Healthy Home, Healthy U, Tips

Having a healthy home makes life so much easier for u and others that live with u, and this includes ur body care, health care, home care...basically lifestyle care. If ur healthy, ur home is healthy and vice versa. People around u feel better because u feel better. Sometimes its not easy living a healthy lifestyle for urself, let alone ur home...so here are some tips I have researched:

TIP 1: Know the ingredients in ur personal care products.

The government doesnt require safety testing so personal care product manufacturers can use almost any kind of chemical in them. And this is regardless to the risk of ur health!

When looking over the ingredients in ur personal care products, start at the end, that is where the preservatives are. Avoid products that carry:

- Triethanolamine (or "TEA")......No this is NOT tea as in teas u consume in a drink :)

- Triclocarban

- Triclosan

- Methylisothiazolinone

- Methylchloroisothiazolinone

- Imidazolidinyl urea

- DMDM hydantoin

- Words ending in "paraben"

U should look up the meanings of these items and debate if they are something u really want to use on ur body, js. :)

Now check the first part of the list of ingredients, this is where soaps, surfactants, and lubricants are listed. Avoid any that have ingredients that start with "PEG" or have "-eth" in the middle of the product ingredient (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate).

Read the ingredients in the middle. Look for these words: "FRAGRANCE," "FD&C," or "D&C."

Ingredients in personal care products for children is even longer.

EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database has more info, so look em up folks. :)

Tip 2: Eat organic and fresh foods

Like u havent heard this enough, right? :) But its so true. So many foods are full of pesticides and toxins and who the heck wants that in their bodies? Chemicals are linked to serious health problems and more so in children. The government does not police the sftey of out foods nor the packaging of said foods.

Limit ur exposure to:

- Growth hormones found in meat and dairy products.

- Pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

- Toxic chemicals (BPA and PFC's) found in food containers that contaminate ur food.

Pesticides are known to cause cancer, hormone disruption, abnormal brain and nervous system development.

Avoid pesticides on ur food by buying organic and dont put pesticides on ur own garden plants.

Buy fresh foods to avoid packaging. Avoid canned foods, almost all contain have a BPA-based epoxy liner.

Minimize exposure to BPA and other chemicals that leach from plastic containers and water bottles by using glass instead of plastic, use stainless water bottles, avoid polycarbonate containers (marked with a #7 or ‘PC’), especially for children’s food and drinks, avoid old and scratched water bottles, plastics marked with a #1, 2, 4, and 5 don’t contain BPA and are generally safer for food, wash plastics on the top shelf of the dishwasher, where the water is cooler, or by hand, and dont microwave plastics or fill them with hot liquids or foods.

PFCs are used to coat food packaging, particularly those made for greasy foods and they leach chemicals into ur food. Pop popcorn the old-fashioned way - on the stovetop or with an air popper or in a brown paper bag. :) Cut back on greasy packaged and fast foods. Avoid non-stick pans and kitchen utensils because when overheated, they can release toxic particles and chemicals in gas form so, opt for stainless steel or cast iron instead. I love cast iron! :)

Tip 3: Avoid fire retardants:

They are added to a wide variety of household items such as ur bed, couch, chairs, surround sounds, radios, televisions, ovens, microwaves and even baby products. Almost everything has them. They are TDCIPP (also known as “chlorinated tris”) and chemical mixtures such as Firemaster® 550. Their toxins are linked to cancer and endocrine disruption. Hard as it may be, try to limit ur contact to these chemicals.

Tip 4: Filter ur tap water:

Drinking water is vital to life, it sustains our health...but there are common drinking water pollutants to avoid, like chromium-6. U can learn more by reading the New York Times on Toxic Waters. To avoid some of these toxins, there are six kinds of filters: pitcher/large-dispenser, faucet mounted, faucet integrated, on-counter, under-sink, and whole house, only u can decide which is best for u and ur family and the style u are willing to deal with. :) To protect ur children, use bottled water that is fluoride free (if ur home filter cannot filter it out).

Tip 5: Get rid of that grimy dust:

Vacuum frequently and use a vacuum fitted with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter. Pay special attention to where ur kids play and crawl around. Damp dusting ur electronics should keep them dust free. Use a wet mop frequently. use high quality filters in ur air conditioning units and heating units, wipe furniture with a wet cloth frequently. Leave ur shoes on a natural doormat at the door. Stick to products made with natural fibers. When u finish a home improvement project clean it up quickly.

Well my smexy peeps, thats what I have for now, ty for reading and see u in the next post! MUAH!