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You would never stick a fork in an electrical outlet, jump into a pool that has no water, or eat egg salad that has been sitting out in the sun all day. And you certainly wouldn’t let your loved ones do these things either. So how is it that we easily allow hazardous and toxic items into our home every day?
Here are 7 dangerous items you may have in your home right now, as well as suggested natural alternatives.
Non-Stick Cookware
If you were alive in the 1960s, you probably remember when non-stick pans came onto the scene. They were considered a gift from Heaven. No longer did pots and pans have to soak in the sink for hours, no more scrubbing with elbow grease, food just magically slid right out of the pan without leaving any nasty caked on mess behind.
However, in the past 40 years, we have found out just how dangerous non-stick pans are to our health. The coating responsible for this “magic” is polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. When PTFE heats up, it releases toxic gasses that have been linked to cancer, organ failure, reproductive damage, and other harmful health effects.
While you may have to use a bit (not much) more elbow grease when it comes time to clean, it is recommended that you avoid non-stick pans and use stainless steel or cast iron with some cooking oil instead. Also, using a lower setting on your stove will reduce the chances your food will burn and stick.
Plastic Bottles
We know by now how important it is to hydrate every day and make sure we drink pure, clean water. But many people are guzzling spring water from plastic bottles made with BPA, and that plastic is making them sick.
BPA stands for bisphenol A. It is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s, and it effects your hormones and ultimately harms your endocrine system. The chemicals in these plastic bottle leech out when the bottle becomes warm. Think of all of the water bottles you have left in your car and taken a swig out of the next day, or the 12-pack you picked up at the store and forgot in your trunk for a few days.
Always look for BPA-free plastic, or use a water filtration system in your home instead.
Conventional Cleaning Products
Some of the worst household offenders are the bottles and bottles of cleaners you have sitting under your kitchen sink. Most, if not all, contain toxic chemicals that are negatively affecting every system in your body. Ammonia, for instance, has been linked to liver and kidney damage. Other chemicals can cause skin burns and respiratory illness.
To protect your family from the dangers of conventional household cleaners, always choose non-toxic or natural cleaners instead. Brands like Method and SeventhGeneration are safe alternatives which can now be found in most national grocery store chains.
Antibacterial Products
We have become a nation with an unnatural fear of germs. Thanks to widespread use of antibacterial products such as gel hand sanitizer, new strains of antibiotic-resistant “super-bugs” have been created. The Center for Disease Control has also suggested that antibacterials may also interfere with immune system development in children. And, adults are also subject to immune issues from overuse of antibacterial products. We’re not only killing the “bad” bacteria in the environment, but also the good guys that our GI tract needs to function properly. Gut health is directly responsible for numerous diseases.
The goal is to be sure you and your home are clean, NOT germ-free. So, avoid buying any product that claims to be antibacterial.
And, if you have been using these products for years, consider getting your gut back in health to improve your overall health. I’d recommend following the steps in >> The Joint Pain Solution <<, a guide written by a medical doctor who cure his gut’s health, which alleviated the inflammation in his body, which cured him of his painful arthritis once and for all.
Chemical Fertilizers
With spring just around the corner, many of us are gearing up to get our lawns back in shape for all of those backyard summer BBQs. But how many of us will be using toxic chemical fertilizers to get our lawns lush and pristine? Or using them in our gardens to have bigger and better flowers and vegetables?
Not only do these fertilizers contaminate local water supplies, they are also a danger to our health, as well as those of our children and pets. Choose to use organic fertilizers instead – you’ll be doing good for yourself, your family AND the environment. Win, win, win!
Deodorant
Chances are when you got up this morning, you took a shower and proceeded to roll on some deodorant to help you stay smelling nice all day. But, chances are even bigger that what you rolled under your arms is incredibly toxic, even more toxic than the fumes you would subject people to had you not put on deodorant in the first place.
Aluminum, used in many deodorants, is a known estrogenic, meaning it can cause the same effects on the body as the hormone estrogen. One of the effects of estrogen on the body is to grow breast tissue. Some researchers have concluded that too much of this growth may lead to breast tumors.
Parabens are also estrogenic and also found in a majority of deodorants. In 2004, a study in The Journal of Applied Toxicology found parabens in 18 of 20 breast tumors.
Triclosan, a common antibacterial ingredient, is also found in many deodorants. When combined with water, it will form chloroform, a potential carcinogen.
Needless to say, most of us need a little help under our arms every day, so what do we do? Choose a natural deodorant from companies like Kiss My Face, Burt’s Bees, and Trader Joe’s. These are aluminum-free and much healthier for you.
Processed Food
You know the rule “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it,” but are you actually following it? If you were to go through your kitchen cabinets right now, would you find boxes, cans and plastic containers full of processed garbage?
I know I probably sound like a broken record, but this is something that needs to be said over and over again… while processed foods are convenient and save us time, they don’t save our health. Consider the long list of chemicals that go into many of these foods:
- Color – Your kids love eating blue frosting, but what exactly is making it blue?
- Stabilizer chemicals – Don’t want watery gravy? No problem, there’s a chemical for that.
- Emulsifying chemicals – Turns out, water and oil CAN mix, just not naturally.
- Texturizing chemicals – Hate soggy cereal and bread? No problem, there’s a chemical for that, too.
- Preservatives – Listen, that cupcake should be as fresh four months from now if that’s when you choose to eat it.
While it’s awfully kind of food manufacturers to try and make our food as palatable as possible, these chemicals are making us sick!
Here’s a better idea: eat whole, nutritious foods, preferably non-GMO and organic. Here’s another idea: READ LABELS CAREFULLY. The brand may claim it is all natural, but when you turn the package over and see names of chemicals, put that food item back on the shelf and walk away as quickly as possible.
Dangerous items are everywhere. At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves do we want convenience or do we want vibrant health? Luckily, there are many natural alternatives available so we can have both!
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