Friday, July 23, 2010

A Natural Way Of Life

Can you just imagine how many toxins and chemicals we put in our body every day??? Not just from the air we breathe...but from the food we eat, the products we use, the clothes we wear...etc. Even before I started the oil cleansing method for my face, I have been slowly trying to go natural with everything! Amber from The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous & Newlywed did a great post the other day about dangerous cosmetics (you can read it here) and it got me thinking. I know it's a difficult, expensive process and I know that I'll NEVER be 100% natural in the items I use and the food I eat...but I'd like to try to do as much as I can for my own health. I've been reading Natural Health Magazine and I'm learning all kinds of great tips.











I started thinking about natural products I already use and what products I need to start using. I am on hormone replacement and I made sure my doctor prescribed bioidentical hormones that are derived from plant extracts. I absolutely hate and always have hated taking medicines of any kind. I don't take allergy medicine, diet pills or any other kind of OTC medicines. I only take a pain killer if I am ABSOLUTELY dying from the pain. So you can imagine how upset I was to learn that I was going to have to take hormone replacement for a good part of the rest of my life. I knew if there was no way around it then they were going to have to be natural and the best there is.












I have been eating fresh fruits and vegetables as often as possible with meals and for snacks. Yummy!! Doesn't it feel so good to eat something that is straight from the earth and hasn't been messed with?











I have been using Organic African Black Soap to shower with. It's all natural and it works amazingly. There is no leftover residue whatsoever and it leaves my skin feeling clean and soft.













I use a mixture of white vinegar and water to clean the kitchen and bathrooms with. It smells pretty bad at first but once it dries you don't smell it at all!! It works just as good as any cleanser you can buy at the store and it's cheaper too!! Just use an equal amount of both water and white vinegar and store it in a spray bottle!











I have been brushing my teeth with Tom's Natural Antiplaque Toothpaste. My mouth feels just as clean and it seems to give me even fresher breath than the other toothpastes. The good thing about this one is that it is all natural. No artificial sweeteners, no preservatives or chemicals and no flouride. I'm not an expert on flouride but I've done enough research to know that I can do without it.









I take natural, whole food vitamins. They don't contain artificial colors or flavorings or GMO's. They are made from whole foods which is said to be easier for your body to absorb. I feel good knowing that I'm putting natural vitamins in my body every day that don't contain harmful substances or chemicals.











I do not eat and have not eaten any artificial sweeteners in about 2 years. I have done lots of research on the harmful effects of them and it's not something I want in my body. I don't go around telling people they shouldn't eat/drink artificial sweeteners but I feel strongly enough about them to stay away from them for my own health. You have probably heard that Splenda is natural but I stay away from it too. It has been chemically altered which makes it just as bad as the other culprits in my book. The only no calorie sweetener I will use is Stevia but I rarely use that.













If I do eat packaged foods, I try to eat natural, preservative free foods. I just recently found Healthy Choice All Natural entrees and I love them!!! They contain no preservatives, they have tons of veggies and whole wheat additions. Kashi is another one of my favorites. Their products contain no preservatives and no artificial sweeteners or flavors. I know I've got a long way to go and tons more research to do but I feel good about how far I've come. I learn more and more everyday about different foods and products.







There are tons of other things I do and tons of things I need to start doing. It's not easy but slowly I will be able to add more and more natural things and develop a natural way of life. I know I will become healthier in the process. I have still yet to find a good natural deodorant, dishwashing liquid, dryer sheet or makeup but I'm working on it!!!





What do you do to try to attain a natural way of life?





28 comments:

  1. Definitely not good at all in this area! I could use some help! Thanks for all the ideas!!! Have a great weekend. Looks like a soggy one for us!

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  2. I need to improve significantly in this area. I'm reading this thinking about all of the areas where we can make this improvement in our house. Thanks for all of the wonderful tips!!

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  3. I couldn't agree more.

    I tried to go completely organic (at home anyway) a couple of year ago, but it was just too hard. Whole Foods Market is pretty far from where I live and the organic selection in my grocery store is anything but a selection.

    I know a lot of the beauty products we use have harmful chemicals that cause cancer. Pretty scary stuff. Unfortunately, I don't know how to "break free" of those products as a lot of them I use are favorites.

    I do clean with Mrs. Meyers, but will admit to using bleach as well. Bad.

    I think I will try to make some improvements. I certainly can't hurt.

    Thanks for the idea.

    You always have such great posts. :)

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  4. I've been doing the white vinegar and water cleaning method for years - and it works great. I now associate the smell of vinegar with clean!

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  5. I try to eat natural and organics products, but could always use a BIG improvement in that area lol.

    xo

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  6. Wow! You have just motivated me to try a litttle harder than what I do! It IS hard to go all naturall ALL the time....but it is something we should ALL strive to do at least a few times a day! Where can you buy that toothpaste?

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  7. I need to improve in this area too, but I've also cut out artificial sweeteners. Aspartame was making my husband and I sick and as soon as we gave it up we felt so much better. I can't even look at a Diet Coke anymore. Aspartame is really bad for you. I'm going to check out Natural Health magazine and get some Tom's toothpaste! I know I've seen it at Target.

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  8. This is such a great post! I've been *obsessed* with trying to live my life as natural as possible in the past few years. One thing that I recently started doing is to heat up some leftovers with a pan or pot rather than using the microwave. I can't do that all the time because it's very time consuming with the extra washing and cleaning and heating, but I try to do that whenever I can.

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  9. i love to check out my skincare products on the skindeep.com site because it ranks them according to bad ingredient and stuff. of course it can suck you in and then you realize that everything you use is awful! like well known brand cosmetics and stuff. so it's kind of catch-22. love that black soap! what a good manly gift idea! xoxo happy friday sweetie!

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  10. Wow, you go girl =) I tried to do this about a year and a half ago, but I was having to go to so many different stores to find products and spending so much money that I gave up for the most part. Mrs. Meyers and Seventh Generation make good dishwashing liquid, washing detergent, and cleaning products. Seventh Generation may even make dryer sheets. Aveda's hair and make-up products are also wonderful and natural. Eating lots of fresh fruit and veggies is definitely my favorite way to go natural.

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  11. Loved this post and your tips! Too bad northeast Mississippi has no Whole Foods or Trader Joes!

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  12. What a fabulous effort! Aren't fresh fruits and veggies so yummy, too? :) Happy Friday!

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  13. I'm not as natural as I should be - but I do make an effort. In particular, I try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. I'm not saying I don't indulge in chips or ice cream now and then, I do. But I feel better when I'm eating whole, fresh, healthy foods.

    Great post!

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  14. Good for you! I try when I can, but it can be hard (and not to mention expensive).

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  15. This couldn't have come at a better time! I am in the process of a recent arthritis flare up, and need to adjust my diet.

    Thanks for all the great info!
    Marcie

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  16. Thanks for this post, I have just decided to get rid of the cleaning chemicals in our house and use vinegar and water. Funny how a post and come along right when you need it! :)

    ps....you won my CSN giveaway :)

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  17. I drink LOTS of water! As for the Kashi bars? I love them so much. These are all great, natural ideas. Great post!

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  18. I tagged you in a little game over at my blog.

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  19. Well I am definitely not doing as well as you in this department. But, I like the vinegar idea. Does it really work? I know my cleaner request to use it on the floors. I hear it's great to clean with. Might give it a try. Have a great weekend,
    Naina

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  20. Good for you! Have you read Clean by Dr. Alejandro Junger? I was already making a lot of changes toward all-natural, organic practices, mostly for my daughter's sake, but I read that book last summer & was inspired to try harder. Like most areas of my life, I am completely committed in some ways & a total hypocrite in others. Human nature.

    I applaud your efforts! Have a great weekend!

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  21. I wish I was all-natural! I still need my Tylenol though.

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  22. I am slowly going "natural" too, but its a lot of information to take in. I am going to start making my own laundry detergent and softener. Its rather easy and there are tons of recipes online.

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  23. I love organic and bio products too and this post is very interesting...I use many natural cosmetics and house clearing products...I am still working on few other areas...:) Great post:) Wish you a wonderful Sunday,sweetie and see you soon:)

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  24. ive been working on this too! i've been using vinegar and love it to clean!

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  25. Girl - you are making me feel so behind! Apparently I need to step up my "granola" way of life game! :)

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  26. Hello! Just over from Amber's blog, and saw that you need some natural deodorant ideas. We've been on this deodorant hunt for ages, and we'd find one that would work for awhile, then quit - or be discontinued, or something. BUT, at the moment, we're currently in love with Alvera's Aloe Herbal All Natural Roll On. It's working GREAT! My hubby is a landscaper, so you know he puts deodorants to the test, and it's working for him very well! Everybody's body chemical makeup is different, so it's hard to find one that works for you, but this one is definitely worth the try! We also like Lafe's Natural and Organic stick in Fresh scent. A little manly of a scent (fresh, manly though), but seems to be weaker - worked great through the winter for us, but once the heat turned up, it wasn't up for the challenge.- Hope that helps! You'll have to let me know what you think if you give them a try.- The OCM is intriguing...might have to give that a try...thanks for all the great info! A fellow natural-lifer, ~Kristin from Windy Poplars
    PS- Seventh Generation is my fav. dish soap.

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  27. I had to comment because a co-worker and I attended a briefing on cosmetics last week and it opened our eyes. A lot of them have some really dangerous things in them that a lot of us ladies don't even realize! You should check out this website - safecosmetics{dot}org. I blogged a bit about it the other day if you are interested in reading a little bit about it. It's mostly about our encounter with Fran Drescher, but it's got some good info. Love your blog, btw! New follower! :)

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  28. I've feel so good about myself when I eat healthy fruits and veggies. My problem is I adore salt and always end up craving chips.

    Does the vinegar kill germs too?

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