Long gone are the days when lions, tigers, and bears were the biggest threat to a person’s life. Our ancestors lived in fear of being attacked or losing their lives to these types of wild animals and had to evolve in ways to protect themselves. Either hunt or be hunted. These days plastic, toxins, and chemicals are the beast to run from. 

Today, we are free from those types of threats and live a safe, more comfortable life…in some ways, I might argue. While we don’t have to be concerned about the attack of a wild animal, we do need to be concerned about plastics, toxins, and chemical,  hidden assaults in our modern civilization. It’s time to evolve to protect ourselves. 

Some of our modern conveniences such as plastic, GMO, cell phones, fast food, artificial light, and modern farming to name a few, may also be creating some serious and chronic health issues. Are we helping or harming? We are still learning every day about their current influence on the human body, how it affects our hormones (endocrine disruptors), and can even change our gene expression (epigenetics).  

It can sometimes feel like a hefty task to clean up our environment and go against the grain of progress. It’s not an overnight, quick fix. Just like anything in health, the best approach is small dooable changes. I began my transformation 5-6 years ago and have begun to take small steps towards a less toxic environment. Let me share my process: 

• Exchanged Teflon pans to stainless steel cooking pots and pans 

• Bought organic produce, especially when it comes to the EWG dirty dozen 

• Switched from aluminum deodorant to natural deodorant (Humble is my favorite brand) 

• Started using natural toothpaste without fluoride  

• Decided to wear blue Light blocking glasses in the evening 

• Switched to glass or stainless-steel storage containers and water bottles. 

• Eliminated candles and wall plug-in fragrances and replaced them with essential oils 

• Got a Berkey water filter to have clean, gravity-fed water in our home 

• I keep a snake plant, peace lily, and palms in rooms within the house 

• Switched to fragrance and dye-free laundry detergent 

• I keep my daily Bible reading plus offer grace and forgiveness over judgment and offense  

• Adopted a routine of grounding by walking barefoot outside and soaking up morning light 

• Did mold testing in our home 

• Switched to cleaner shampoo, conditioner, and body soap 

• Stopped using over-the-counter lotions and made my own homemade recipe (wellnessmama.com/beauty/homemade-lotion-recipe/) – I make a big batch and share it with friends! 

• Switched to clean skincare (Peaches skincare is my favorite) 

• Switched to clean make-up (Ilia, Saia, and Merit are a few clean brands I found and liked) 

• Always use clean sunscreen (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only 2 ingredients) 

• Switched to vinegar and thieves essential oil  as our in-home cleaning products (Branch Basics is also a great brand) 

• Got an EMF-blocking phone case 

Things I’d still love to adopt towards a less toxic environment: 

• Starting my own thriving garden 

• Clean, organic bedding 

• Less EMF within the whole house  

• Air filters in rooms 

• Whole house water filtration system or Berkey shower heads 

• Less toxic lawn care  

It’s a process and I’ll keep learning new things every day. What will be your first step towards a healthy, kinder, and safer environment with less plastic, toxins, and chemicals?