Easily Eradicate the Dirty Dozen

If you read my previous post about the Dirty Dozen, top twelve foods to avoid, your head may be spinning around at high speeds, or you may be feeling depressed not knowing how you can possibly avoid all (or any) of those ingredients.  Actually, you could now be living in fear.

Let me ease your worries and help you along by telling you what our family did (and is doing) to make the transition from chemical filled life to a more natural life a fairly easy process.  No, we are not completely chemical free yet, but we get closer every time we go grocery shopping or run out of a household item and it is time to replace.

First, stop your worry and fear.  You can not change what has already been done, but now that you are informed you can make wise decisions going forward, and decide what is best for you and your family (even if you only choose one or two things to change).  One of the most simple ways to begin is with your food.  My family has an extremely tight budget where we end some months wondering how God paid all of our bills, filled our bellies and left us a dollar in our account.  Now that we are using higher quality foods and products we are even more amazed that we make it through each month, but that is how God works.  When we learn something new and apply it out of obedience, He provides!

Yes, the foods and products that do not contain the 'Dirty Dozen' are typically more expensive, or you could say that the ones that do contain those fillers are 'cheap'.  But what you save in worry, allergies, doctors visits, fatigue, and medications is well worth it.

Switch Foods First:  Change the foods you eat first.  Anything you ingest is going to have the biggest effect on your body, so foods first is a must.  No, I am not telling you to give up your potato chips (although for some of us that would be a good idea), but rather switch to veggie chips, all natural or organic chips.  If you LOVE Cheetos and just can't give those up then switch to the All Natural ones.  Yes, they make all natural Cheetos!
Go organic!  Many non-organic strawberries are watered and/or washed with Red 40 to make them shine bright red in the grocery (as are many other fruits and veggies washed in food dye).  When you purchase organic fruits and veggies you will not be getting those hidden food colors, pesticides, herbicides and other chemical laden junk.
Almost every food you want is available in organic or all natural, you simply have to look for it.  Other alternatives are Gluten Free,vegetarian and vegan options which usually eliminate that toxic list of additives.  Often just steering clear of the store brands and reading labels will correct the problem.
Also, cook or make your meals whenever possible, and eat raw as often as you can (check out Rawfully Organic for great meal ideas).  Trust me, your mind, body and skin will thank you.
As far as keeping your kiddos happy, just learn to bake from scratch (one or two simple recipes) and find a few dye free candies that you can rotate (like some chocolates, caramel, all natural lollipops...).

Soaps, Shampoos and Toothpastes Second:  Our skin is our largest organ and absorbs everything from pesticides when walking barefoot on the grass to lotions, sun screen and makeup we use daily.  This one is a little easier (with shampoo being the last one you would need to change).  When you run out of a product simply replace it with a better quality of that product.  For example, we use Young Living toothpaste.  And Berts Bees body wash and shampoo.  Grocery stores are now offering many more all natural and organic options; find one you like and use it.

Finally, change all other household items one at a time.  Dryer sheets (more on this to come in a future post), dish detergent, ant killer...  There are natural alternatives for everything.  We are still working on this area in our family and know it will take time, but we are happy that we are on the road we are on, and confident that even if we can not remove all toxins (because we can't) that every little bit helps us on our journey to health and happiness.

*If you want or need to order from Young Living feel free to become a customer under my number 1069772.