The funny thing was, I thought I was super healthy. I had been dairy free almost my entire life and gluten free for at least seven years. I had weaned myself off sugar. I practiced yoga daily. So what gave? I was doing all the right things. Or so I thought.
What I had neglected to think about was the products I was using in my home. Some of them were still toxic and I didn’t even realize it.
When I decided to make the switch and make my home environment less toxic, there were six major essentials I had to tackle. I’m going to share them with you.
1. Switch out your toxic cleaning products for non-toxic cleaning products.
I began with changing all my toxic products out for non-toxic cleaning products. Instead of using Tide, Windex, Clorox, and Ajax, I switched all of my products over to Seventh Generation. You can use whatever organic non-toxic product that speaks to you. I chose Seventh Generation, because I like the scents and I feel that the products work effectively (not all non-toxic products are created equal).
2. Maintain your house.
It’s so easy to be lazy, but if you go through your house with the intention of maintaining it, it will make your life a whole heck of a lot easier than letting everything pile up and become overwhelming. A clean environment can make the difference in the world between how you feel emotionally and what you’re able to get done. A clean house also keeps you healthier, germs are cleaned up and you’re less likely to get sick.
3. Use non-toxic hand soaps and skin care.
You might not think of it, but everything you put on your body matters. If you’re going to make the jump to live a non-toxic lifestyle, you have to change everything. It doesn’t stop at what you wash your clothes and dishes with; it goes all the way to what you put on and in your body.
In addition to changing out the basics, I went in and overhauled my skin care regimen. I now own a completely organic, mostly vegan, non GMO, mostly gluten-free skin care line. I don’t know how I ever compromised before!
4. Get rid of plastic and switch to glass.
Glass is better than plastic, period, for leftovers, water bottles, kid containers and pantry items. Plastic leaks, and unless it’s BPA free, it will leach chemicals you don’t want in your water or food.
5. Eat organic foods.
Even on a budget, eating organic foods costs less than the price of illness or cancer. It doesn’t take much to make the shift. Organic means safe. It means standards, so whenever you can, buy local organic produce and fruits. Try to eat very little packaged and processed foods. If you’re going to join the non-toxic movement, you have to think of your body as your house. Create a non-toxic environment for both your outer life and inner life, and let the two mirror each other in harmony.
6. Switch to holistic medicine.
I’m not saying there’s no place for Western medicine. Luckily, we live in a very sophisticated society with many options in the palms of our hands. However, we all know the pharmaceutical companies are making a pretty penny on drugs that are actually breaking us down in the long run.
Wipe out those over-the-counter drugs, or at the very least let them be a last resort. Arm yourself with the power of natural medicine, like essential oils and herbs. Essential Oils may be more effective and better natural medicine for various moods, illness, pain, aches, ailments, ointments, remedies than over the counter drugs created in chemical labs.
Source: http://www.mindbodygreen.com