Our Story ( A little bit of it)

 My (Slow) Journey to a Non-Toxic Lifestyle

My curiosity about non-toxic living was peaked when one of my daughters swapped her household and some self-care products out for "cleaner" options in an effort to help with fertility. 

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are found in many every day products such as personal care and household items and can cause a wide range of health problems, including:

Reproductive issues: EDCs can cause infertility, early puberty, and abnormalities in sex organs. 

Cancer: EDCs have been linked to hormone-related cancers. 

Metabolic issues: EDCs can disrupt metabolism and lead to obesity and diabetes. 

Cardiovascular issues: EDCs can cause cardiovascular disease. 

Immune issues: EDCs can diminish the immune response to vaccines. 

Neurological issues: EDCs can alter nervous system function and cause neurodevelopmental disorders.

Behavioral issues: EDCs can cause behavioral problems. 

EDCs can be natural or synthetic and can be found in food, water, and many consumer products. Infants and children are especially vulnerable to EDCs because their physiological systems are still developing.

When I began learning about environmental toxins, I felt overwhelmed. With so many harmful chemicals in our food, skincare, makeup, and household cleaning products, where does one even begin?

And because I felt overwhelmed with it all, I did nothing.

I mean, I can’t be 100% toxin-free so why bother, right?

However, having practiced some healthy lifestyle habits for quite some time now, I have felt the positive shift in the way my body feels.

For the past couple of years, with the help of good nutrition, daily movement, and sleep, I have been able to improve my gut health, skin health, and hormones.

So I am feeling good. What next?

A non-toxic, (more) natural lifestyle. 

When you feel good, you want to keep going, you want to feel better! I want to "max out" on feeling good! Don't you?

Benefits of a non-toxic lifestyle

• Improved digestion and relief from symptoms like constipation, gas, bloating, IBS etc. 
• Clearer skin
• Reduced inflammation
• Better immunity 
• Balanced hormones 
• Enhanced fertility and reproductive health 
• Better sleep
• Lower stress levels 
• Improved focus / less brain fog 
• Disease prevention 

…to name a few!

Plus, non-toxic products are a lot better for the environment! Win/Win!

What does a non-toxic lifestyle look like?

A non-toxic, natural lifestyle can be as simple as: 

• Prioritizing whole foods over processed foods. 
• Choosing organic and pasture-raised when possible.
• Opting for locally grown food when possible, perhaps through your community farmers market.
• Choosing restaurants that source local ingredients. 
• Favoring seasonal produce. 
• Slowly switching to non-toxic cleaning and household products (keep reading for a link to the brand I am using!)
• Slowly switching to non-toxic skincare and makeup products (keep reading for a link to the brand I am using!)
• Investing in a high quality water filter
• Ditching heavy fragrances, air fresheners and perfumes 
• Detoxing periodically from sugar, processed foods and alcohol to support your body’s natural cleansing process.

The goal should not be to live in fear of toxins, nor to live 100% toxin-free. It’s inevitable that you will be exposed to some level of toxicity, and to a certain extent, your body is equipped to handle toxins just fine on its own.

The goal, then, is not to avoid toxins entirely, but to prevent toxic overload by reducing exposure where we can. That way, when you are (inevitably) exposed to toxins, your body is able to handle it and detoxify with ease. 

If you know me, you know my motto is “progress over perfection”. Perfection isn’t necessary with non-toxic living, nor is it even possible, so simply start by becoming more aware.

Take it slow, that is what I am currently doing.  I am waiting until I run out of a product, then I am swapping it out for a more natural one to replace it. 

Ingredients to look out for in non-toxic living

The main ingredients you want to look out for in home & personal care are: 

• Parabens
• Phthalates
• Phenols
• Sulfates
• Formaldehyde
• Triclosan
• Fragrance
• Paraffins 
• 2-Butoxyethanol: sometimes appears as Butyl Cellosolve; Ethylene Glycol, 2-BE
• Ammonia
• Coal tar dyes: sometimes appear on labels as: P-phenylenediamine, coal tar solutions, naphtha, estar and benzin B70, or any ingredient listed with FD&C and D&C in front of it. 
• Ethanolamines: MEA (monoethanalomine) , DEA (diethanolamine), TEA (triethanolamine)
• Nonylphenol (NP) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)
• Sodium Hydroxide
• Chlorine bleach

When it comes to food:

•  Prioritize whole foods and choose USDA Certified Organic where possible.

•  Reduce processed/packaged foods. 

•  Avoid products with ingredients that you can’t pronounce. 

• Skip anything “low calorie” or “sugar free”, there’s usually harmful ingredients added to these products to make them taste good. 
• If you don’t recognize the ingredient, your body probably doesn’t recognize it, either.  

•  Here are some of the main ingredients to look out for when grocery shopping: 

• trans fats 
• hydrogenated oils
• seed oils (canola, corn, sunflower, grapeseed, rapeseed, safflower) 
• artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, sucralose
• high levels of added sugar (if it’s more than 10g per serving, I’d skip it. Remember, you can always sweeten things yourself with honey or maple syrup). 
• artificial colors: red dye 40, yellow 5 and yellow 6 are the most common ones.
• “natural flavors” - while misleading in its name, there’s actually not much of a difference between natural flavors and artificial flavors. 

The non-toxic/low-toxic brand that I am using for my household and self-care items: 

Shaklee is making my transition to exploring healthier products for my house and body super easy with over 300 products all in one place. Shaklee is a health and wellness company that sells natural supplements, personal care products, and home care products. Shaklee is committed to wellness through health, science and nature. The Shaklee difference ensures safe, proven, and guaranteed products. Shaklee products undergo a screening process that far surpasses standards for the quality and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements worldwide. 

Click Here to Shop Shaklee

In closing:

Use the EWG (Environmental Working Group) database to help you discover practical solutions to protect yourself and your family from every day exposures to chemicals in personal care products. 

If you have questions about anything I have shared here, please reach out to me. I would love to take you along with me as I journey into this new world of living a non-toxic lifestyle. I am taking it slow and trying to do a little bit better every day.

“We don't move on when we think it's time. We move on when we slowly allow something a little more interesting, a little more beautiful, a little more compelling, to grab our attention, and move us into a new world of our own creation.” -Brianna West.