Step 3 to Re-Organize Your Pantry - Facing Toxins

I started Spring Cleaning early in my kitchen -specifically my pantry. Part one is here and part two is here.

Part of "spring cleaning" the pantry is to evaluate IF your kitchen/pantry is well-equipped or IF you actually have toxins in your midst.

Today, I want to chat with you about toxins. Since July 2007, I've been reading about them - because I'm on a journey to de-toxify and I've been reading about toxins - what they are and where they are found and what they do.

I've been reading about the toxins in my food, in my clothes, in my bed, in my cleaning products, in my carpet, in my kitchen, in the air I breath, in the water I drink, in the plastics I use and bout 50 other places.

I'm reading and researching - not to get overwhelmed, or become obsessive or compulsive about germs or toxins, but so that I can be informed to make wise choices to change my lifestyle in those practical places that I can, and to inform other women who want to listen.

One of the books that has been a real eye opener is this book, Detoxify or Die, recommended by a friend's podiatrist. It's one of my resources.

I've discovered that toxins are everywhere: food, metal, dirt, plastics, our homes, in our pillows and more. "The plastic wraps swaddling your fruits, vegetables, and meats in your grocery cart look harmless enough.

The Styrofoam trays that holds your food from the grocery store and the plastic bottles for water, soda, milk, ketchup, fruit juice, and even infant formula. But the phthalates (plasticizers) that out gas from these plastics, so ubiquitous in our food and beverage packaging, leach into our foods.

In fact, we eat so may plastics each day that the government has established an average daily amount that we ingest. And once inside our bodies, these phthalates or plastics tightly hook onto our cell parts where they gum up the works." page 2 & 3 of Detoxify or Die

I've learned about dioxins - a man-made chemical family - inescapable in our foods. "Dioxins are created in part through through the manufacture of plastics, pesticides and other chemicals (U.S.D. H.S.S. 1998). They are spewed from industrial smokestacks, taken up into clouds, and rain out into the soils where they are taken up by plants that we use for food or animals and humans." page 3 of Detoxify or Die

Metals are another toxin that are hidden in our foods. "Mercury toxicity from bottom dwelling shellfish and fish (clams, crabs, lobster, mussels, oysters, flounder) and smaller fish that feed around the mouths of rivers, as well as large fish like swordfish and tuna that feed on the smaller fish, stockpile heavy metals from upstream industry." (Crinnion, S.S.F.D.A., Tollefosn) page 8 of Detoxify or Die

"Aluminum contamination, for example, contributing to the rising epidemic of Alzheimer's disease, is in baking powders (except for Rumford). We also obtain aluminum from the giant vats that processed factory foods are made in, as well as aluminum-lined juice boxes, cans, and other packaging, plus kitchen and commercial coffeemakers, hot water heaters, thermoses and aluminum cooking utensils. It's even an anti-caking agent added to sale and sugar (so that "When it rains it pours").

Just when we think our homes are safe, we need to think again. Two years ago, Michael and I did some home front renovation. For you curious types here are some pics: one and two. We tore up old ceramic tile floors and replaced it with hardwood floors.

The tear up dust was - well a lot of dust. The hardwood floors weren't particularly the issue - but for a season, the glue was. We also had all our trim and cabinetry sanded and painted. Paint is toxic. Then, if that wasn't enough, we pulled out all the carpet in the bedrooms and had new carpet put down.

"The average carpet out gases over a dozen chemicals, all of which are capable of creating disease. Anderson Labs demonstrated on TV just how toxic new carpeting can be. They placed a little patch of carpet in the bottom of a glass jar with some mice. In the morning the mice were dead. 4-PC was the chemical culprits: benzened, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, butadiene, styrene, methacrylates, and more (Anderson 1977)." page 14 of Detoxify or Die

As I have discovered the toxins that I live among, I realized that I have a choice: be and proactive and eliminate what I can or get overwhelmed and do nothing. I chose the first option.

Let's talk water. According to Detoxify or Die, the average city water contains over 500 different chemicals, one of which is flouride - deliberately added to water.

When my girls were little, the water in Tucson, AZ, had flouride in it. Dentists were amazed at how good their teeth were. What concerns me is what kind of effects might show up in them as adult women. "Flouride is known to cause excessive calcification not only in arteries but joints and ligaments, and contributes to many forms of cancer and osteoporosis. Flouride acts like a havy metal (even though it's a halogen) in damaging enzymes."

We've got a ton of chlorine in our Phoenix water. I know this, because on some days I can smell the chlorine when I turn the faucet on. "Chlorine turns out to be a free radical initiator that elevates cholesterol and accelerates aging."

Sometimes, though the water isn't the problem it's the source the water flows through. Many pipes are PVC, copper, lead or other toxic plastics.

So, before you get to depressed, I want to share the steps I've taken to take as much control as I can to detoxify.

11 Things You Can Do Now - To Take Control to Detoxify

# 1. Read and research. The Detoxify or Die is a fantastic resource.

# 2. Change what you can change. There wasn't anything we could do about the chemicals emitted from our new carpet, but there was something we could do about our water. Besides only drinking filtered water (and Detoxify or Die tells you what are the good kinds) we added a filter to our shower head.

# 3. Read this plastics list. Get rid of all your bad plastic. If you can't change it out all at once, do it in steps. Watch for sales, but change it out. Check out this site about plastics. Check out this site for other guides. Check out this site to know what plastic to avoid.

#4. Read labels. Don't assume you know what's in it. If there are names on the label that you've never heard of - then there's a good chance your body won't know what to do with it our how to digest it.

# 5. Nurse your baby. Please nurse your baby. Please get help from older moms to nurse your baby. Read this if you use formula. It's lengthy, but will give a mother something to think about.

# 6. Change out your cookware to stainless steel. Teflon is toxic. Read this to know more. Here's another important read.

#7. Change your diet. Most of what we eat is acidic in nature. When our bodies are acidic, they don't repair themselves, breakdown more quickly, decrease ability for the body to detoxify, make us more susceptible to disease. Get understanding why you need to eat foods that are more alkaline rather than acidic and know what foods are what.

# 8. Detox. Exposure to toxins, creates a heavy burden on our bodies. I've heard it said that "you are what you don't secrete." Toxins build up, they inhibit our ability to absorb nutrients. I'm dealing with that right now. I am not absorbing calcium. Being in my mid-fifties, I need to absorb calcium.

So, I'm proceeding ahead by doing two things: I'm going to do the Fast Track One Day Detox. And, I have committed to go with a girlfriend (you know - the buddy system) for our first colonic. If you don't know what's in your colon - read this. And, if you don't know about colonics, then read this. Read here for my experience.

# 9. Find out what's in your pillow. Many pillows are loaded with toxins like brominated flame retardant substance. If you can change it - change it.

# 10. Change your cleaning products to non-toxins. Read this and read this.

# 11. Know about fruits and vegetables that are on the dirty list.

I'd love to hear what you're doing to detoxify. What have you changed and how have you known it's benefited you?

Related Posts
1. Step One - Re-Organize Your Pantry
2. Step Two - Re-Organize Your Pantry
3. Methel Parabins & Killing Plastics

Step 3 to Re-Organize Your Pantry - Facing Toxins

http://lylahledner.blogspot.com/2009/02/step-3-to-re-organize-your-pantry.html