Environmental Toxins
Eliminating chemical toxins from your body is just as important as our diet, exercise, sleep and
stress and yet, and yet it is the one we hear about the least. Now that can be because it is
highly misunderstood AND it just might very well mean we need to UN-learn some things we
thought were true.
Toxins is one of those words that has gotten thrown around so much that it almost lost its WOW
factor. Society has become quite desensitized by many words that should actually alarm us a
bit....or at the very least, spike our interest. Now I get not everyone is an undercover nerd like
me and has the time nor desire to dig deep into everything and that is why I have done some
dirty work for you.
Toxins are known to be a risk, but what does that really mean and how the hell do they attack us?
For starters they enter our bodies in many ways: through our skin from soaps, lotions, makeup,
hygiene products, up our nose from the air & pollution and in our mouth from breathing, food &
water. They do a lot of harm internally that unfortunately we do not see. They alter hormone
levels and increase cancer risk. For example, chemicals are implicated in obesity because they
can increase fat cell growth and trigger food intake, leading to fat gain... which is where 'bad
cells' are stored. Chemicals are also a threat to human fertility, high estrogen levels in both men
& children and healthy cognition.
Unfortunately, in North America, chemical regulation is practically non-existent. Good news is
there are a number of simple ways you can limit your exposure to chemical toxins:
1: Ditch Your Plastic Water Bottles and limit plastic food storage
BPA, the chemical most closely implicated in obesity, leaches into the water from the plastic.
But it is far from the only chemical in plastic so stickers saying BPA free are extremely
misleading. Get a reusable metal or glass bottle instead, and when you have to drink from a
plastic bottle, remember that plastic is one-use only. Refilling a plastic water bottle, especially
one that has been exposed to heat, is creating chemical soup!
2: Scrub Your Produce
Pesticides are a major source of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Always scrub your produce and
go organic whenever possible.
3: Use Natural Cleaning Products ( but again, try and limit purchasing new bottles, I buy
bulk or refillable) Happy Bodies, Happy Planet!!
Chemical cleaners contain toxins and estrogen-mimicking compounds. Opt
for plant-based cleaners. Don’t trust it just because it says “green” on the label, that is a
marketing ploy and has often just been the name of a brand... but I will save that for another
post. Check ingredients. Simple is always better. Alcohol, vinegar, lemon, vodka ( Yes! cheap
vodka will make anything sparkle better then Windex)
4: Don’t Take Receipts Unless Necessary
Almost half of paper receipts contain BPA and there’s evidence that cashiers have very high
BPA levels.
5: Use Cloth Bags When Shopping
If you forget your cloth bags, opt for paper if you can. Theres always some near the
mushrooms👌🏾
6: Drink Plenty of Water (Make Sure It’s Safe)
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference. Water is essential for elimination, but it
will only be therapeutic if it’s uncontaminated. Consider getting a filter or test your water with a
home test that can be bought online or at a hardware store. Simply buying a Britta water filter
will go a long way to eliminating the most harmful toxins. Steer clear from Culligan or these
huge bottles of chemical juice... bottles water has sit stored, heated, reheated and who knows
what for a very long time.
7: Eat Cruciferous Vegetables
Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus and the other cruciferous veggies provide a host of
pro-elimination nutrients that enhance the body’s ability to neutralize and remove chemicals.
8: Eat “Detox” Foods: Fiber, Protein, Fruits & Veggies
Your body has a robust capacity to detoxify chemicals, but only if you supply it with the nutrients
to do so. Most important is indigestible fiber (from vegetables and fruit), amino acids (from
protein), and antioxidants (from phytonutrient-rich plats).
9: Supplement: Curcumin, Limonene, Vitamin C & Organic Black Seed Oil
All of these supplements improve your body’s ability to eliminate hormone disruptors, and
curcumin and limonene also protect the body against inflammation that builds up from a large
toxic load and black seed oil is known to boost your immune system and clean your kidneys.
10: Shampoos, conditioners, makeup, deodorants and yes, sunscreen
These actually have some of the deadliest toxins out there and we push them into our open
pores every day without thought.
Sunscreen
Probably the most widely used lotion if you're ever exposed to the sun. I remember my girls
having to have their own individual bottle to go to school or camp and not being allowed to go to
sport meets if they didn't have sunscreen. Go to the nearest beach and you will see (and smell)
people rubbing on a fresh coat every hour. Listen to the anti aging rants all praising sunscreen
as their secret antidote.
I’ll admit that for years I believed the hype as well and thought the only pain in the ass was the expense and that the sand would then stick to you, leaving your skin like sandpaper. It was all within the same year, I had just been told that I had kidney cancer. As horrified as I was, I knew there could be a possibility at some point because I had been battling kidney disease since I was 4 years old.
Still, it threw me into shock and all I could think about as a single mother was, “ Who was going to raise my babies?”. I remember going home from that appointment wondering how I was going to tell them. I was absolutely petrified and felt that my entire life came to a very quick halt. I was well into my new health journey after my mental breakdown and had already changed my eating habits, removed all processed foods, sugars and stuck to whole foods but it was still relatively new. I knew my “clean eating” had to go to a whole new level so I literally just started emptying cupboards and told the kids to bear with me while I basically re-learned how to cook - without food seemingly.
For weeks I was a mess. I started researching, reading and went down one rabbit hole after
another, then I found environmental toxins. I was relieved that my gut had steered me good over
the years but I knew there was so much more to learn and I wanted all the information I could
get. I was already careful about the soaps I bought for the house, we didn't use sunscreens and
I tried to use natural products for cleaning. Little did I realize that still wasn't enough. Next it was
toiletries, makeup, lotions, candles, sprays, laundry detergent, tampons, pads....the list went on
and I was overwhelmed and my kids thought I went crazy!! How did I miss all of this, how is this
possible? How are these fuckers allowed to get away with this? I was raised in a family that
believed the government was good and loved their people, that there was no way they would
allow poison into our products. I believed that ‘someone else’ would've done something by now.
Little did I realize that the people taking the time to research, read and share their findings were
WAY out numbered, with believers of what they were raised to know.
For me.... I was outraged, we were being poisoned essentially and the majority of the
population had no idea!!! Now, let me just say I don't usually get hyper about these things, I’m
not an activist and I did not consider myself to be a lobbyist but I was pissed that our
government was once again allowing for profits to take priority over health. That was the
beginning... I emptied everything out of our medicine closet and again told the kids to hang on
while I researched more. You would think they would've been used to this by now...but this time
was different. I had 5 girls!!! Makeup, lotion, hair products and so much smelly shit - It was as if I
had locked them in a closet from the entire world. Anyway, that is how I did things. Eventually
discovering that it was easier to make my own shit or simply do without. I am not 100%
chemical/toxin free, but there are few things left and I’m constantly adding to my “do not buy”
list.
Truth be told, I had had many occasions where I didn't trust the medical “professional” and
actually started looking at them as individuals, not necessarily experts..
Active ingredients in sunscreens function as either mineral or chemical UV filters that keep
harmful rays from the skin. Each uses a different mechanism for protecting skin and maintaining
stability in sunlight. The most common sunscreens contain chemical filters. These products
typically include a combination of two to six of the following active ingredients: oxybenzone,
avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral sunscreens use zinc
oxide and/or titanium dioxide. A handful of products combine zinc oxide with chemical filters
Toxic ingredients and any other health hazards have been found in approximately 650
sunscreens, 250 SPF-labeled moisturizers and 115 lip products. The most common ingredient
AND most widely used is Oxybenzone, its essentially weak estrogen and a hormone disruptor.
Many studies in animals and cells have shown that the chemicals affect reproduction &
development by altering reproductive and thyroid hormones. Studies of Animals have shown
lower sperm counts and sperm abnormalities after oxybenzone and octinoxate exposure,
delayed puberty after octinoxate exposure, and altered estrous cycling for female mice exposed
to oxybenzone. Often times it is overuse of these chemicals and dairy products that are the
cause of males developing "man boobs" or lowering me a Testosterone levels.
12 ingredients include some of the most commonly used UV filters, including oxybenzone,
octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and avobenzone.
are all systemically absorbed into the body after a single use (Matta 2019, Matta 2020). The
FDA also found that the sunscreen ingredients could be detected on the skin and in blood
WEEKS after application ended. This should be cause for concern as these chemicals are
circulating in the blood, long after you've left the beach
HERE ARE 10 OF THE WORST SUNSCREENS - (TIP: it's often the best marketed brands)
1. Walgreens Dry Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100
2. Walgreens Age Protection For Face Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 110
3. Sun Bum Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70
4. Panama Jack Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70
5. Panama Jack Sport Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 85
6. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 85+
7. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100+
8. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray, SPF 100+
9. Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 60+
10. Neutrogena CoolDry Sport Sunscreen Spray, SPF 100
There is zero question that sun burns are not good and over exposure to the sun is unhealthy.
That said, diffusing direct sun exposure can be done by wearing UV filtered clothing, hats, using
umbrellas and finding shade. Don't forget that the sun is not your enemy and limited amounts
help with acne, triggers vitamin D production, mood, helps with inflammation, lowers high blood
pressure and improves brain function by releasing Serotonin production.