Six Tips for Healthy, Toxic-Free Living

Six Tips for Healthy, Toxic-Free Living The following is a guest post By Deanna Latson.  Her bio follows. Making a lifestyle change to live a healthy, toxic-free life is not as daunting as it sounds. Is it a long term commitment? Yes, but the results are definitely worth it. Here are some steps you can take immediately to jump-start your healthy, toxic-free lifestyle today. Examine your lifestyle and living environment before turning to pharmaceuticals. Medication is not always the solution â€" your food and lifestyle choices should make up your healthcare regimen. More than 50 million Americans use acetaminophen each week, and while using medication as a replacement for proper nutrition might be a quick fix, it is ultimately harmful to your long-term health and wellness. Instead of turning to pharmaceuticals, lifestyle changes such as eating habits, work out routines and living environments are very impactful in the long run. Eventually, these improvements will alleviate the need to use medications and contribute toward your toxic-free life. Invest in a high quality indoor air filter. You know the saying, “you are what you eat?” Well, the same can be said about what you breathe in. More than 40 percent of Americans â€" nearly 140 million people â€" breathe unhealthy air. Air pollution can affect not only your lungs, but your heart as well. While it is harder to demand the need for clean air in public spaces, you can control what you inhale in your own home. Investing in a high quality indoor air filter for your home will help reduce the risk of lung and heart diseases associated with breathing in bad air. Actually read the labels on your cosmetics and personal care products. Most people don’t know that trusted department store brands often use toxic ingredients, which can lead to negative health effects down the road. It is vital that you, as the consumer, understand how to pinpoint the dangerous ingredients on a label before you purchase the product. Some ingredients to watch out for include: PEGs Parabens Phthalates Artificial colors Synthetic fragrance Try to decrease or eliminate processed meats from your diet. Processed meats, or any meats that are smoked, frozen or canned are pumped with chemicals in order to be preserved. Eating processed meats can greatly increase your chances of stomach cancer, while consuming red meat can lead to bowel cancer. To put it simply, stay away from high meat consumption of any kind. From tofu, to beans, to nuts, there are plenty of other ways to get your daily dose of protein. Choose toxic-free alternatives for cleaning products. A typical roundup of cleaning products in one household can accumulate very quickly. What’s really scary is that for each product, there is an unfathomable number of chemicals within, including but certainly not limited to: Triclosan; 2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Butoxyethanol Acetate; Ammonia, Quarternary Ammonium Compounds; Formaldehyde; and Phthalates. Here are some DIY recipes and for toxic-free cleaning product alternatives: Glass cleaner: ¼ cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp. corn starch, 2 cups warm water Dish soap: Bonner’s 18-in-1 Pure Castle Soap Dish washer detergent: 2 parts Borax, 2 parts washing soda, 1 part citric acid, 1 part salt, essential oils for scent All-purpose surface cleaner: 1 cup water, 25 drops antibacterial essential oil blend Tile and shower scrub: ½ cup baking soda, 2 tbsp. washing soda, 2 tbsp. Borax, 3 tbsp. liquid castile soap All-purpose cleaner: water, hydrogen peroxide, essential oils Mop spray: 1 part distilled white vinegar, 3 parts warm water Focus on reducing your sugar intake. Sugar alters our biochemical pathways in our brain, tampering with our dopamine receptors. In order for us to get the next dopamine spike, we continuously need a greater dose of sugar. Because of this, 80 percent of the 600,000 food products in America today are laced with some form of sugar, which keeps us addicted. If you are looking for that quick sugar fix, reach for the organic berries instead of the candy bar. Toxic-Free Living When Health is absent Wisdom cannot reveal itself, Art cannot become manifest, Strength cannot be exerted, Wealth is useless and Reason is powerless.                                                                                                                         -HEROPHILIES, 300 B.C. Deanna Latson Deanna Latson is  co-founder and chief product officer of ARIIX.  Internationally-recognized health and wellness authority and fearless nutritional pioneer Deanna Latson empowers people to create a healthy, well-balanced life. Drawing upon real-life experience, extensive education and personal passion, Latson supports the use of toxic-free, high-quality products for superior quality of life and has collaborated with world-renowned experts in the health, wellness and fitness industries. Along with being co-founder and chief product officer of ARIIX, Latson holds a clinical nutritionist degree from the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy and is affiliated with the Wellness Council of America, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the Speech Communication Association. Images:  Healthy Meal  Tella Chen  Elizabeth Briel  air pollution  Kevin Dooley