Tonight I had a great friend of mine named Baldwin, a yoga and wellness instructor, join me on Instagram for a Live chat about how the products we use and the things we put in/on our bodies affect our hormone levels and our wellness as a whole. Sadly our Wifi connections did not mesh well, and our sound ended up effing up a majority of the time haha. BUT. Baldwin had some really good tips for 3 ways we can practically implement some better choices for wellness. 3 ways we can limit the influx of toxins we get from food or products we encounter multiple times a day.

I will be the FIRST to admit that I do not really pay attention to this. I use Clorox all the time. Lysol. Makeup for which I’ve never even read the ingredients label. I eat whatever….really. Haha.

I don’t consider the importance of food and makeup and related products very often, and I do feel bad about that because deep down I know that there are probably TONS of horrible chemicals and dyes etc in the things I consume each day.

The things my kids consume.

But the hard thing is, as a mom, I don’t have the time I used to have anymore. I wish I had used my time before having kids more wisely and researched more. Because now, my go-to is to hit the “easy button” or the “whatever is on sale/cheapest” button, and that’s typically not the most healthy item available to me.

Anyways.

Here are the 3 simple and practical ways Baldwin said we can improve the things we are putting on and into our bodies. And by maybe choosing some better options we will eliminate or risk for hormonal imbalances, cancer, skin problems, sickness, etc.

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1. Choosing glass over plastic. So I probably won’t give my infant a glass bottle. Because he’s already really strong and grabby and has no fine motor control over his arms and hands. So he would probably smash the glass and kill himself. Kinda the same with my hyperactive (yet sweet) toddler hahaha. Therefore I will be choosing BPA free plastic for the kids to use right now. BUT! I could definitely switch to glass water bottles and toss the plastic cups etc that I use and that my husband uses. That’s a start. If glass isn’t an option for you either, keep your eyes peeled for “BPA free” and opt for that product instead.

2. Buying Organic foods when possible. Yes, organic is much more expensive than non-organic. Just today at the store one dozen organic eggs was almost $6 while the non-organic ones were not even $3. It’s soooo hard for me to spend DOUBLE. But I also don’t buy EVERYTHING organic. I think making sure your meat and dairy products are the most natural and organic you can get is the most important thing food-wise. Let’s be honest, we are on a BUDGET. So at least by choosing organic meat and dairy, which don’t contain harmful hormones/chemicals, we can feel like we are making a positive and healthier change choice in our home without breaking our entire grocery budget.

3. Check the label, barcode, ingredients on your makeup and other items. The last thing Baldwin talked about tonight was the Think Dirty app. It’s an app that literally reads the barcode of anything you’ve got and rates how dangerous or how safe it is to use. Talk about conviction. It’s very easy for me personally to turn a blind eye and just use what is easy or what I like. And I will be honest, there are probably a few things I will still use now and again. But I definitely will be using this app from now on to make sure that what I’m rubbing on my skin and on the skin of my babies is not harmful to them or to myself.

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Thank you to Baldwin for sharing these practical tips! And I’d love to hear what other ideas you all have for making our lives more healthy.