where to start
Most people assume that when you decide to go low tox or no tox in your life it’s all or nothing. And many non-toxic advocates will say that you aren’t practicing a low-tox lifestyle if you aren’t all or nothing. This is why so many people avoid making this change in their lives. The internet can make topics like this sound so scary.
And with the amount of convenience our world has trained us to need, it’s no wonder people are staying on the beaten path. I get it, I was there for most of my life. I didn’t know any other way.
Our world makes it difficult to go all in because much of our lives are affected by chemicals and toxins, it makes it feel overwhelming because you can’t change every single thing, so is it even worth it?
It is! And there are simple ways to get started and reliable research available. You just have to prioritize making the shift.
From our food to household cleaners to kids’ products like bedding and diapers. Why are there so many long confusing words in our ingredients? Why do cleaning products sound more like science experiments?
Those questions are pretty much where I started with my journey. Over the next few weeks, we’re going to explore the different ways you can start living a more low-tox life. Today, we’re starting with our food.
For me, it started with Red40, an artificial dye used in foods and products. There was a lot of talk about how it can create strange behaviors in kids and when people started eliminating it, they saw a change in their children's behaviors and habits.
That sounded wild, but having a child with a disability, I knew I wanted her to be as healthy as possible, so I looked into it more. If the food she eats and her environment affect her brain functioning, why wouldn’t I want to figure out how to fix that?
I started reading labels and was shocked by not just the amount of dyes and unnecessary additives, but how many ingredients were not even food. From there I rabbit-holed into what food or products I could make from scratch to avoid the chemicals. It gets crazy fast. You go from reading labels to wanting to purge your entire home in a day.
But it takes time and there are no rules to how fast you do it - just start.
Swapping the food you eat is a good starting point since food directly relates to your health and overall wellness. Opting for organic and non-GMO as much as possible is what you want to strive for.
Also, try to buy from local farms or markets as long as they use clean farming practices.
You may also want to explore what foods you can make from scratch at home. You’ll never believe how easy it is to make sloppy joe mix and never buy the canned sauce again. I’m still amazed when I whip it up that I used the can for so many years. Gravy, dressings, dips, and seasonings are all simple staples that you can make ahead of time and have on hand. I just posted a reel about the three we use the most.
The main things you want to look for on the ingredient labels of your food are:
artificial flavors
natural flavors - unless organic or can be traced to actual flavors
artificial colors and dyes
soy - this one is hard to avoid, I limit it as much as I can
seed oils - opt for oil, avocado, coconut, or organic cold-pressed seed oils
preservatives - food shouldn’t have to have a 100-year shelf life
citric acid - this one is tricky and I suggest doing your research
added sugars and zero sugars - zero doesn’t mean no sugar. Zero-sugar additives are synthetic sweeteners with a whole host of concerns.
the word enriched - usually comes before the word flour and it means that the flour or grain used has had synthetic vitamins or minerals added to it - they say this like it’s helpful to us but you can’t replace the quality of natural vitamins and minerals from whole foods.
Ultimately you have to decide what being healthy looks like to you and for your family and then start researching ways to make changes. While there are so many benefits to avoiding toxins and chemicals, I’m fully aware that the world we live in today does not make it easy to access or learn about healthier options.
That is part of why I started sharing about this topic on Instagram and created this blog. To help more people learn about it in a realistic way that fits more of the average family lifestyle.
I’d love to hear the ways you are exploring a lower-tox lifestyle.
