Going Natural...

...or at least trying!

A few years ago I was introduced to the idea of what it would be like to totally replace all my cleaning supplies in my home with ones that were non-toxic and "all natural". That's when it all began.  I was a bit skeptical at first, but thought that I would take the advice and see where it went.   So, I slowly (emphasis on slowly) started to try these new products (new to me anyways).  I was raised on the basics of the everyday grocery store cleaners, so before I could purchase anything to try I had to open the mental envelope and start to dump out what had been stored for many years and make room for some new ways of doing things.  Old habits and learned behaviors are hard to break.  So, once that was done, one of the first things that I replaced was my everyday basic cleaner (the basic 409 stuff, you know).  Along with that was my laundry soap and dishwasher soap.  It took a little while to get the ball rolling, so to speak, and convert over to my new products.  Once I did I knew that I would never go back. So, after I was (pretty much) convinced I did some more research and started to find many other things that I needed to replace (at least try to). After spending many hours on the internet I was amazed at how much bad "stuff" is in so many things that we willingly bring into our homes.

So, one thing lead to another and before I knew it I was thinking, "change it all". I started with the cleaning supplies. Then I turned to body products, stuff that goes on our bodies, such as lotions, shampoos and conditions (etc).  And now I am trying to change what goes in our bodies.  I have to say that cleaning supplies and external body products were a whole lot easier to research and change then all the "stuff" that we eat and put "in" our bodies.

I have only begun to scratch the surface with reading, learning and changing these foods and products.   There are so many food options and choices out there, not to mention all the manufactured and synthetic stuff that is used in all of today's manufactured foods, too. For now, I am just taking it a day at a time and trying to make wise and  logical choices. I will share that the one rule I made for myself and have come to adopt is the "ingredient" rule. That is, if the list of ingredients is too long to keep my attention or if the list of ingredients are ones that I can not even pronounce then it is probably not good and it should probably not enter my body. Now, I obviously can not say that my rule I made up is accurate or fool proof but rather just a guide that I personally use to help me learn and keep track with what I am eating.  I am not a nutritionist, by any means. In fact, now I realize why that is a 4 year degree plan. Ha! 

After a few years of working to make these changes there are a good selection of products that I have grown to love.  I will share some of those in future posts, so check  back to find out more.