It's a marathon not a sprint (Part 1)


Where to begin when we embark on cleaner living!?!?  Here are some great places to start: 

 

 Foods – This was where I first began healthier swaps as we shifted to more organic and better sourced foods.  I think of it this way with respect to what we put IN and ON our body:  We have to consider where it’s been… what it’s eaten, how it’s been grown, produced, etc.  Organic foods and high quality meats are more expensive but once you do your homework you can find better ways to save here too.  I’m always impressed by the array of organic options Wal-Mart and Target now offer and buying meat in bulk can cut costs from delivery services or farms.  With things like bananas, lemons and avocados I don’t worry about buying organic.  I also think about EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean 15 lists” which can be a good starting place (although I don’t remotely know this list by heart!)  

 

The EWG “Dirty Dozen” list includes:

 

 

 Products – There hasn’t been a major US law passed since 1938 to regulate the personal care products industry.  That’s NOT a typo!?  Approximately 30 ingredients are currently illegal under US regulation.  By comparison over 1400 ingredients are banned in the EU.  Known carcinogens, hormone disruptors and irritants are used perfectly legally in MANY of our products.  To clean up this area, check your products on the EWG (Environmental Working Group) Healthy Living Skin Deep database for product safety.  Only buy brands that are low scoring with minimal health risk.  And if you're thinking -- "Well I'm not into night creams, and I barely wear make-up so this doesn't apply to me” -- think again!  Potentially dangerous products include:  skincare, makeup, hair products, men’s products, kids products, soap, deodorant, face wash…even chapstick!  When I see little girls playing with that "kids makeup" I cringe thinking about the gunk used that's going into their bloodstream.  Remember what we put ON our skin goes into our bloodstream, AND it's not broken down by digestion in the same way that our foods at least are.  Sometimes I still think "Well my grandmothers have used all those brands and one lived to 100 and the other is still trucking at 90?!" The problem with that logic is that new chemicals and ingredients are used now at an exponentially increasing rate.  Formulations are not what they were decades ago (in the same way a MacDonald's hamburger patty TODAY isn't made the same as it was in the 50's - EW - but I digress!) As far as products, here's the EWG app which is a great place to start:  


 

After foods and products, what next?!  Here are some other cleaner swaps and habits we're making/trying to make!  As with all of these do your own research to see that the evidence is solid.  And you have to dig a bit because sometimes "safe" gets stamped by poor regulatory standards!   

 

Miscellaneous other cleaner living tips -

 

* Ditch the plastic - Plastic food storage contains and leaches harmful stuff into our food.  It's even worse when run through dishwasher or used to heat leftovers.  Glass, silicone and stainless steel options are all better. 

 

*Watch added sugar - once you get in the habit of reading "ADDED" sugar on ingredients it becomes habitual.  Sugar impacts SO. MANY. THINGS.  And it's amazing where it's snuck in!?  Spaghetti sauce and ketchup are my two favorite culprits and all types of snack bars and cereals can be bad too.  People unknowingly add 10+ grams of ADDED sugar to their kids meals just through ketchup!?  I want to save my added sugar for bakery stops, sweet treats and ice cream (my favorite!) 

 

*Watch out for (or run from!) high fructose corn syrup - this is a BIG no- no for me and I pretty much DON'T buy anything with it.  Conventional ketchup uses it but there are TONS of brands and variations that don't.  Salad dressings and sauces often hide it as well.   

 

* Add a good probiotic - MANY health issues have been linked to overall "gut" health.  The term "gut health" used to baffle me but it refers to the "microbiome" environment of bacteria and organisms living in your digestive track.  It's mind-boggling how this environment and frequent imbalance have been pretty much linked to EVERYTHING (eczema, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol, behavioral/ADD/ADHD issues, anxiety, immune system response....I could go on and on about this).  Just what all throws off our "gut health" is something I'm still learning but I AM convinced a good probiotic to add in some good bacteria is so-so important.    

 

*Have a shoe-less household - We *try* on this but aren't fully there.  Yucky stuff from outside contaminates carpets where little ones play, crawl, mouth things (in my case!).... etc.

 

I've got more tips that fall under the "things we try to do" category but I'll save those for a Part 2 post.  Water quality and EMF exposure are two areas I'm still learning about and will share more of what I find soon! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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