I constantly get people saying ‘surely you don’t have to be so extreme as to cut out all that stuff’. The thing about being curious about what’s in everything, means of course one invariably stops using most conventional things, because in many modern products, is lots of bad stuff! So on that note, here are 5 fabulous things you can do, to low tox your life. Easy peasy and wait for it, most are cheap or even free!
With your lips – Nearly all of what’s on the market to make us pucker perfect, is petroleum based. Once petroleum hits our insides, it stays put! I once heard Dr David Suzuki estimate that by the end of our lives, we have on average a kilo of plastics floating around in our system – Starts to make us sound like poor little penguins after an oil spill! Check your ingredient labels and hit the natural stuff – Hurraw is fabulous and you must check out Luk Beautifood‘s natural lippies too!
In the bath – Most bath gels and bubble bath solutions are riddled with nasties, such as sulphates, parabens, phenoxyethanol and pthalates. Epsom salts are the way forward and deserve a whole post of their own, with all the things they can contribute to wellness. Just by bathing in them, toxins are drawn out of your skin, muscles soothed AND your body is even able to absorb nutrients more effectively through your food as a result. Don’t skimp, put a cup full in, twice a week! I fall asleep a little bit every time and even in my cramped inner city bathroom, I still feel completely transported to a very happy & relaxing place!
Earthing – Could that sound anymore hippy than it already is? Many studies show that simply by getting your bare feet on natural ground (dirt, grass, sand, clay) you actually drive free radicals away! Best news is, it takes just 10 minutes for your body to get the benefit. If you think about how beautiful it feels to be barefoot and in contact with a little nature in your day, you can now step forth confidently knowing that there’s some serious science behind your happy feet!
Floss – Shop natural. Regular blog readers will know by now, I’ve become a natural floss evangelist since discovering the petrochemical, teflon loaded, non biodegradable mess most commercial flosses present us with… Read everything you need to on the subject, here. And, insert gratuitous dentist floss shot here…
Little Fish – The bigger the fish, the greater the toxic accumulation, especially where Mercury is concerned. Smaller, oily fish like Mackerel and Sardines rate high on the nourishment and taste scale, and far lower on the mercury levels. Best news is – they’re sustainable too and so inexpensive by comparison! Watch you don’t include prawns in the ‘little fish’ category, unless they’re local and wild – and yes, I know they’re not a fish at all, but felt it important to mention! Farmed prawns, throughout most of Asia, are an antibiotic, shit storm – sorry mum, there’s no other way to say it! Some of the chemicals and antibiotics found in farmed shrimp / prawn are banned in most of the rest of the world – crazy! The worst part is, that they’re imported to the rest of the world and popped right into marinara mixes, dumplings and stir fries around the globe.
So voila, enjoy making a switch or two if something inspires and I shall of course have more tips next month. Missed last tips? They’re here. If you’ve found the info useful, share it so that others can go low tox too!
Low Tox. Happy Body. Happy Planet.
