Simple Changes YOU Can Make For Overall Health
Whether you believe in climate change or not....we can all agree that seeing turtles with plastic straws shoved up it's nose, birds dead with bellies full of plastic, whales being beached and half-dead because of oil or toxins in the water, young girls hitting puberty at earlier and earlier ages, cancer rates skyrocketing, autoimmune disease rates going higher and higher, ozone levels increasing, and quite frankly, just the ugly look of all the trash around, is not something that we want to have going on in our environment. It's not a healthy way to live and we NEED to make changes. Let's face it, our environment has a direct effect on our health as do the foods we eat and the products we use.
At Kindred Acres, we do our best to do our part within our means and reason. We grow our own organic food, and even grow our own luffa to use for bathing and dishes. When we are done with the luffa we compost it. We compost all of our food scraps too! We use reusable cotton cleaning rags instead of buying paper towels. We have reusable drinking straws made of glass and stainless steel. We don't own a microwave and we keep our wireless device use to a minimum, connecting by hardwire instead, when possible. I don't even own a cell phone that is connected to a carrier. We make our own soap and cleaning supplies. We even make our own facial cleansers and toothpaste. We compost all cardboard and our junk mail gets put under the mulch in the pathways of our yard and gardens. We also use a reusable/washable organic cotton shower curtain liner instead of using vinyl that a lot of people end up tossing when they get yucky just to replace with yet more vinyl. Studies have shown that the increased use in vinyl products has a direct correlation with early-onset puberty in children. I don't know about you, but I'd like my little one to remain as little as long as possible. Young girls getting their menstrual cycle as early as age 7 is quite a hard bite to chew.
That being said, we will share a few simple options for you to make changes within your household. Every step counts towards a healthier environment and life for you and your family so if you choose even just ONE of these changes to make, that is a step in the right direction.
1- Switch your dish soap to a plant-based eco-friendly type. EWG has a site that lists products and their toxicity rating. Here is a link so you can see what is in your soap and what rating it was given.
Stop buying paper towels. It's very simple to make this transition and it will save you money! Buy a pack or two of reusable cotton dish rags (or make your own out of old clothes that are no longer suited for wearing) instead! Or, do like we do and consider growing your own luffa!
Switch your laundry soap to a plant-based eco-friendly type. You can use that link to the EWG site to help you find a brand that would fit your needs.
Don't buy reusable straws! If you are a household that needs or likes to have straws, get a few glass or stainless steel straws. Most of them come in a cute little storage bag and have wire brushes for cleaning them out.
Get rid of your microwave. This honestly should be #1. Microwaves should not even exist. They destroy the nutrients in your food....totally altering their make-up. Instead, you can heat small dishes up in a toaster oven or in a skillet on the stovetop.
Go cotton! Get rid of that yucky vinyl shower curtain and switch to cotton! You'll appreciate the feel of it (I can't stand when a plastic shower curtain sticks to my arm in the shower) and you aren't giving you or your family a dose of toxins every time you shower. In this link below, Dr. Mercola talks about the dangers of using vinyl shower curtains.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/18/nine-health-risks-habits.aspxChoose plant-based soap and shampoo for bathing. If you don't have time to make your own, find a local person who does! This helps support local and it also gives you quality natural soaps that are void of the toxins you don't want your skin to absorb.
Ditch the plastic! Replace your plastic food storage containers for glass. I made that switch long ago and I have never looked back since! You won't have to worry about those foods that stain (tomato sauce) or leave a flavor/scent in plastic no matter how many times you wash it. Your food will stay fresh and toxin-free sans old onion flavors or unappetizing stained plastic.
VOTE WITH YOUR DOLLARS! Purchase local produce, preferably organic. Every time you make a purchase at a store, your money is your vote. If you purchase sugary cereals, the store will stock more sugary cereals. If you purchase fresh juicy organic tomatoes, the store will stock more fresh juicy organic tomatoes. It's as simple as supply and demand. Choose wisely what you put into your families body. Organic is the way to go! If you can't afford to purchase organic food, at least use the dirty dozen list (see below) and or consider growing your own! Follow along our blog for tips on growing your food naturally and organically. Whatever you do, for Heaven's sake, PLEASE do not buy GMO foods. Do not support that industry!
Be mindful of wifi and cellular use. This new 5G that they are considering coming out with is quite frankly SCARY! Other countries have already declined/banned it because of safety reasons. It poses a major health risk. When you are home, if you can, run a line directly to your router and switch the wifi off so you aren't getting unnecessary radiation. Unplug the router all together at night when everyone is sleeping. Not only will this help everyone sleep better (studies have proven this) but it will save you a bit of money too!! If you own a cell phone, put it on airplane mode when not in use. Use headsets instead of placing the phone directly to your ear.
For your convenience, here is the newest 2019 list of the dirty dozen/clean 15 foods.
https://www.thepacker.com/article/ewg-releases-2019-dirty-dozen-clean-15-lists
Finding balance is the key. Taking small steps, one step at a time, can make a huge impact on your families health and the health of our environment.
With lots of love
Kindred Acres
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