Reducing Toxins in The Kitchen
Okay there is a lot to cover in this area of my journey to hang tight. I’m going to do my best to keep it as neat and tidy for you to follow as possible. If you missed my intro post about toxins, please check out this one first.
Food & Food Storage: This has been a slow change for us. There are a couple reasons why. For one, I wanted it to feel gradual for us as a family and not so shocking as items we had available for snacks on the daily were slowly removed from our diets. My tip is to stop buying one of the processed snacks at a time and be open with your family as to how those items we have found are not only “not healthy” (they do nothing to help our bodies grow), they are actually hurting our bodies. I even bought special treats to have on occasion in the house that are “safe.” I explained to Izzy that these treats also do not help her body grow, but in moderation, they aren’t going to hurt her body. As for food storage, we have glass containers & food grade silicone containers for food storage.
We also made sure that there were no non stick pots and pans in our home, because those are toxic. You can learn more about that in the movie Dark Waters & the doc The Devil We Know.
Dyes: We removed food with dyes from our diet. I check ingredients on everything and if it has any dyes that are not made from natural ingredients (i.e. turmeric) then we aren’t consuming them. Here are the sprinkles & dyes we have tried so far.
Foods & Treats we have been enjoying in place of others. For candy we are enjoying Yum Earth & Smart Sweets as a healthier option. For hot cocoa we ordered some Laird Hot Cocoa which I linked here. Not only is it not full of yucky ingredients, it’s full of incredibly beneficial ingredients! Do I dare say, it’s hot cocoa that is actually good for you? Here is the thing, we eat to feed our bodies. I think we have lost sight of that as a society. I want to also say, that doesn’t mean the food tasting flavorful, delicious and fun goes out the door with unhealthy. I want to make this toxin reducing journey as fun for you guys as I can. Once you get some momentum, it really is fun! Which brings me to dried mango by Mavuno Harvest. It’s some of the BEST dried fruit I’ve ever had! Izzy (my almost 7 year old) goes crazy over it! Honestly, the entire family does! Give it a try, it’s a great alternative to gummies & other sugar filled treats.
We also have been loving making these fruit leather/Fruit roll up knock off treats too! The directions are on my IG feed in the captain & you can watch the reel here.
Cleaning: For cleaning we have been using and loving Force of Nature for over 2 years now. This can clean and sanitize the air, fabrics, dog bowls, counters etc and the best part… no toxic fumes or residue. That means you don’t have to wipe down or rinse items after cleaning them with it. Once they are try, you are good to go!
We also just started using Branch Basics (as I use it more I’ll update you on my thoughts).
We use our Super Scandi Dishcloths more often than not, in place of paper towels. They are super absorbent and can be washed and used again and again. One way to keep toxins out of our lives is to stop polluting the earth. Making decisions to use more sustainable products is important.
More fun and info to come. Make sure you are subscribed to the blog so you don’t miss out!
XO Eryka