If you are anything like us you’ve started paying attention to the produce, meats, and products that you’re feeding your families. “Certified organic”, “grass fed”, “free range”, “hormone free”; these are all terms, seals and certifications that I keep an eagle eye out for when I do my grocery shopping. I think it is absolutely fantastic that we have these food choices available at the local mega mart and the trend is only going to continue to grow as people become more educated as to what they are feeding their families. What brought about this change and why have producers and vendors decided to carry natural and organic food alternatives? I’d like to think that they’re doing it because they know deep down it is the right thing to do but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is the demand of the educated consumer that has brought about this rapid change.

While the focus has been placed on the products that we are putting on the table perhaps we need to now start looking at the products we are putting on our bodies. The majority of pesticides and other chemicals that we ingest are filtered by our body’s best defender, the liver. It is a little known fact that chemicals absorbed by the skin bypass the liver and are absorbed directly into the blood stream and organs. Carcinogens, allergens, and hormone altering chemicals have a direct route to do the most damage. Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to these chemicals and carcinogens because their high metabolisms and rapid cell development can lead to genetic mutations and a higher probability of cancer cells later in life.

It’s time to start reading the labels of the products that we are using on our bodies. It’s a lot to ask but we need to go a step further and educate ourselves and others on the chemicals and carcinogens that are readily found in the body care products that we grew up with. This industry has so far flown under the radar with clever marketing and lax regulation. It’s now up to us to force the positive changes that we have seen with our foods onto the other products we are using in the home. We’re here to help and we like to think we are fighting the good fight. In coming posts we will start reviewing different ingredients that you need to start watching out for in your body and personal care products. It may not be easy but over the course of the next year we’ll help you to rid your home of the toxins that have been put upon us.

~CP