OCTOBER 2019 INSTAGRAM ROUNDUP

ONE SWAP OCTOBER! 🎃🎃 It is officially October and I am pretty pumped about it.

This month I want to encourage you to make just one swap this month to a non-toxic product. It can be so overwhelming to try to make changes all at once so let’s just take it one step at a time. 👍🏼 Here’s how this works-

This month switch out one “dirty” product to a better one. You could change shampoo, conditioner, body wash, makeup, deodorant, dish soap, cleaning products, laundry detergent, bath soap, toothpaste, lotions, perfume, face wash, eye cream... literally anything!

If you need help with an idea- ask me! Anyone who makes a switch this month is going to get a little gift from me. 💜Switching out my own products has been such a game changer for me and I want you to benefit like I have.

Let me know what you’re going to switch this month!
After you’ve made a swap shoot me a message so I can add you to my list for a little gift from me. 💗

For several years I have had dip on my nails constantly. I pretty much went every 3 weeks to get them done but I finally decided I wasn’t going to continue to have toxins on my nails all the time. Full transparency, I do still get my regular pedicures in the summer though because I’m not quite ready to give those up- baby steps! I will go without polish in the winter though. I also will likely still go get my dip on occasion as well although I haven’t in several months!

Once I got my dip off for good I let my nails breathe and recover from being damaged from the dip. I thought I would hate it but it hasn’t been that bad. However I do want to have a polish for special occasions.

I spent a lot of time trying to find a cleaner nail polish and this is the one I felt most comfortable trying. To be clear, this is a better alternative, but it is NOT fully “clean”. I don’t think a completely clean nail polish exists but this one is 12 free which means it is free from formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthlate, camphor, formaldehyde resin, xylene, parabens, fragrance, nitrocellulose resin, animal ingredients, triphenyl phosphate and benzophenone-1 all of which are harmful toxic ingredients in most nail polishes. The brand is Honeybee Garden Nail Polish!

Benzophenone-1 is highly concerning as it is an endocrine disruptor with links to cancer. Studies have shown it can be detected in the placenta and other biological fluids like breast milk. (Source: empoweredautoimmune)

I won’t be wearing this all the time but for times when I want polish, this is a brand I am comfortable using from time to time. I bought the shade Abyss which is a pure black with a matte finish. There is also a top coat that contains just one ingredient- 2-methoxypropanol- which is a 1 on EWG so that’s a plus!

This is like a regular polish in that it did chip pretty easily as you can see in the picture but I still think it’s a good alternative for short term wear.
Anyone else brave enough to ditch nail polish?! Scroll over to see my review about taking it off.

When I was sick a few weeks ago I whipped out my oregano oil to help fight off whatever I had going on. Here are some benefits of this powerhouse oil:

1. It acts as an expectorant which can loosen and help prevent the buildup of mucus.

2. It can help calm an inflamed throat.

3. It has anti-inflammatory properties
4. It can help prevent infections like UTI’s and food poisoning.
5. It has anti-fungal properties.

6. It has anti-viral properties so it can strengthen your immune system against viruses.

So basically this is a powerhouse oil! It is very concentrated so a little goes a LONG way. (organicfacts.net)

I’ve posted this in my stories before but it’s worth mentioning again. These tips apply even if you aren’t trying to conceive. Again, none of this is my own research- all from this book.

When trying to conceive, the top 6 things to avoid are caffeine, sugar, alcohol, soy, gluten and toxic bath/body products and household cleaners.

1. Caffeine: All of the work you are doing to balance your stress hormones will be in vain if you are forcing your body to release cortisol (a stress hormone) by regularly pumping yourself full of coffee. By enjoying coffee substitutes you can give your adrenal glands a rest without feeling completely deprived. These two tiny glands are responsible for your energy and vitality. Feed them well by giving them high quality fat and protein when you wake up (which gives them what they need to make cortisol so you have energy) instead of kicking them with coffee (which forces them to give you cortisol you haven’t quite “earned” yet). Having an 8 to 12 ounce cup of organic, unsweetened coffee after or with a substantial breakfast never hurt anyone. It’s the 3 cups before noon without breakfast that need to be addressed.

Side note: Caffeine is mostly processed out of the coffee been via chemical stripping which is toxic, to make decaf coffee. If you drink decaf, seek out Swiss-water processed decaf to ensure it is processed naturally.

Drinking excessive caffeine can lead to: cardiovascular problems, stress, anxiety, blood sugar swings, gastrointestinal problems, nutritional deficiencies, female health problems, aging and adrenal exhaustion. (More on each of those in the book)

2. Sugar: Sugar is a drug! It is disguised in so many different ways and names. Some of the names are barley milk, cane sugar, corn syrup, dextrose (cultured), evaporated cane juice, fruit juice, fructose, galactose, glucose (syrup), high fructose corn syrup, lactose, maltose, maltodextrin, mannitol, sucrose and sorbitol. Low-fat and fat-free foods contain high quantities of sugar and cheap, pro-inflammatory oils, which will just send you on a nasty roller-coaster ride of cravings, weigh gain, poor digestive health and exhaustion.

I’ve talked about various face cleaning items on here but I haven’t done a whole “how I cleanse my face” type post. This is my face cleansing routine.
At night:

1. I use the Young Living baby wipes to take my makeup off. They don’t irritate my skin and one wipe gets all my makeup off! If I have gone out for the night or have on heavier makeup I’ll use two wipes but for my every day makeup one does the trick.

2. After I take my makeup off I put some witch hazel on an organic cotton ball and wipe that on my face to tone. I do not use witch hazel with fragrance!

3. I wash my face in the shower so I put the exfoliating face wash from Beauty Counter (not pictured) on in the shower and let it sit for a second and then rub it in and gently exfoliate. Then I rinse that off.

4. The last step is the Young Living Charcoal bar. This stuff is my favorite! I wash my face with this bar. It makes my skin feel so clean and it doesn’t feel dry afterwards.

In the morning I just wash my face with the charcoal bar again.

That’s it! I’m pretty low maintenance with cleansing. This is what I have found works best for my skin. Everybody’s skin is different so this might not work everyone but if you’re wanting to implement some non-toxic face cleaners, these might be a good place to start depending on what you need. I do know that so many people have said they love charcoal face wash!

We don’t eat a whole lot of pasta but every now and then I’ll make a random pasta dish. Since I stay away from gluten while eating at home I like to use chickpea pasta. You have to check ingredients though because some chickpea pastas have other additives.

This Tolerant brand pasta contains only 1 ingredient: organic chickpea flour. This is a good pasta for those with a serious gluten intolerance/allergy because it’s made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. It’s USDA certified organic and you can buy it in a few different pasta shapes. We like the rotini!

Corey has even said that you can’t even tell it’s not “real” pasta and I agree. I’ve had other chickpea pastas that you can clearly tell are “fake”. What’s your favorite pasta recipe? I’m wanting to use this pasta more but I’m not a fan of spaghetti sauce and Corey doesn’t like Alfredo sauce. 😝

I got home today and my sweet husband had surprised me with some new Mackenzie Childs’ pumpkins so I thought I’d post about 🎃 tonight.
This time of year pumpkin spice creamer is SO popular. I’ve seen so many people post about it, which is unfortunate because it is full of nothing but junk ingredients.👎🏻 I definitely don’t eat perfectly but with things I do daily, I keep them clean. Most people drink coffee every day, which means this time of year, they’re ingesting this stuff on a regular basis.

The most popular mainstream brand of this stuff has: sugar, vegetable oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated cottonseed, sodium caseinate, natural and artificial flavors, mono and diglycerides, dipotassium phosphate, cellulose gel, cellulose gum and carrageenan which is a gut disruptor. I mostly stick to the rule that if it’s a random chemical I can’t pronounce then it doesn’t go in my body.
Interesting that for a pumpkin spice creamer, pumpkin isn’t even an ingredient? Hmm…

I tried out this recipe over the weekend and made my own creamer! Here’s what it contained: almond milk (made with only water, almonds and salt), organic pumpkin, a splash of organic vanilla, clove essential oil, ginger essential oil and cinnamon bark essential oil. That’s it! Nothing I couldn’t pronounce.

I was pleased with the way it tasted! 👍🏼 If you require sugar in your coffee then you would want a little bit. I personally don’t add sugar to my coffee. I add collagen peptides to my coffee and those have a tiny bit of sweetness in them from the monk fruit so this was perfect for me.

Happy pumpkin season! 🎃🎃

I’m not trying to be overdramatic but this might be one of my favorite things ever. 😍 This is a new item from the holiday collection and I am OBSESSED. I love the smell of Vanilla Mint- it’s one of my absolute favorites. Exfoliating your body and sloughing off all the dead skin feels so good. A lot of body scrubs have fragrance in them. I know I sound like a broken record at this point but don’t use products with that listed as an ingredient!
The body butter smells equally as amazing and it is very moisturizing! It is a butter, not a lotion, so it’s a bit greasy but it is so incredibly moisturizing.

I am keeping the scrub in my shower to use all the time because I love it so much. 💙

No, you’re not crazy. There is in fact a picture of junk filled CheezIts on my page. Let me tell you why! For some reason my sweet husband LOVES the “extra toasty” CheezIts, not the regular ones- the toasty ones… and I buy them for him. I have never forced Corey to embrace this non-toxic lifestyle but by seeing how much better my health has gotten he “gets it” now. He eats all the organic food I cook. He has embraced my Siete tortillas and chips and all my other clean foods & even uses essential oils and my other “clean” products.

BUT he just loves these dang CheezIts (and peanut butter crackers) so you know what? I buy them for him.. and I don’t think these are going to kill him. Are they full of junk? Yes! However I don’t believe in trying to eat perfectly all the time. We eat out once or twice a week typically and we all know that’s not clean eating. 👎🏻 The majority of the food in our home is good for us and beneficial for our health and not full of junk but I think it’s unrealistic to try to be perfect—and stressful, honestly. Stressing out over trying to do everything “right” would just be detrimental to our health anyway.

So I buy him the CheezIts & on occasion I sneak a few because they are pretty dang good.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with trying to eat better or kick toxins, don’t stress! If you feel like you can’t even get on board with this lifestyle because you know you won’t be able to do it perfectly, don’t let that stop you!

It’s not about perfection! All of the small changes we make add up to make a huge difference in our lives. 💗

HAPPY HALL-OIL-WEEN! 🎃🎃🎃

I’ve talked about my Stasher bags before and we got some new colors while in Florida so I wanted to do a post on BPA as it’s one reason why we avoid plastic bags. We use these bags daily and I love them so much.

They are made with 100% pure platinum grade silicone, a standard even higher than food grade silicone. They pass all U.S. safety requirements and even tougher European standards. They are free from fillers, toxins, BPA, lead, latex and phthalates.

You can put them in the microwave and dishwasher as well. Bonus- I just learned they are TSA approved to use for liquids while flying if you use the sandwich size.

Okay now to BPA. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical used to make certain plastics and resins. Why is it bad? Well it’s an endocrine disruptor. It mimics estrogen and anything that does that can cause to the health of babies, children’s and adults.

Studies have shown the small amounts of BPA we’re all exposed to on a daily basis could have serious health implications- diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and impacts on the brain and reproductive system of infants exposed during pregnancy.

BPA makes its way into your bloodstream through various ways- whether by consuming food or even just skin contact. Measurable levels can be found in 95% of the population.

Even minuscule amounts of BPA can interfere with hormonal systems and harm developing eggs which compromises success rates in IVF and increases miscarriage risk. It has been proven to compromise egg quality.

If you want the best possible chance of becoming pregnant and delivering a healthy baby one of the first steps you should take is to reduce your exposure to specific toxins that can harm fertility.

Women with high levels of BPA in their system during an IVF cycle end up with fewer embryos to transfer and are less likely to become pregnant.

One study in Japan showed that women with a history of 3 or more first trimester miscarriages had a BPA level 3 times higher than the control group of healthy women with no fertility problems. Another study was able to correlate the amount of BPA in the pregnant women’s blood serum with their risk of miscarriage.