neglect while still contributing to air quality in subtle ways. Herbs like basil and mint are another favorite. They give you visual clues when they need attention. Watching them thrive on your window sills can be incredibly encouraging. I actually added shelves in my kitchen over my windows so that I can grow beautiful plants and herbs, and it's great for picking fresh herbs right off the vine while cooking. Not only do they smell amazing, but using something that you grew in your meals creates a sense of satisfaction. Microgreens are another easy one. They're fast growing, they're packed with nutrients, and they require very little space. Studies have actually shown that microgreens contain up to 40 times the concentration of some vitamins and antioxidants compared to the mature version of those which makes them a very small, the very mighty powerhouse in your diet. My most favorite microgreens are either a broccoli and radish mix. Or, arugula. Microgreens are amazing and delicious as well. Now there have actually been some really cool health benefits discovered recently about broccoli micro greens. So take a minute and look those up. Here's the thing I really want you to take away from this episode. None of this has to be all or nothing. Adding one plant to your space, eating one extra serving of vegetables a day, or spending 10 minutes outside pulling weeds or watering herbs, those things matter. When you're surrounded by living things, you start to feel more alive too. I know that in this wellness world, it's easy to feel that you're constantly being told to overhaul your entire life. But my philosophy has always been about designing your well life. Not forcing it, but thoughtfully building it based on what you need and what your body is asking for. Plants have a way of quietly anchoring us. They grow slowly. They respond to light. They need care and water and presence, and so do we. In caring for them, we're reminded to care for ourselves, and I think it's a great wellness practice we all have access to. So my call to action for you today is a simple one. Bring one more plant into your life and see what happens. Thanks for joining me today on Design Your Well Life.

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