Can Spending Time in Nature Improve Your Diet?

Can Spending Time in Nature Improve Your Diet?

Author: Dr. Mercola May 20, 2026 Duration: 6:14
  • Spending time in nature shifts your food preferences so you naturally choose healthier, whole foods without relying on willpower
  • Even short, daily exposure to natural environments improves diet quality, making simple habits like walking outside highly effective
  • Nature doesn't reduce how much you eat but changes what you want to eat, steering you away from processed foods toward real nourishment
  • Exposure to nature increases how much you value your health in the moment, which directly influences better food decisions
  • Using nature as a daily routine or pre-meal reset helps break stress-driven eating patterns and makes healthy eating easier to sustain

Each week, Dr. Joseph Mercola-Take Control of Your Health offers a direct conversation about navigating the often-confusing world of wellness. Dr. Mercola brings decades of experience as a natural health advocate to these discussions, focusing on practical strategies that go beyond conventional approaches. The episodes dig into the interconnected areas of holistic health, physical fitness, and alternative methods for building resilience. You’ll hear detailed explorations of how everyday choices impact long-term vitality, with an emphasis on personal agency and evidence-informed alternatives. This isn’t about quick fixes but about understanding the underlying principles that can help you make better decisions for yourself and your family. The tone is straightforward and investigative, aiming to equip you with knowledge that is frequently overlooked. Tuning into this podcast feels like accessing a deep resource of non-mainstream health perspectives, all centered on the fundamental goal of sustainable well-being. It’s for anyone who feels that managing their health requires looking at the full picture, from nutrition and movement to the less obvious environmental factors. Dr. Mercola’s weekly insights serve as a catalyst for taking a more active, informed role in your own health journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health
Podcast Episodes
Statins, Cholesterol, and the Real Cause of Heart Disease [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:10
Despite decades of statin use costing approximately $25 billion annually in America alone, heart disease remains the leading cause of death, suggesting the cholesterol hypothesis that drives statin prescriptions is funda…
The Hidden Reason Vitamin D Fails in People with Obesity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:01
Extra body fat interferes with how vitamin D works after it enters your body, which explains why low levels often persist despite supplements or sun exposure Vitamin D can become trapped in fat tissue and fail to convert…
Daytime Light Exposure Influences Glucose Control in Type 2 Diabetes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:44
Type 2 diabetes management is influenced not only by diet and medication but also by environmental factors, including the type and timing of light exposure during typical indoor workdays A Cell Metabolism study found tha…
Why Your Heart Risk Score Matters for Your Eyes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:39
Your cardiovascular risk score reflects how well blood flows through your smallest vessels, and those same vessels determine whether your retina and optic nerve stay healthy as you age People with higher heart risk score…
Bowel Prep for Colonoscopies May Disrupt Your Gut Microbiome Balance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:40
The bowel prep used before a colonoscopy does more than empty your colon; it strips protective mucus, wipes out beneficial gut bacteria, and weakens your gut's natural defenses right when they are needed most Research sh…
Is Your Makeup Toxic? The Alarming Rise of PFAS in Cosmetics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:44
A review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identified 51 PFAS in 1,744 cosmetic products. Among the 25 most-used PFAS, 19 lacked sufficient safety data for assessment The most common PFAS in European makeup…