Most of us have set new goals, resolutions or whatever you may call them as we start this new year. I am not a resolution person. I believe you can start fresh and new any day, week or month of the year and should evaluate often, not just at the start of the year. One thing I have been asked about numerous times in the past two days is about doing a detox. It's a buzz word that makes people feel like they can clean and rid their bodies of all the harm they have done over the holidays or the year. Not the case! I believe you can take supplements, drink and eat specific foods to help support the detoxing organs. I think one place to start would be with the elimination of sugar and eating nutrient rich foods. If I were to do a "detox" for a few days, it would consist of bone broth with coconut oil, MCT or grass-fed butter and gelatin blended in. If you insist on juicing, add a vegetable juice to each meal of broth too. Please do not drink juice alone, it raises blood sugar levels since it's straight sugar to the bloodstream.
An area of life that I am doing a detox, is my beauty products! As you all know I am a fitness and nutrition coach that puts much emphasis on nutrition...hence my blog. I try to eat organic and non-gmo, have given up grains, rarely drink alcohol, only eat dark chocolate, enjoy eating seaweed, canned sardines and oysters, will drink any health tonic and am in love with my chicken feet broth. I take cold baths and showers to reduce inflammation, I use blue light blocking glasses at night and I earth (bare feet in nature)! People think I am crazy! Here I am doing all of these things to provide my body with the best I know how, but was putting 100's of chemicals on my skin daily! Doesn't make sense!! Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs everything!! You are basically eating your skincare and makeup and it passes into the blood stream in 26 seconds!!!
I will be the first to admit that I needed to cleanup this area of my life! I am vain and don't want wrinkles and want makeup that lasts all day...I was in denial that I was applying a chemical cocktail everyday disrupting my hormones, increasing my chances of breast cancer, infertility and passing those chemicals into the blood and brain of the baby I hope to have soon. This seemed like such a daunting task! I had no idea where to begin except to go to Whole Foods and look at the products they carry. As we all know, just because it's at Whole Foods doesn't mean it's healthy! Could I really trust those companies and do they work? Natural skin care just sounds like it wouldn't be effective, boy was I wrong!
Each and every one of us knows someone who has been effected by cancer, who is struggling to get pregnant or has a child with autism, allergies, ADHD or asthma!
In the '60s, 1 in 20 U.S. women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Today, 1 in 8 U.S. women will be diagnosed. Only 10% of these women have a genetic link to the disease. Do you know how many chemicals in personal care products mimic estrogen! 9 out of 10 breast cancer tumors contain parabens...a chemical found in lotions, makeup and so much more! So many companies claim to be paraben free, but most likely their raw materials contain a small amount still. If it's less than .5 ppm it doesn't have to be reported on the ingredient list. That means a lotion could have 10 raw ingredients that contain parabens, so now the amount in that lotions is huge and isn't listed!
1 in 3 children will be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, asthma, or allergies. The incidence of these conditions has skyrocketed over the last 20 years, and toxic chemicals are one factor.
While the E.U. has banned or restricted nearly 1,400 ingredients, the U.S. has banned or restricted only 11. The United States hasn't passed a federal law to regulate the ingredients used in personal care products since 1938.
Only about 10% of the 10,000 chemicals commonly found in personal care products have safety data.
The Food and Drug Administration (the agency that regulates cosmetics) allows companies to use chemicals known to be extremely harmful (lead, formaldehyde, Parabens, PEGs, Fragrences and Phthalates) in the products we put on our bodies everyday.
I know there are plenty of things that we can't control...the air we breathe, the flame retardant and glue in our furniture, the paint on our walls, etc...but you make a choice everyday what you put on your body and your children's bodies! If you get anything out of this post, please let it be that you change to safe products and read labels! Last week I threw out everything you see in the photo above! I have switched from medical grade skincare like Obagi, Skin Medica and Image. Yes, that is Mac, Nars, Armani and Bobbi Brown makeup that I tossed out too! It felt so good to switch to 100% safe products free of 1,500 chemicals that actually work!! I have joined a movement to educate and inspire others to do the same thing! A movement with a company that's on a mission to get safe products in the hands of everyone! BeautyCounter is a company of transparency with no secrets! They rate 0-2 (green and safe) on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Data Base. For more information about the products I have switched to and loooooove, visit www.beautyfreeofchemicals.com
If you need help understanding your current product labels and want to know if they are safe, visit Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Data Base and enter the brand or individual ingredient. You can also download the Skin Deep App on your phone and scan the labels of your products! Or simply message me and I'd be happy to help!
I am sharing this information because something must be done!!! Please share and pass this on...when we know better we do better!
