Minimizing Toxic Exposure
It's that time of year again when new years resolutions are being created! It comes as no surprise (to me), that the most popular resolutions are to stay fit and healthy and to lose weight. Luckily for you, a naturopathic doctor can help you with both (I'm just saying). The big message here is that we all want to become healthy. While 5k runs and eating salads can help get us there, becoming healthy truly requires a lifestyle change.
In fact, there are so many things that can veer us away from the healthy path - like unwanted toxic chemicals found everywhere in our environment (food, skin care products, workplace, the air we breathe). Toxins in our body are metabolized by our liver, but as our burden increases - the toll on our liver also increases, making it harder for the liver to do it's job. Not only do the toxins build, they begin to negatively impact our health - they may irritate our nervous system, imbalance our hormones, and even prevent us from losing weight!
If you're not familiar with the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen, they're two annual lists released by the Environmental Working Group outlining which non-organic foods are pesticide-laden (Dirty) and which are generally fine (Clean). It's recommended that we choose the organic option when purchasing a food off the dirty dozen list.
If you've been following my articles over the past few months, you'll know that I've been making the switch to organic and natural beauty products. The above ingredients are ones that I'm always on the lookout for (bolded ingredients are 9 of the worst offenders). Whenever I'm at a store and I'm not familiar with an ingredient, I'll use the Skin Deep app. For more information on how to understand the ingredients check out this article. And take a look here at my favourite products!
I really try my best at reducing my plastic usage - from using glass containers, metal water bottles, and even storing plenty of reusable bags in my car. But there's always those times that we can't escape using different types of plastic. Check out this image from perpetual plastic project which illustrates the different types of plastic and which ones you should definitely avoid.