health foods

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4 Healthy and Natural Alternatives for Everyday Household Products and Foods

Living a healthier life by selecting natural holistic products over those made from chemicals is a conscious choice that we should all make.
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Toxic chemicals and additives can cause many health issues from allergies to degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, heart disease and autoimmune problems.
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Today, grocery and hardware stores stock natural options for candles, cleaning, insect control and food treats.

1. Cleaning Products

Avoid the cleaning aisles of the grocery stores and head to the baking aisle instead. Commercial cleaners almost always contain VOCs and artificial perfumes.
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Use vinegar, baking soda, salt and hydrogen peroxide instead. Bleach is a natural compound, but it is highly toxic to breathe and can damage sensitive skin.

Commercial cleaners contain harsh chemicals that leave residues behind, even if they don’t require rinsing. Children and pets have direct and frequent contact with floors where they can pick up the residues and ingest them.
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Natural cleaners cost much less and leave a fresh smell behind. Peroxide and vinegar are natural disinfectants and baking soda and salt are natural scrubbers.

2. Insecticides

Keeping bugs out of your home or getting rid those that are already doesn’t always require powerful insecticides that pose dangers to you, your children and pets.
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Instead of spraying or sprinkling harsh chemicals inside and out, try using diatomaceous earth (DE), a nontoxic solution to insect control available from Earthworks Health. DE comes from prehistoric phytoplankton ground into a fine powder.
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When insects or spiders walk over the powder, it sticks to their outer shells and dehydrates them. DE is harmless for people and pets and is a safe way to rid your home of bugs inside and out.
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Check out a health conscious store, like Earthworks Health, for DE products.

3. Candles

Switch to natural candles like beeswax or soy to eliminate the hazards associated with paraffin candles. Neither soy nor beeswax candles emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or particulate matter (PM).

Candles made from paraffin emit high levels of VOCs that are air pollutants and known to cause respiratory distress, organ damage, or nervous system problems.
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These kinds of candles also release soot into the air, which can be a problem in small un-ventilated rooms. Soot is classified as PM-10 and PM-2 material that poses a respiratory hazard.

4. Beverages and Snacks

Although it takes some effort, making your own beverages and snacks is a good way to eat healthier. .
Instead of buying sugary soft drinks, consider making your own by using sparkling water and adding lightly crushed fresh fruit.
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When you make your own homemade snack mixes using cereal and nuts, you can easily control the what you ingredients you actually use. Do away with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup!
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Nut mixes are simple to mix at home using healthy ingredients. If you’re adventurous, you can even make your own dark chocolate using pure cocoa powder and healthy oils like cold-pressed unrefined sunflower and powdered stevia to taste.

The Bottom Line

It won’t take long to switch to natural choices to make your home and diet healthier using safer, natural products. It may even save you money to make your own.

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Post by Emma Sturgis
emmasturgis@gmail.com