 When people would ask me what I talk about on my YouTube channel or on my website or blog I'd always respond with natural living and the follow-up question would always inevitably be what's that? For a while I found it hard to explain exactly what that meant as I wasn't exactly sure myself It encompassed an array of things for me But over time as I became more and more engrossed in a life without chemicals and moving towards one that worked more with the planet and Sustainability it became a little clearer to explain So I thought I'd share a little about what natural living means to me and how I do my best to live a natural life on a day-to-day basis My life over the past eight years has been one of many changes and learning curves many mistakes and trials and failures But it has also been some of the best experiences to The path on which I'm on now with living a natural quiet simple nature focused slide Started when I decided to go vegan back in 2016 Before then I did have an interest in health and nutrition But it was merely a side focus something I dabbled in but only knew a little about This interest really grew into a full-blown passion after I made the decision to go vegan as I wanted to transition to veganism Properly and not end up with a range of nutritional deficiencies from rushing into it I began looking at what foods I needed to eat more of to receive the nutrients I needed and what supplements I had to have to avoid malnutrition But as I researched this I became really fascinated by how food can either help or hinder the human body I Discovered the amazing healing power of the diet and this led me down a rabbit hole into the world of holistic health and nutrition At the time I was also starting to learn how many toxins are in our everyday products like skin care Haircare cleaners almost everything really so I started making my own alternatives beginning with the items in my bathroom I Swapped out my skincare products for homemade versions and started making my own shampoo Body wash toothpaste and hair serums After I managed to swap out all of my bathroom products. I moved to the kitchen My goal was to eliminate as many unnecessary Toxins in my life to help reduce the toxin load on my body and give my liver a bit of a break as I learned I had a weakness in my liver which causes my body to struggle to detox properly Around this time I was also learning about the horrible impact of plastic on both our health and the planet So I was trying to eliminate as much single-use plastic in my life as possible and making a lot of my own meals and products helped with this I started shopping at bulk food stores and farmers markets and took an interest in how my food was grown and what was used to grow it by local Farmers around my area. I was able to live completely plastic free for a year and a half until I started including animal products back into my diet A lot of the yogurts, milks, cheeses and other dairy products come packaged in plastic So I'm constantly looking for suppliers who package their products in glass containers or bottles Which is really challenging to come by When it comes to meat, I bring my own containers and ask the butcher to place whatever I buy in them So it's been much easier to avoid plastic this way Since moving up the coast two years ago, I haven't owned a car which has been one of the most challenging transitions I've had to make thus far. I didn't realize how much I relied on cars for getting to and from places Having a bike as my main form of transportation has been a huge adjustment And I've found it to be very frustrating at times But I've learned to work with what I have Biking has taught me to slow down a lot, admire what's around me and be more prepared in getting where I need to go I often pre-plan trips ahead of time and allow for more time to get to my destination Which has helped me to stop rushing from place to place and take it a little slower pace I look at riding as a way to help reduce my overall footprint on the planet When I do have the privilege of driving, say when I visit my family back home or carpool I look at it as exactly that, a privilege and something I no longer take for granted What I've learned over the years and what I've come to define natural living as is a way of life that is toxic-free sustainable and organic Natural living to me is having an awareness of the environment around us and working with nature to live more harmoniously together I by no means am perfect far from it actually But I do my best to live more consciously and make mindful choices when it comes to food products clothing Transport waste and how I live my life on a day-to-day basis I hope you enjoyed my little spiel on what natural living means to me Let me know if you follow a simple quiet natural or sustainable lifestyle or so. I'd love to know I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you soon again