Starting your holistic journey and reducing your toxic burden doesn’t have to be expensive, overwhelming, or complicated!
Here are 5 simple ways to get started, but will make a BIG impact.
1. Switch to glass food containers with silicone lids.
It’s been proven that plastic containers have negative effects on our health because they slowly leach chemicals into your food, which can cause hormone disruption and other issues. Even if plastic is BPA free, it can still cause issues- so glass is the way to go. Glass Tupperware dishes are affordable and will last for years.
2. Switch from conventional toothpaste to fluoride free.
Fluoride has been linked to neurological & developmental disorders. This is such an easy switch- and many natural toothpastes now contain hydroxyapatite which is proven to work like fluoride without any side effects. My favorite toothpaste is from RiseWell! Use WALTERS10 for 10% off.
3. Ditch the dryer sheets for wool dryer balls.
Dryer sheets are one of the first things we ditched. One study showed that they typically emit 15 endocrine disrupting compounds and can cause hormone disruption & cancer. It’s so easy to make this switch. Wool dryer balls will usually last about a year and you can get them for cheap on amazon! I like to add essential oils to ours.
4. Switch out air fresheners/candles with essential oil diffusers.
Air fresheners and candles… the biggest cause of indoor air pollution. I get it. Everyone loves for their home to smell good and it’s hard to give them up. BUT… synthetic fragrance is the new secondhand smoke. A study showed that 72% of synthetic fragrance contains phthalates & 95% of them contain petrochemicals. So, using a diffuser with quality essential oils is such an easy button! And I’ve done the math- this is actually cheaper than candles and air fresheners!
5. Replace those chemical cleaners with all-purpose toxin-free cleaner.
One study found that breathing in toxic cleaner fumes equates to smoking 2 cigarettes. Another study found that the air in the average American home if full of more pollutants than outside. Another easy button- get a low-tox, all-purpose cleaner! My personal favorite is Thieves cleaner because it works on every surface and it costs pennies to make! It’s the only cleaner we’ve had for years now.
6. Ditch the Febreze and make your own linen spray.
As I mentioned, synthetic fragrance contributes to indoor air pollution and is the new secondhand smoke. Most febreze bottles only list 3-5 ingredients, but a study done by the EWG found over 80 ingredients in febreze not disclosed- many of them being harmful carcinogens & neurotoxins. It’s so easy to make your own air freshener for pennies and without any negative side effects!
7. Switch to an aluminum-free deodorant.
Deodorant and antiperspirants have a lot of toxic ingredients in them. Antiperspirants have a lot of their own problems- but that’s a post for another day. Aluminum is the big ingredient to look out for in deodorants. There are others too- but this is the big toxin in these products. There are several studies that have found links between breast cancer and using aluminum deodorant. There are also links between exposure to aluminum and Alzheimers. The solution: find a deodorant with clean ingredients.
8. Instead of fabric softener, use distilled white vinegar.
Like other laundry products, fabric softener typically contains synthetic fragrance, artificial colors, and methylisothiazolinone- which is known to trigger skin irritation and allergies. One study found that this ingredient can cause dermatitis and another study found that it is toxic in low concentrations to the nervous system. Plus- why use a fancy product when you can just pour a little vinegar in? Let’s not make this complicated.
9. Get rid of antibacterial hand soap and make your own.
Antibacterial hand soaps contain a lot of ingredients I like to avoid like fragrance, SLS, & artificial dyes. The exposure may be small but when you’re washing your hands several times a day- that adds up. You can make your own hand soap for cheap with a little Dr. Bronners soap and essential oils!
10. Buy stainless steel water bottles instead of plastic.
Using a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic is a great way to cut down on your plastic use. Plus, SS is more durable and keeps your drinks cold! Several studies have now shown that the chemicals can leach from plastic water bottles at high volumes.
11. Change your air filter every 3-6 months.
This is pretty self-explanatory, but I think people often forget how important it is to change your air filter regularly. Air filters collect all kinds of dust, spores, hair, dander, and other particles that you don’t want to be breathing in. This is such a simple thing we can do to help keep the air in our homes clean.
12. Stop wearing shoes inside your home.
Think about this: you wear your shoes all over the place outside. Then you wear them in your house and all that stuff on the bottom of your shoes is rubbed into your floors. This is especially troublesome if you have carpet in your home or babies crawling around. In a study done, it was found that if you wear the same shoes for over a month, 93% will have fecal bacteria. Shoes can pick up and track all kinds of things from mold and allergens to poop to ecoli.
13. Replace aluminum/non-stick baking sheets with stainless steel baking sheets.
Switching out aluminum baking dishes for stainless steel pans is a great way to lessen toxins in your home. These pans give you small exposure, but using that everyday for years will lead to big exposure. Aluminum is linked to many health issues like cancer and Alzheimer’s. Stainless steel baking dishes are a great alternative.
14. Switch kids plastic plates to silicone plates.
I talked about the dangers of plastics and food in part 2 with water bottles. Several studies have shown that chemicals can leach from plastic dishes at high volumes and get into one food. Silicone is a great non-toxic alternative especially if you don’t want to do wood or glass dishes for kids.
15. Ditch plastic disposable straws for reusable silicone straws.
Again, plastic for plastic straws. Plastic is everywhere! Not only is it better for the environment, but switching to silicone (or stainless steel) straws is going to lessen your toxic load and be better for your health. Plus they’re reusable and you can wash them and use them again.
16. Ditch the fragrance and run an air purifier.
We know that synthetic fragrance can have negative effects on our health but did you know that even things like unscientific Lysol aren’t good for us and contain carcinogens and hormone disrupting ingredients? If you want to clean your air, just use an air purifier! These come in a range of prices but you can definitely start with a budget friendly hepa air filter. A recent report from the EPA revealed that indoor air can have up to 5 times higher levels of pollutants like mold, pesticides and particulates than the air outdoors. Air purifiers trap pollutants such as dust, pollen, and bacteria, and disperse clean air back out. They are a great first step in your low tox journey.
17. Replace bottled water with filtered water.
I know bottled water is so convenient, but this is one thing I highly recommend avoiding as much as you can. Not only is the water in bottled water not filtered enough, but the plastic used for bottles is found to be full of hormone disruptors- and estrogenic activity is three times higher in water from plastic bottles.
18. Get out of the house and get out in nature!
This one is simple and FREE! Just get out of the house and take a nature walk when you can!
19. Buy produce on the dirty dozen list organic.
For many people, it’s just not possible to buy 100% organic and thats okay. It can be stressful to be worrying about finances when you’re trying to eat healthy and that stress doesn’t help anything. Instead- google the dirty dozen and try to always buy those organic. The dirty dozen list of produce typically has much more pesticides on them that produce on the clean 15.
20. Replace plastic dishes with glass.
Again, ditching the plastic is one of the best things you can do and you can do it in steps over time. Get rid of those plastic drinking glasses and replace with glass cups.
Sources:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-08/documents/phthalates_updates_live_file_508_0.pdf
Brain
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41405-019-0026-8
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3404651/#r93
https://www.national-toxic-encephalopathy-foundation.org/fragsmoke.pdf
https://www.ewg.org/research/teen-girls-body-burden-hormone-altering-cosmetics-chemicals
https://www.thoracic.org/about/newsroom/press-releases/resources/women-cleaners-lung-function.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3018511/
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/airfresheners.pdf
https://breast-cancer-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/bcr2424
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/jneuro/22/17/7408.full.pdf
https://www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22245758/
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c01103#abstract
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5414050/
https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/aluminum-exposure-again-linked-to-alzheimers-disease-329670
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076010003572
https://www.livescience.com/how-do-air-purifiers-work
https://www.epa.gov/report-environment/indoor-air-quality
