Eliminate Toxins for Better Health
What comes to mind when you hear the word “toxin”? Something sinister and obvious? Or a silent, invisible threat? The truth is that it can be both, and many things we’ve been told are harmless our entire lives are anything but!
Take, for example, the laundry list of ingredients in most personal care items…do you really know what effect those hard-to-pronounce chemicals could have on your body? Or the water you drink…is it clean and filtered or full of potentially harmful substances? Same goes for the air we breathe, the cookware we use, the food and drinks we ingest, the cleaning products we utilize, the list goes on and on. We are quite literally surrounded by toxins on a daily basis.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! Just because complete avoidance is impossible doesn’t mean we can’t take action to reduce our exposure and choose healthier alternatives. After all, every toxin you keep out of your body is one less that it has to deal with trying to clear, leaving you more energy to heal!
Where Are Toxins Found?
Here are four places toxins are commonly found, and ideas for how to reduce exposure:
- In the kitchen: Choose organic produce if you can afford it to avoid harmful pesticides (try buying it frozen to get more bang for your buck) and eat pasture-raised, hormone-free meat whenever possible. For cookware, select stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled cast iron and avoid any non-stick coatings like Teflon. Also, store your food in glass containers, not plastic, and never, ever reheat food in plastic!
- In your water: Drinking ample water is a foundational pillar of health. Water helps to flush our bodies of toxins, so it is important to make sure you are drinking clean, filtered water. Look for an activated charcoal filter at the bare minimum, or consider a more comprehensive filtration system like The Berkey if your budget will allow. Don’t forget to drink from a stainless steel or glass water bottle as well — no plastic!
- In your body care products: These products are a minefield of toxic chemicals, and a largely unregulated industry. Parabens, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and a variety of other nasty ingredients are often hiding in our favorite products. Make the switch to “clean” beauty products by researching brands and selecting products from companies that are committed to prioritizing your health. Beautycounter, Young Living, and Primally Pure are examples of these kinds of companies.
- In cleaning products: Many of our cleaning products are toxic and have no place in our homes. Branch Basics is a non-toxic brand that could replace the majority of your products. Another great way to save money and reduce your toxic load is to create your own cleaning products using easy DIY recipes.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a fantastic resource to research the safety and toxicity of products.
