We live in a toxic world, don’t we? There are toxic chemicals in our food, in the air we breathe and the products that we use every day.
Some of these toxins we can avoid, some we can’t.
We all want to be healthy and so we make as many healthy choices as we can… eating less processed food, avoiding gluten, exercising, etc.
And all of these choices are beneficial, but is it enough?
Let’s just take a step back and look at what it means to be healthy.
For most of us, it means being disease free and not getting sick.
Unfortunately that’s where the idea of being “healthy” ends for most people. What we really need to do is dig deeper. Like to a cellular level.
I’m not going to get all scientific with you, but the bottom line is, that all disease occurs because of chronic inflammation in our body. Inflammation that we don’t even realize is there because it isn’t causing us any detectable pain. But our cells are reacting to this chronic inflammation.
Many different things contribute to this state of chronic inflammation.
Before we begin, make sure you grab the list of 5 everyday products that you are using that have toxic ingredients and their alternatives.
Ok, so now let’s take a look at the three areas of food, household products and the environment.
Food:
By now, we all know that choosing organic food is better for us because it is free of pesticides and toxic chemicals. I won’t go into the nuances of what “organic” can mean or that even though something is grown organically, it can be treated & prepared for shipment using toxic chemicals. But the bottom line is, that by choosing to eat organic foods, we are helping to decrease the overall inflammation in our body.
As an offshoot of organic food, we must also consider the containers that our foods are packaged in. Like plastic. Or cans that have been chemically treated. These containers often have toxic chemicals that leach into our food. Even PABA free plastic has other toxic chemicals that leach into our cells.
Of course, we need to be practical about this too. Most of us can’t be purest and completely avoid any and all pesticides and chemicals that may come in contact with our food, but we do have choices. Having the knowledge of how our food choices can contribute to chronic inflammation helps us make better decisions.
Products:
This is one area that came as a huge surprise to me. I never thought that the products that we were using could have toxic ingredients in them.
The biggest surprise for me is that the personal care and beauty industry is unregulated in the USA. There is a “committee” that oversees the “safety” of this industry, made up of industry insiders.
Just give you a framework for what this means:
Europe bans over 1,370 toxic chemicals from their personal care products…..the USA? Eleven.
Even more concerning is the marketing that goes on in the USA. Just because something is labeled as “natural” does not mean it does not contain any toxic chemicals.
Even the packaging of these products can be misleading. A green leaf on a earthy brown background gives the impression that the product is “healthier”.
If you don’t believe me, go take a look at your local big box store and the shampoo and body care products.
I’ve created a little cheat sheet for you of 5 everyday products that you are using that often contain toxic ingredients. You can grab it HERE.
While the ingredient lists on many of our everyday products can be overwhelming, there are a few chemicals that are commonly found and should be avoided.
Fragrance: This is a “catch all” phrase that is a way for the industry to protect their “trade secrets”. There can legally be hundreds of hidden ingredients labeled as “fragrance”. More than 75% of the time, the fragrance contains phthalates which are known endocrine disruptors.
Oxybenzone: This is a chemical sunscreen found in many sunscreen products. Unfortunately, oxybenzone is also an endocrine disruptor.
PEGs (polyethylene glycol): These are petroleum byproducts. During the manufacturing process carcinogenic contaminants are created.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES): These are also considered to be carcinogenic. SLES is sometimes contaminated with 1,4 dioxane. Companies are not required to label contaminants.
If you would like to learn more, take a look at www.SafeCosmetics.org and www.ewg.org.
Environment
So this is one are that we unfortunately have very little control over. We are constantly exposed to pollution and off-gassing. Even chemicals used to make different aerosol sprays and candles.
We may not be able to control this area, but we can make informed choices.
We can still decrease our overall exposure to toxic ingredients and therefore the toxic load in our bodies.
This is an ongoing, long term process. It is nearly impossible to eliminate all toxins from our lives overnight.
Where do we go from here?
Knowledge is power. Now you know the different hidden areas where toxic chemicals can be found, you get decide which products you will buy and how quickly you will transition to a less toxic lifestyle (if that’s what you choose).
Don’t forget to grab my cheat sheet and non toxic alternative suggestions HERE!