When starting out in a non-toxic lifestyle it can be VERY overwhelming. It can seem like everything you know, and love is bad for you and your family’s health. Today, I created a guideline on How to Create a Non-Toxic Life for Beginners. To help you remove that overwhelming feeling and provide a realistic balance but also increase awareness of the harmful chemicals that are in our homes and in our lives!
When jumping into the non-toxic lifestyle a lot of people feel as though they should try everything at once. The problem with that is that it can make your brain and your wallet EXPLODE! We want to try and avoid that.
The goal for this post is to start with one thing and have it trickle into another thing. Then before you know it, 80% of your house and lifestyle is non-toxic. That is currently where I am at right now and I have been working on this non-toxic journey for FOUR YEARS!
This blog post is all about How To Create a Non-Toxic Life for Beginners!
Mind Set of Creating a Non-Toxic Lifestyle for Beginners
This is the beginning parts of living a non-toxic lifestyle. You have to start with your mindset. Creating a non-toxic lifestyle for you and your family can become very overwhelming and very difficult.
Alot of people want to throw in the towel and give up after a couple months because of how many toxins are in this world. I am here to tell you, DO NOT GIVE UP!! Living a non-toxic lifestyle is worth it and you are investing into you and your family’s future!
Removing toxins from your life is a journey. It is not a process that will happen overnight. This has been a process that I have been working on for four years now and I am still not fully there yet. It is ok to take it one step at a time so then it does not drive you and your family crazy!
What are toxins?
Toxins are naturally occurring poisons that are used in our everyday lives that can cause damage to your body. Did you know that the average person is exposed to thousands of toxins A DAY! From perfumes to cleaning products, from cosmetic products to plastic water bottles, THE FOODS YOU EAT. Much of your everyday life include exposure to chemicals that aren’t good for your health.
How to know if the product is toxic or not!?
Now, by any means… I do not sit there and scan the label and know the names of every harmful chemical on cleaning products/ food labels/ and so on. I have WONDERFUL apps to help me with that.
The app I love is EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a wonderful website and app that has been around since 1993. Their goal is to is to empower you with breakthrough research to make informed choices and live a healthy life in a healthy environment.
EWG makes things super simple for you. All you need to do is download the app, scan the barcode of the everyday item that you use in your house, and it will tell you if it is toxic or safe! IT IS THAT SIMPLE!
Some other apps that are wonderful for screening everyday items are
- Think Dirty
- Detox Me
- Cosmethics
- Chemical Maze
- Ingredients Scanner
- 1Source
How do the Toxins cause harm?!
Many chemicals are toxic and can cause harm to the human body. One of the main ways they can damage your body is by poisoning your enzymes, preventing your body from functioning properly. Your body relies on the enzymes to function and when the toxins damage your enzymes they start to cause lots of stress and damage to the body such as:
- Cancer
- Chemical pneumonia
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cardiovascular disease
The list goes on how toxins can damage your body, but these are just a few examples.
Why you should go non-toxic?!
This is the ultimate question. Most people do not do their research when it comes to the products that they are putting on themselves and their family’s bodies, the foods they are eating, or the cleaning products they are using. Most people in the United States want the quickest, most efficient, yet cheapest products or techniques. Little do they know they are causing harm to their bodies, family bodies, and the environment.
So why should we live a non-toxic life? If the paragraphs above didn’t give you enough reasons as to why you should live a non-toxic life then here is another way of thinking of it. We spend a large majority of the days in our homes either cooking, sleeping, or playing. The last thing I want to do is live in a home that is filled with chemicals that can harm us. Also, think about this…most products that we use have a warning label on them. Isn’t that odd? Should the products you use have the ability to cause harm to you or your home in any way?
Where to start?
This is always the tough part. After reading so many articles I didn’t know where to start. I wanted to ditch all my cleaning supplies, I wanted to get rid of all the foods that were not organic or that were packed full of sugars. However, that just isn’t ideal.
So let’s start with the basics.
items in your house you should get rid of or switch over.
Dryer sheets- Ditch. I don’t care how much you spent on them. Get rid of them. They are doing nothing but filling your body with toxins.
Laundry detergent:
- Ecover Zero Laundry Liquid Concentrate
- On Guard Laundry Detergent
- Aspen Clean Laundry Detergent Pods
- ATTITUDE Laundry Detergent
- Or simply make your own!
Bleach- Unfortunately there are no replacements for this one. If you have a stain you are concerned about something you can resort to:
All-Purpose Cleaner:
- AspenClean All Purpose
- Attitude Nature & All-Purpose Cleaner
- Branch Basic All Purpose Cleaner
- Or simply make your own!
Dishwashing Detergent:
Window and Glass Cleaner:
Toilet Bowl Cleaner:
- ECover Toilet Bowl Cleaner
- Make your own!
Air Fresheners- are exactly like dryer sheets. Using air fresheners have chemicals that have led to cancer and brain damage. If you have some odder that you would like to get rid of simply use:
Foods
Food can be a huge source of toxins in our life when it lacks nutrients, burdened with chemical pesticides, or food that is simply processed.
Organically grown foods have 60% more nutritional value. Studies have shown a lot of heavy metals in non-organic produce.
- Eat organic- Though they are more expensive, organic products do not contain synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, and insecticides.
- Eat Whole Foods- Try to stay away from as much boxed food as possible. My rule of thumb is if I am going to be eating something out of a jar, box, or can I want the ingredients to be 7 ingredients or less, I want to be able to read all the ingredients, and I want to make sure there is as little sugar as possible.
Most of your local grocery stores should have organic produce. However, when it comes to boxed, can, and jar food it can be pretty difficult to find some healthier alternatives. My favorite website that I like to get all my pantry items is Thrive Market. Thrive Market is an online grocery store that is packed full of organic products!
Use the link below and receive 40% off your first order!
Skincare/ Beauty/ Personal Care products
This was a tough one for people as well. What is clean and what is not clean? the EWG healthy living app can most definitely help you with this one. Most people don’t think about the products that they put on their skin as toxic. However, those can cause the most damage. Start looking at the personal care products that you put on yourself and your family. Below are two brands that are non-toxic and highly effective for both you and your family!
Beauty counter is a great place for women to get clean, non-toxic, effective skincare, makeup, and personal care items.
Honest Company is the best place to get diapers, wipes, shower wash, shampoo, and other little items you need for kids!
How to sustain a non-toxic lifestyle
Start out small and gradually start making more and more changes to your lifestyle. Each step you tackle is one step closer to living a safer, less toxic, all-natural lifestyle that you are creating for yourself and your family.
Which action steps will you take towards bettering your future? Put it in the comments below!
This Post was all about How to Create a Non-Toxic Life for Beginners!
