Environmental toxins and their burden on our health was not something I paid much attention to before being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, struggling with infertility, and having two breast biopsies (both were benign). Toxins are all around us in the environment, in the air, water, our food supply, in our homes, and in skincare and beauty products to name a few. The more I researched the effects of chemicals and toxins on autoimmune disease, inflammation, hormone disruption, infertility, cancer, and other health problems, I was surprised and frustrated at what I discovered. I knew reducing the toxic burden to my body would be a huge part of my healing, keeping my gut healthy, decreasing inflammation, managing hormones, increasing fertility, and preventing future health problems. While I was trying to get pregnant, I became more aware of what I was putting in and on my body. During my pregnancy and while breastfeeding, identifying what my baby and I were being exposed to in my environment was especially important and I was motivated to do what was in my control to reduce the toxic burden for myself and my child.
The reality is, we are exposed to toxins daily. The good news is our body is designed to rid itself of toxins through the liver and a healthy gut will prevent toxins we ingest from sneaking through and into our bloodstream. Chronic exposure to toxins can cause an overtaxed liver, so reducing the amount of toxins we are exposed to prevents our body from having to work so hard to detox it out and the less that builds up over time.
We don’t want to live in a bubble or in a chronic state of fear over toxins we are exposed to. I choose to do my best to make changes where I can and put aside the rest so I don’t go crazy. I continually educate myself and make changes where I see fit.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to research all of the ingredients in products to know if they are a safer option for me and my family. Thankfully, a lot of the legwork has been done for us. I use the Environmental Working Group as a resource for guidance. From the EWG website:
“We are a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment. EWG is educating and empowering consumers to make safer and more informed decisions about the products they buy and the companies they support.”
Go to www.ewg.org and click on Consumer Guides to see a variety of resources to help with selecting safer food options, household cleaning products, sunscreen, and personal care products. Look for EWG Verified products to know they do not contain any ingredients on EWG’s “Unacceptable” list, provide full transparency into all the ingredients, and use good manufacturing practices. Check out more information about EWG Verified here.
This is a subject that lends itself to multiple posts. I will continue to talk more about environmental toxins, the role they play in developing health problems, how to select safer options, and will share some of my favorite products I love or am trying out.
