Kitchen Swaps

If you are on a wellness journey like I have been, then I hope you find this helpful. There is so much more information and awareness now than there was when I started this journey. However it still can be tricky to navigate what swaps to make. I feel like you hear what is toxic, but not always what you can replace the toxic food/items with. My hope is to make the transition easier.

Why do we make these swaps? We want to reduce the toxic load on our bodies. Although our bodies are so wonderful and made to combat toxins, there are just too many these days. From synthetic fragrance, to toxic cleaners and toxic coatings on cooking materials. We are surrounded by toxins and so we do our best to be aware and reduce those in our home and give our body the nutrients it needs to work properly and keep chronic illness and disease away.

Here are some swaps we have made in our Kitchen.

1️⃣ Water Purification

Although you may think, “My refrigerator has a water filter.” That isn’t actually removing even a fraction of the toxins and pharmaceuticals in our water. We love Aqua Tru (this link gives a discount) and have been using their products for years. While renting, in-between selling and buying our home, we used the counter water purifier and it works great. I prefer the under sink mounted water purifier because you don’t have to refill it yourself. It just does it for you. In each home we have lived we have installed one because I find them the best for our family. We use the purified water not only for drinking, but for cooking as well. I can easily fill a pot for pasta water, where as with the counter purifier, I typically have to refill it again before I can fill the pot.

AquaTru (this link gives a special discount) water purifiers use patented 4-Stage Reverse Osmosis purification that transforms your tap water into pure, delicious (you really can taste a difference), clean water. Effectively removing 84 contaminants which include: forever chemicals’ (PFOA & PFOS), micropplastics, fluoride, chlorine, chloramines, lead, chromium 6, arsenic, nitrates, pesticides & herbisides.

2️⃣ Crock Pot

Let’s start with the crock pot. You may or may not know that it has been found that crock pots have a toxic coating that leaches into your food. This was on my list for over a year of kitchen swaps before I made it happen. I love this Vita Clay Multi Cooker. I have the 6 quart crock. It’s made from unglazed organic clay & from my research this clay alkalizes and preserves nutrients in the food. I reached out to the company and got you a 10% savings code: BUSY

3️⃣ Pots & Pans

Pots and pans are a huge one. So many people think specifically they need at least one teflon pan for their eggs, but that is just not true. You shouldn’t have any teflon or non stick products in your home. Those teflon & most other non stick pans I’ve found are toxic to your health even if they are not chipping or peeling. If you add some butter or ghee to a pan then add your eggs they will not stick. This is how I make scrambled and fried eggs for my family. The only pots and pans I have are stainless steel and cast iron. I pulled together a bunch of options for you here. I also have our awesome PFAs free waffle maker linked here too!

4️⃣ Baking

When it comes to baking I use stainless steel, cast iron and glass. I hardly even use parchment paper anymore. If I can I like to really coat the pan with butter and bake the goodies right on the pan. As for cookies, I use these pans without parchment paper and never have an issue getting them off the pan and onto my cooling rack to cool. Check out my full list of baking swaps here.

5️⃣ Meat

We look for local farm meat or specific terms at the store. For meat you want 100% grass-fed or grass-fed and finished. Those terms are interchangeable & mean the grazing animal was never fed grains, but only fed by grazing on grass. Healthy meat = healthier you! For chicken and eggs we look for pasture raised & organic so ensure the chickens were able to get outside eat bugs and enjoy the sunshine vs squished together in an unsanitary and inhumane situation.

If you can look for local farms and order online from them or pick up locally that is the best way to get meat. We actually have a freezer in the garage now so I can bulk buy meat from local farms and store it there.

6️⃣ Food Dyes

We always read labels or pre-made foods & food dyes. Plant based dyes are what we use in our cooking. I have a list together with dye-free options/swaps here. We don’t use petroleum based dyes because simply put, they are toxic. Just because it’s common to see them in medicines and foods does not mean it is safe for consumption. And actually many studies have linked petroleum based food dyes to many health problems including the big C.

7️⃣ Treats/Candy

Here some candy options for holidays such as halloween, Easter and Christmas Click Here for swaps we use.

8️⃣ Protein Powder

The best I’ve found is Paleo Valley 100% grass-fed protein. They have an unflavored bone broth protein I love for adding to soups & my daughter’s shakes (shake recipe here) for extra nutrients and protein & a whey chocolate protein that is my husband’s favorite for smoothies. These specific links for Paleo Valley will give you an extra % off at checkout. 🙂

9️⃣ Kitchen Cleaning

For dish soap I use Earthley dish soap with the Lemon-Thyme scent. Save with code: busy.

For hands we use Branch Basics. I also use their same concentrate for our laundry & we love their dishwasher pods. This specific link should give you a discount at checkout on the Starter Kits.

Force of Nature has been my go to for sanitizing counters, wiping down the refrigerator, stove top etc. I love it because it’s an all purpose cleaner that can also be used to sanitize fabrics. I use it on floor mats, rugs, couch pillows and blankets (in between washes). I have had my Force of Nature appliance for years. What is does is it converts salt, water, and vinegar into an all-in-one cleaner, deodorizer and EPA-registered sanitizer & disinfectant. I love they are family-friendly ingredients & come with reusable bottles!

🔟 Grain Mill

Having a grain mill is one of my newest swaps and I’ve been loving it! What a fun way to give more nutrients to my family. If you have been interested or just are learning about milling your own grains at home, I have recipes coming soon I’ll link here. Save with my code: BUSYLITTLEIZZY

“Common flour processing extracts the bran, middlings, wheat germ and wheat germ oil. Those key components contain 80-90% of the useful vitamins and minerals found in whole grains. In its natural form, a kernel of whole grain is “the staff of life”.”

If you aren’t ready for this swap, start small by baking a home vs buying pre-made. That is where I started and I know sometimes baby steps are best during this wellness journey & these lifestyle changes.

*️⃣ Compost & Herb Gardens

I love my little kitchen composter! And whether you want mini herb containers for indoors or larger ones like I have on my deck, I think fresh herbs make all the difference in meals. Herbs are taught as flavoring, but they have so many health benefits and the fresher they are the better. I even dry as many herbs as I can for use in the off season so I can buy less herbs. Save on Vego products with my code: BUSY10

➡️Want more home swaps?

Here are my bathrooms swaps.

I hope I didn’t leave anything out! If you have questions please comment here or you can reach out on social media. I’m the most active on Instagram: @busylittleizzy

XO Eryka