We spend so much of our lives prepping for or recovering from the toxic outside world that we often fail to really examine how clean it is within the walls of our own home. Over the next few articles, I will be going room-by-room in your home to help you detox it from all of the dangerous chemicals, toxic pollutants, and other health irritants lurking there. First up: time to detox your kitchen!
Your home should be a haven – a nice respite from our toxic world where you can rest, relax, and recharge. But how clean is it, really?
I’m not just talking about clean as in making your bed, taking out the trash, and putting our dishes away. I’m talking about a home that is free from toxins, allergens, dust particles, and other harmful chemicals that can injure your health without even realizing it!
In my next few articles, I will guide you through some simple and easy steps that you can start taking TODAY, to detox your home. You will learn such things as:
- How to go room-by-room and swap out any toxic sources for safer alternatives
- Secret areas of toxic exposure in your kitchen
- How the chemicals in your laundry could be making you sick
- My top picks for the best non-toxic cleaning products and brands
- How to ensure you are drinking clean water
- Simple steps you can take to improve the air quality in your home
- How to identify potential sources of toxins so that you can stop them from entering your home in the future!
When I first began my detox journey, I was hyper-vigilant about all of the things I was putting into my body. I ate a healthy diet, performed a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis regularly to check for heavy metals and mineral imbalances so I could take the right supplements, I knew every ingredient in every supplement I was taking, the works!
But still, all of this was not enough. Turns out, I was overlooking one very key thing – the toxins surrounding me in my home. The nasty chemicals and artificial fragrances and toxins that were in many of the household items I used, but wasn’t directly putting into my body, were hindering my detox. Exposure is exposure, after all!
Today we are going to start with ways to detox your kitchen Let’s get started!
How to Detox Your Kitchen
Follow these simple steps to a healthier, less toxic kitchen!
▢ Filter Your Water
DO NOT drink water straight from the tap. All tap water is full of contaminants and chemicals, including disinfectants that kill micro-organisms both in the water and in your body. Always filter water with a filter to eliminate chemicals, heavy metals, and other contaminants.
I use a water Filter from PureEffects. To learn more bout why I love PureEffects, please read my article The Best Water Filter on the Market.
▢ Use a Nontoxic Water Bottle
Do you drink bottled water? Consider swapping those hormone disrupting plastic bottles out for glass or stainless steel.
Toxins from the plastic in plastic bottles leak into the water itself and can be damaging to your health!
Glass bottles are best.
▢ Throw Out Nonstick Cookware
Replace with non-toxic non-stick versions that are NOT Teflon. Teflon, the coating on most non-stick cookware, is made from the chemical perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA), which can leach into the food when cooking and is extremely toxic
Stainless steel, glass and ceramic are best. I’m a fan of Xtrema ceramic cookware.
▢ Replace Your Food Storage Containers
Plastic is very toxic to your body – even those that claim to be BPA-free.
Swap out plastic bags and containers for glass alternatives. Avoid buying foods in plastic containers. And never microwave food in plastic! If you have a baby, make sure the bottles are glass or, if you must, BPA-free plastic.
▢ Avoid Canned Food
Avoid all canned or tinned food that can leach hormone disrupting BPA.
Canned goods and beverages are often lined with Bisphenol A (or BPA), a chemical that can mimic human estrogen and is linked to both breast cancer and early puberty in women. That “protective” layer can actually be compromised, allowing tin to dissolve into the can’s contents especially when the foods and drinks are acidic. But if the cans aren’t lined, more metals from the cans are allowed to leach into your foods and beverages and the toxic risk is even greater. Best to toss all canned goods in favor of fresh or frozen food alternatives.
Choose BPA free canned food instead or eat fresh and frozen food!
Learn about the dangers posed from consuming food and/or beverages in my articles on tin toxicity and aluminum toxicity.
▢ Go Organic
Organic food standards do not allow genetic modification (GMOs), synthetic chemicals, pesticides, irradiation, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones in organic foods.
Eating organic will guarantee you’re not eating GMO’s.
Check the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides to be sure you are buying organic when pesticide residues are highest.
▢ What Kind of Fish Do You Eat?
Eat wild fish. Avoid big fish like tuna, swordfish, shark, and shellfish. These fish accumulate more mercury and other toxins than their smaller counterparts. I love Vital Choice for safe seafood.
For more on how to make the best health choices when it comes to fish, please read my Seafood Survival Guide.
I hope you have found this handy checklist helpful in bringing awareness to the possible areas of toxic exposure in your kitchen.
To get more of this Detox Your Home series – where I help you detox your bathroom, bedroom, garden, and more – come back for my next article here on MyersDetox.com!
