Where Are Toxins Hiding?
Toxins are commonly found in:
- Personal Care & Beauty Products (makeup, lotion, shampoo) - remember, your skin is your largest organ. Whatever you put on your skin, absorbs into your bloodstream.
- Cleaning Supplies (air fresheners, laundry detergent, disinfectants, glass cleaner) - we inhale the chemicals and touch these surfaces that have been cleaned with these products.
- Food & Food Packaging (pesticides, BPA in plastics) - these absorb into our foods whether we like it or not.
- Home Goods (candles, furniture, children’s pajamas with flame retardants) - we’re breathing these chemicals in on a daily basis.
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Toxins are so prevalent in our household products. I was shocked at the chemical load found in things I used to use every day! So I started looking for safer products. Unfortunately, I found it to be more difficult than I thought. Many companies use clever marketing tactics, known as “greenwashing” to make their products seem natural and safe when they’re anything but. Words like “biodegradable,” “plant-based,” and “all-natural,” along with packaging covered in leaves and nature scenes, can be incredibly misleading. The truth? Many of these products are just as toxic as those that don’t even pretend to be safe. So how can you tell the difference? Let’s break it down.
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Meal planning and cooking healthy meals can feel overwhelming, but small steps can make a big difference. Here are ways I simplify the process to stick to my plan.
STOCK UP ON STAPLES
When making my grocery list, I include staple items if they fit my budget, even without a specific plan. These essentials—like sweet potatoes, canned green chilis, frozen veggies, ground meat, and almond butter—help me throw meals together quickly.
SIMPLE MEAL PREP
Within a day or two of shopping, I do small meal prep tasks that save time later:
- Cook ground meat with onions
- Chop veggies for salads and recipes
- Make and freeze burger patties
- Roast veggies for easy sides
COOK ONCE, EAT TWICE
I double recipes like soup, taco meat, or pulled pork and freeze extras. Even minimal prep—like chopping an onion—makes cooking easier on busy days. Having pre-cooked meals in the freezer helps me stick to healthier eating without stress.
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As a young widow with small kids, finances were often tight. There was usually more month at the end of the money, and I had to figure out how to make ends meet. I couldn’t understand where the money was going each month.
After talking with a trusted mentor, I took a hard look at my finances. There were many expenses I couldn’t do anything about - we had to have heat, we needed electricity and car insurance, but the category I knew I could do something about was food. I realized I needed to plan my grocery shopping better. I tended to buy food because it was on sale or it sounded good, but I didn’t necessarily have a plan for that particular item I was buying. I needed a better way of doing things. So I started dipping my toe into meal-planning.
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I was working on a series for the blog a couple of days ago that I was finding challenging. I was struggling to make sense of what I wanted to say, the words just out of reach. Circumstances were weighing on my mind and kept getting in the way of what I was trying to communicate, and I felt distracted.
I have been dealing with lingering fatigue from a virus I got about 4 weeks ago. I thought I was better, until I wasn’t. It’s been challenging, and I have had to carve out time to rest. Things I have been planning to do have been put on the back burner.
As I tried to focus and the burdens seemed to keep piling up, I began to have a sense of dread and to feel overwhelmed. How was I going to get my ever growing list done? How could I keep up with my tasks when I have to intentionally take time out of my day to rest? How can I help this person that is going through a difficult time? My brain was spinning, my heart was in turmoil.
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