Strategies for Minimizing Toxins and Maximizing Nutrition

Living a Healthy Lifestyle Can Be Overwhelming

As concerned consumers, we are pulled in so many different directions – from the medical community – to well-intentioned friends and colleagues – to multi-million dollar marketing messages of big business.

After literally years of research – and more importantly, first-hand experience – we have pulled together a list of things you can do today to begin minimizing toxins, maximizing nutrition and begin improving your overall health.

Simple Strategies for Minimizing Toxins and Maximizing Nutrition

1. Stop Using Tide (or other synthetic detergents)
   Although Tide may get your clothes the whitest, it is also, arguably, one of the most toxic laundry detergents on the market. Read the label. You’ll like encounter several ingredients you’ve never heard of – or can’t pronounce — such as “linear alkybenzene sulfonates”, “polyethyleneimine ethoylate” or “disodium distyrylbiphenyl disulfonate” to name just a few. One of the ingredients you’ll likely see is “perfume” or “fragrance.” Interestingly, Tide contains well over 100 different chemicals (and these chemicals are far from healthy) to make its fragrance unique.  Click here to see the complete list of perfume ingredients (20 pages) found in Tide directly from the Tide website.
   
2. Refrain From Using Dryer Sheets or Fabric Softeners
   Even though dryer sheets and fabric softener may prevent static cling and make your fabric softer, they also contain several harmful chemicals and are, undoubtedly, some of the most toxic products in your home. Consider, instead, adding a quarter-cup of baking soda or white vinegar to the wash cycle to soften fabric or eliminate cling. Alternatively, check out your local health food store for a natural fabric softener that uses a natural base in lieu of chemicals.
3. Remove All Air Fresheners From Your Home
   It seems counter-intuitive, but the air fresheners you are using in your home to cover up odors, mustiness and to keep your home smelling “fresh” are likely very toxic as they pump harmful chemicals into the air. Even those marketed as “all-natural” or “unscented” contain hazardous chemicals.
4. Minimize or Eliminate the Use of Perfumes, Colognes, Scented Deodorants and Other Scented Personal Care Products.
   As you have likely gathered by now, synthetic fragrances are very toxic – and should be avoided.
5. Look For the USDA Organic Label
   The official green-and-white-and-brown or black-and-white USDA Organic label found on the front of the packaging is critical. Don’t be fooled by other labeling that says “All-Natural,” “100% Natural,” or even labeling that lists “organic ingredients” on the ingredient panel (without displaying the official USDA Organic label on the front). The USDA logo can only be applied to those items in which at least 95% of the ingredients are organic. With this logo you can rest assured that the product has no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides were used – and the product contains no GMO’s. Don’t be fooled by other marketing gimmicks – look for the official USDA Organic label!
6. Switch to 100% Grass Fed Beef and Dairy
   To bear the USDA organic label, cows are allowed to eat organic grain. Grain, however, (even organic grain) is not extraordinarily healthy for the cow – and ultimately not extraordinarily healthy for you, either. Grasses, forbs, herbs and legumes are what cows should eat.
7. Watch the Documentary, Food, Inc.
   This 2008 movie will likely open your eyes to the issues facing our food supply and will take a peek into America’s corporate controlled food industry. Food is no longer produced like it was for our parents and grandparents.
8. Don’t Use Pesticides or Synthetic Fertilizers on Your Grass
   Consider compost or natural lawn chemical alternatives. Composting creates a natural, slow-release fertilizer and soil-enhancing material.
9. Replenish Your Body with Probiotics – the Good Bacteria
   Yeah, that’s not a misprint – there is such thing as “good” bacteria –particularly advantageous in its natural form for improving the gut. A great resource for probiotic food and drinks is Beyond Organic.
10. Watch What You Put on Your Body – Soaps, Shampoos, Conditioners, Cosmetics
    As a rule of thumb, if a product doesn’t have ingredients on the label, don’t buy it;  if you cannot pronounce the ingredients on the label, research it before buying. Here is a link to the “Safe Cosmetics Skin Deep Database” and the National Institute of Health Toxnet Database.

There you have it – some simple suggestions that you can implement immediately that will have long-lasting benefits for you and your family. Nothing will improve your health better than minimizing toxins – what you put in and on your body – and maximizing nutrition. Make sure you empower yourself to greater health this year and beyond.

What are you waiting for? Don’t wait for a major health scare to get started!

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