Want to detoxify your home, your life and be happier and healthier in 2016? Not sure where to start? Feeling overwhelmed?
Relax, here is a simple guide for you, making it easier to make a start.
1. Eat clean:
JERF (Just Eat Real Food) Sensible portions of fresh, real, preferably organic food. This reduces your consumption of pesticides, GMO and other nasties. Stop eating pre-prepared/convenience foods and cook from scratch, that way you are avoiding all the additives and preservatives, most of which are artificial. Cut back on refined sugar by substituting it with Stevia, Honey, Agave or Maple syrup. Cut back on salt and switch to a mineral rich one like Pink Himalayan. Cut back dairy and meat and eat more green leafy veges (grow your own) and vegetarian meals. Meat Free Monday is a good way to start cutting back on meat. Always buy free range pork and poultry products/eggs and organic is always the best. Free range means that the animal has had a happier life free ranging than "intensively farmed/penned" animals. Avoid microwaves and the radiation involved. Love food, hate waste. Grow new food from old food scraps like cellery, potatoes, onions. Save seed and grow your own organic veges!
2. Drink clean:
Drink plenty of filtered water, cut down on coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks and alcohol and caffeine. Have a green juice, green smoothie (great to help alkalise your system) or herbal tea instead. Try not to buy water in plastic bottles and invest in a stainless steel or glass water bottle and bring filtered water from home. Preferably you want to be drinking non-fluoridated water. Add the juice of a lemon, a little aloe or cucumber, honey and a sprig of mint to help add flavour and pack in some alkalising, nutrient goodness.
3. Clean your skin care and beauty routine:
ONLY use clean, non toxic, Organic skin, beauty and body care products or at least 100% natural products. Your body absorbs up to 60% of what is applied to your skin so if you wouldn't eat it, then don't apply it to your skin! It's time to start reading those labels as you don't want to burden your body with cancer causing, endocrine disrupting or skin sensitising chemicals. Watch out for Palm Oil and ensure that if there is Palm that it is certified sustainable and look for cruelty free/non animal tested products. Avoid any nano particles. If you are using blossom eco skin care then you are safe from these nasties and we have taken all the hard work away. Use only natural deodorants without aluminium and parabens (found clumping in breast cancer tumors). Purchase only TRUE mineral makeup without FD&C colours, bismuth oxide, no nano, silicone, petroleum derivatives or synthetic fragrance. Use a luffa or dry body brush to exfoliate the body, stimulate blood and lymphatic circulation and get rid of your exfoliants with "micro beads" which are small pieces of plastic that you wash down the drain, polluting mother nature, YUK! Use Coconut Oil for "Oil Pulling" and ditch the toxic Mouthwash. Ditch the toxic chemical Sunscreen that's bad for you and contributing to the death of coral and go for one with Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient. For all you lovely ladies, make sure that you are using Certified organic cotton tampons/pads that aren't full of all the toxins that the others have or even better switch to a menstral cup like a "Juju" and don't add to landfill. For info on safer non toxic haircolour check out my blog here.
4. Clean cleaner:
Use non toxic household cleaners. Ditch the "fragrance ladened" fabric softener and use vinegar instead. Avoid Triclosan (anti bacterial chemical), Palm content, Sulphates which are known skin irritants, Pthalates. Use a steam floor cleaner and you won't need any "product". Look for phosphate free cleaners that are free of Palm content and are biodegradable. Why not make your own cleaners? Here are some great recipes thanks to Alex Stuart http://alexxstuart.com/keep-your-cleaning-toxin-free-with-these-7-easy-home-made-cleaning-products
5. Cook clean:
Ditch the microwave, plastic storage and food containers, nylon utensils and Teflon/non stick coated items including non stick baking paper. Use a conventional oven, glass, pyrex, ceramic or crockery dishes. Even better, don't cook some nights and eat RAW instead! Use Raw Organic Coconut Oil for cooking, it has a higher heat tolerance as doesn't oxidise as readily as other oils like Canola (often GMO also) and Olive so is much healthier. Learn more about the many health benefits that Coconut Oil has to offer here. Buy your blossom Coconut oil here.
6. Live clean:
If you are redecorating check out non toxic VOC free paint. Check out my blog post on safe eco paint here. Avoid fabric protection/stain resistant products, always wash new clothes before wearing them to remove excess dyes and fixative chemicals etc. Don't carry your mobile phone in your pocket and use a hands free unit to minimse radiation exposure around your head. Even better, familiarise yourself with the "OFF" button. Use oil vapourisers and pure essential oils rather than plug in's or sprays to fragrance and purify the air in your your home. Don't sleep with your mobile phone or any other electronic/electric appliance within 1 mt. of you to reduce exposure to Electromagnetic fields (radiation) that they emit. Be sun smart but ensure you get ample Vitamin D. Be active, keep fit and flexible.
7. Think clean:
Keep your mind and soul healthy by avoiding the negative thoughts. Check out Melissa Ambrosini for great tips on how to stay positive, especially your thoughts about yourself. Take the time to "chill", meditate and yoga is a great to do this an exercise at the same time Most of all be thankful, grateful and compassionate. As they say, what goes around comes around and your Karma may just run over your Dogma!
This just scratches the surface but is a great place to start your new, cleaner, safer, happier life in 2016.
So now it's up to you, go forth into 2016 and "blossom organically"!
Blessings, Monique