Over three years ago, I started learning about the effectiveness of natural ingredients and the harm of many synthetic fillers. I came across a world of beauty care that boasted simple and less toxic ingredients. As a former cosmetologist, this intrigued me.
Somewhere in my life, a negative view of natural beauty care had influenced my perspective. An introduction to natural skincare made me question that ideology. I gave the natural regimen a chance and was surprised with my results.
Growing up with hormonal acne, I had done everything that my dermatologists recommended. Nothing helped. More often than not, the products and facial treatments further irritated my ultra-sensitive skin.
Once I finally tried natural skincare, I was shocked at how well the products improved my skin. Yet, this was only the beginning! I wanted to learn more about the benefits of less toxic ingredients beyond cosmetics.
An Amazing Community of Less Toxic Living
That experience somehow led me to a community of conscious consumers and medical professionals that left the traditional healthcare system. I listened as individuals shared their experiences of reversing supposedly unsolvable symptoms.
Hope flooded within me as I watched one story after another of significant health advances through lifestyle changes, addressing internal root problems, and removing toxins. Yet, it was devastating to watch as social media censored and deleted some of these accounts.
The information encouraged me to research and slowly switch over more and more commodities, such as cleaning supplies, plastics, medicine cabinet items, and groceries. Even today, I continue to switch out goods as they run out for a less toxic option.
The Difference Buying Consciously Has Made
After a few swaps and a while of consistency, I began feeling changes in my body. My energy increased, the debilitating ‘mom’ brain fog faded, and my emotions felt increasingly balanced. The changes have allowed me to problem solve more quickly and have given me the clarity that I previously lacked to tackle my day efficiently.
We started noticing several differences within our family. My kids’ mood swings calmed, and they were more focused in school. My husband lost stubborn weight and improved dermatitis. Those are just a few results we experienced. We have witnessed much progress, yet the switches that we made seemed so minuscule.
I would have never thought that a handful of changes could make such a significant difference. However, if I knew three years ago what I know now, I would have done things a little differently. We would be much farther along in our health journey.
I suppose that is part of the learning process. It takes time to learn, research, and implement a foreign concept.
Where to Start?
Supplementing and swapping out toxins will do very little for our health if we do not first lay down the proper foundation. Good news! The tried and true foundational practices that promote overall wellness require very little, if any, investment.
I’ve listed a few examples of foundational work where you can find peer-reviewed studies on pubmed.gov that suggest the following may have a positive impact on the human anatomy.
Foundational Support:
- Having a sense of purpose, faith, and practicing gratitude,
- Improving sleep quality by following and encouraging our natural circadian rhythm,
- Regularly taking the time to go outside and breathe in the pure, unadulterated, fresh air,
- Placing hands in the dirt, experiencing the sand between your toes, or feeling the blades of grass beneath your feet (also known as grounding),
- Living an active lifestyle,
- Being surrounded by healthy relationships, increasing laughter, and creating healthy boundaries,
- Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods and receiving adequate hydration which feeds the organs the energy source that is required to run effectively
Having the aforementioned foundational keys in place encourages progress when we begin reducing the toxic load, contrary to if these practices were not yet part of our daily lives.
Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. I am sharing my journey for informational and educational purposes only. Pray and seek medical professionals for personalized advice.
Swapping Out for Less Toxic Options
When swapping out household items for healthier options, the best advice I can give is to start with what you use regularly and internally first. For instance, we cook with, wash with, and drink water daily. Therefore, it makes sense that our water quality might considerably affect our health.
When thinking about what to switch out first, take note of your daily routines. What do you regularly put in and on your body? Do you have routine beverages or regimens in the morning? How about at night?
Be conscious of what you are putting in and on your body. When looking at ingredients, ask what might be the purpose of this ingredient. If it is not necessary, consider finding an alternative that contains minimalistic ingredients that each serve a beneficial purpose. Avoid fillers, denatured, and overly processed ingredients.
If you are interested in learning more about living less toxic, I share tips, supplements, and healthier options on my Instagram account. I also recommend my favorite wellness accounts to follow in my Wellness highlight circled below.
Next, find a holistic practitioner and a biological dentist to work with you on your wellness journey. I recommend interviewing several, asking plenty of questions, and prayerfully taking your time while you find a practitioner/ biological dentist that you are comfortable working with who addresses and validates your concerns.
Overall, this journey requires a lot of patience with your progress, consistency, and taking one step at a time. That last tip is so important!
A New Standard of Health
Like so many subjects of life, this has been a continual learning process. I have had to learn how to be more intuitive with what my body tries to communicate. Listening to our bodies can be a difficult task to learn. The current culture teaches us that many of our symptoms are normal, yet our bodies prove that they are not.
As I dove into the testimonies within the less toxic community, I quickly realized that I should aspire to a higher standard of health. I previously never took any thought to the afflictions that I was experiencing. Living with symptoms our whole life can cloud our judgment of what is, in fact, normal. For me, it took divine intervention to grab my attention (more on that later).
It has been a process of discovering a healthier state of mind and body than believed in society. Unfortunately, we have settled for less on what healthy should look like or what standard of health is attainable. What a shame, since health directly affects every aspect of our life.
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