Day 4

During this time you are nourishing your body with clean plant based food and partaking in exercises to clear the mind and spirit. I feel it is also important to address our environment. With a rise in chronic disease, allergies, and cancer in this country we need to be mindful not just of what we eat and how we think, but what’s in our environment.

There are hidden toxic chemicals in our homes, cleaning products, beauty products (face and body creams), hair products (shampoos and conditioners), and food. Many of these toxic chemicals are known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens. Most of these chemicals have not been tested for safety. The Environmental Working Group says about 7 percent of the approximately 3,000 high volume chemicals (used in excess of a million pounds a year) have been tested for safety. Federal law fails to provide the EPA and FDA with the tools needed to ban or even limit carcinogens in everyday products. The World Health Organization estimates that as much as 19 percent of cancers are due to environmental exposures.

What can you do? Keep it simple.

The first step is increasing your awareness. Check your cabinets and clear out the toxic chemicals. You don’t need chemical cleaners in your home. Look where you keep your cleaning supplies and read the warnings on the side of the bottle. If it says it is dangerous to touch your skin or breathe in, you can assume it’s not safe. Here is a list of natural household cleaners you can feel good about:

Vinegar
Great for cleaning windows and counters. Add some water and wash your floors. Naturally anti-bacterial.

Baking Soda
Use instead of toilet and shower scrubs. You can make a paste with water to clean grout and deodorize.

Hydrogen Peroxide
You can mix with baking soda to treat stains, toilets, and floors.

Here is a list from EWG’s Hall of Shame for household cleaners to avoid at all costs.

Face and body products
See safe cosmetic’s lists of ingredients to avoid

Thankfully there are many beauty lines out there that are toxin free like Beautycounter, Jane Iredale, Eminence, Epicurean, Juice Beauty and many more. Remember you vote with your dollar. Every time you choose toxin free products you are part of the movement towards a cleaner planet.

Other Environmental Considerations:

AIR
Use a heppa air filter to filter dust and toxins found in the air. I personally use an AirOasis and MOLEKULE as well to deal with mold and allergens in the environment. Also house plants are a great natural way to clean your indoor air.

WATER
Many municipal water supplies are still adding fluoride to the water as well as chlorine. Recent water testing has also showed pharmaceutical drugs in the water supply. I highly recommend using a water filter in your kitchen and bath. I prefer reverse osmosis to remove the fluoride and all heavy metals. You can add back minerals in the form of liquid mineral drops (see resources).