Healthier Living - Where to Begin

I asked recently if there were post topics anyone wanted to see and I got amazing feedback from a friend. She said:

"Since turning 30, and especially having kids, my husband and I both feel like we've reached a point where we want to make changes to healthier living. We're tired of how we look and feel! But after 30 years of eating pretty much whatever we want, and the same with using cleaning and other products, I'm kind of overwhelmed with where to start, so I keep not doing anything. I would love advice from you, like a step by step guide on where you would suggest to start towards healthier eating/living."

I think this is a really great topic and one that is very relevant to most people who are looking into changing their lifestyle. It can be extremely overwhelming, so if you're feeling that, don't worry! Some people deal better with throwing everything out, starting from scratch and replacing items in a whirlwind all at once. While for a few this may work, for the majority, that just isn't practical and the thought of doing that can start an anxiety attack. 

I've created four simple steps that can help you get to your final goals without breaking the bank or overwhelming you. You can take it as slow as you need to with your ultimate goal a complete lifestyle makeover. 

1. Educate yourself
I think one of the most important things you can do is to educate yourself on the changes you are making or want to make. WHY are you switching to organic? WHY do you want to change your makeup over to non-toxic? WHY is important to get your current cleaning products out of your home? By researching these topics and answering some questions, you get a good foundation and knowledge as to why it's important to you, how far you want to go and what you want to change. 

The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for knowledge and offers a Skin Deep Guide for checking personal care/cosmetic items for toxins as well as a Guide To Healthy Cleaning database.

2. Make a plan
When you figure out what it is you WANT to change, sit down and make a list. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want. This can be a very important step for you if you're having a hard time taking action. By writing down your goals, you can see them on paper & check them off as you go. This can be very helpful to eliminate the overwhelmed feeling you can get. Instead of doing it all at once, you've got a list to go by and slowly complete. 

If you're wanting to eat out less, create a meal plan. It you've only got 5 things you know how to make at home, NO PROBLEM! Make the same things each week. It's healthier than eating out and it's a great place to begin. It's OK to start really slow. If you eat out five times a week and cook at home twice, make your first goal to eat at home three times that week. Prepare ahead, know what you're going to make and then do it! (You CAN do it!!)

Put your list somewhere visible that you will see all of the time. Make it a point to check off progress. It will help you see that you are getting things done and accomplishing goals.

HERE is a printable list to get you started!

(Picture and printable link from THE PLUMED NEST)

3. Swap When Empty
This is a great guide to go by when you want to replace pantry items, cosmetics, personal care & household cleaning items. Still have a little bit of foundation left? Wait until you run out to purchase a non-toxic version of what you were using. Have half a bag of flour? Use it up and then buy an organic version next time. By doing this, you're not placing additional costs on yourself. If you do this for all of the items you want to replace, you'll eventually have a whole new pantry, personal care and cleaning arsenal. 

4. Remember Why You're Doing It
Whatever you're reasons are for change, remember them! This can be key in motivation to keep going. You've got complaints and concerns or else you wouldn't be desiring such huge lifestyle changes. Use those as tools to spur on your personal movement. You'll start feeling and seeing positive changes in your life which will excite you, but sometimes it's hard! By remembering those first motivations, you will keep going strong! My kids keep me moving forward more than anything! They ignite my desire even more for healthy living! 

Find your reason! 

Halloween Candy Swaps

I've put together a list of candies and treats I'll be swapping out this year for my kids to have on Halloween instead of the high fructose packed alternatives that are everywhere. I do this not only because one of my children can't eat any "regular" candy due to allergies, but also because I'm not ok with the ingredients. Big name companies who make the candies and treats our kids are consuming use ingredients that are TERRIBLE for our bodies such as GMO's, high fructose corn syrup, natural flavors and food coloring. I'm not saying that these organic treats I swap are HEALTHY, but for special occasions, I like my munchkins to be able to join in the fun and enjoy the whole experience you get on Halloween with eating candy.

Most of these treats can be purchased on Vitacost. Sign up through my link 

and get $10 off a $30 purchase.

Below you'll find the original version along with the ingredients & my suggested 

swap with it's ingredients.

*Sunny posted in the comments that there is a candy buy back program where they send leftover halloween candy to our troops! This would be something you could do with the candy you won't be eating :) Check it out HERE

SWAP Kelloggs Rice Krispies Treats For 

Trader Joe's Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats

TOASTED RICE CEREAL (RICE, SUGAR, SALT, MALT FLAVORING, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), MARSHMALLOW (CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, GELATIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR), FRUCTOSE, MARGARINE (VEGETABLE OIL [SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS], WATER, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL BUTTER FLAVOR [CONTAINS MILK], DATEM, ACETYLATED MONOGLYCERIDES, BHT FOR FRESHNESS, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D), CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF DEXTROSE, GLYCERIN, SALT, NIACINAMIDE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), SOY LECITHIN. 

 ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE, ORGANIC MARSHMALLOW (ORGANIC BROWN RICE SYRUP, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC GUAR GUM, SEA SALT), ORGANIC PALM FRUIT OIL, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, ORGANIC RICE BRAN EXTRACT, ORGANIC VANILLA FLAVOR

                                   SWAP Jelly Belly Jelly Beans for

                                           Surf Sweets Jelly Beans

 ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC TAPIOCA SYRUP, ORGANIC GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE, PECTIN, CITRIC ACIDM ABSORBIC ACID, COLORS ADDED (ORGANIC BLACK CARROT JUICE CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC TUMERIC, ORGANIC ANNATTO), NATURAL FLAVORS, CONFECTIONER'S GLAZE, CARNAUBA WAX, ORGANIC SUNFLOWER OIL

SWAP Almond Joy Candy Bars for

Nutivia O'Coconut Treats

CORN SYRUP; MILK CHOCOLATE [SUGAR; COCOA BUTTER; CHOCOLATE; MILK; LACTOSE; MILK FAT; NONFAT MILK; LECITHIN (SOY); PGPR (EMULSIFIER)]; COCONUT; SUGAR; ALMONDS (ROASTED IN SUNFLOWER OIL); CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: VEGETABLE OIL (PALM KERNEL AND PALM OIL); COCOA; WHEY (MILK); SALT; HYDROLYZED MILK PROTEIN; LECITHIN (SOY); SODIUM METABISULFITE (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS) 

Organic tapioca syrup, fair trade organic desiccated coconut, fair trade organic coconut flour, organic hempseed, organic chia seed, sweet mix (organic inulin, monkfruit), organic sunflower lecithin, organic coconut flavor, himalayan sea salt.

SWAP Trolli Peach O's For

Surf Sweets Peach Rings

CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, GELATIN, SORBITOL, CITRIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, FLAVORS NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL, YELLOW 5, YELLOW 6, RED 40

Organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, organic grape juice concentrate, pectin, citric acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavor, color added (organic black carrot juice concentrate, organic tumeric).

SWAP Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for

Justin's Organic Peanut Butter Cups

MILK CHOCOLATE [SUGAR; COCOA BUTTER; CHOCOLATE; NONFAT MILK; MILK FAT; LACTOSE; LECITHIN (SOY); PGPR (EMULSIFIER)]; PEANUTS; SUGAR; DEXTROSE; SALT; TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID (TO MAINTAIN FRESHNESS)

Organic dark chocolate (organic evaporated cane sugar, organic chocolate liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic soy lecithin, organic vanilla). Organic peanuts, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic palm fruit oil, organic vanilla flavor, sea salt.

SWAP Dum Dums For

Yum Earth Organic Vitamin C Pops

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Salt, Artificial Flavor, Color Added 

(Includes Red 40, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 1)

Organic evaporated cane juice, organic brown rice syrup, non-GMO citric acid (from beet sugar - not corn). Natural flavors, organic black carrots, organic black currant, organic apple, organic carrot, organic pumpkin, ascorbic acid.

SWAP Haribo Gold-Bears Gummi Candy for

Surf Sweets Organic Fruity Bears

Corn Syrup, Sugar, Gelatin, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Corn Starch, Artificial and Natural Flavors, Fractionated Coconut Oil, Carnauba Wax, Beeswax Coating, Artificial Colors Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1

Organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, organic grape juice concentrate, pectin, citric acid, ascorbic acid, colors added (organic black carrot juice concentrate, organic tumeric, 

organic annatto), natural flavors.

SWAP Quaker Chewy Fright Night Granola Bars For

Raw Revolution Live Organic Food Bars 

Granola (Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Brown Sugar, Crisp Rice [Rice Flour, Sugar, Salt, Malted Barley Extract], Whole Grain Rolled Wheat, Soybean Oil, Dried Coconut, Whole Wheat Flour, Sodium Bicarbonate, Soy Lecithin, Caramel Color, Nonfat Dry Milk), Corn Syrup, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Semisweet Chocolate Chips (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla Extract), Sugar, Invert Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Corn Starch, Sorbitol, Calcium Carbonate, Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel And Palm Oil), Salt, Cocoa Process With Alkali, Water, Soy Lecithin, Molasses, Malted Barley Flour, Dextrin, Confectioner's Glaze, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Yellow 6 Lake, Carnauba Wax, BHT (Preservative), Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Citric Acid.

Organic cashews, organic dates. organic sunflower seed kernels, organic agave nectar, organic almonds, organic spirulina powder, organic sprouted flax seed.

Thrive Market Review

I keep getting asked if I use Thrive. I did try a free 30 day trial with them, and during that time I did a lot of research. The membership costs $59.95 for one year. I wanted to weigh in on all the pros and cons and find out if this is really a good deal or not. 

My conclusion is that I really like the setup, the style and esthetics of Thrive, but I priced items against what I buy from Vitacost and......(wait for it)....... it's NOT a better deal. Especially once you throw in the membership fee. 

I've been using Vitacost for years and years and have never been disappointed. They have a ridiculous amount of products and pantry items I buy, and lots of new options to try as well. Vitacost is completely free to use, you get free shipping on orders of $49 or more (same as Thrive), they are always having awesome sales AND they send me coupon codes for an extra 12% off or $10 off $50 very frequently resulting in more savings. The only coupon codes I found for Thrive are for first time orders only. During my free membership trial with their extra percent off code I saved a bundle, but in the long run, I'm saving a lot more sticking with Vitacost.

I comparison shopped and found out on most of the same items between the two stores Vitacost was priced very similarly to Thrive. Not every single item is cheaper at Vitacost, but I also don't have to pay a membership fee AND by the time I use my coupon code I'm saving even more. 

Vitacost will also have line drive sales where an entire line of a specific brand will go on sale. Or a gluten free sale, organic sale, BOGO etc. So there's always better times to shop that can save even more. Vitacost sells hundreds of organic items and I love stocking up my pantry and buying snacks through them as well as non toxic cleaning items. They ship super fast and have fabulous customer service. 

I had an issue with one of my products from Thrive having a hole in it, and maybe it was a random fluke, but I had to email on two separate occasions before I got a response back.

Between the two sites Thrive definitely looks prettier. It has a more trendy feel overall and the website is user friendly and hip. They've definitely done a great job in that department. I think they could do what they're doing without the membership fee. They say that helps keep all their costs lower, but Vitacost is doing it with no membership, so I think it can be done.

If you want to check out Vitacost and you go through my link HERE you will get $10 off a $30 order!

(This post contains personal links. I was not compensated in any way for my opinion.)

Holistic Dentistry

I have to say, I absolutely hate going to the dentist and anything teeth related. Tooth problems just seem to be such a big deal to me. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but I wish it was something I didn't have to deal with. Not to mention, teeth are EXPENSIVE!

I had one cavity growing up. It was in a baby tooth and the dentist wasn't concerned with it since it was going to fall out. It did, and I never had another one my whole childhood and into adulthood. I was always told my teeth were very strong. My mom was really good about taking us every six months for dental checkups and cleanings, and going into being an adult I still kept up. I had a checkup when I was 19, teeth looked great, went on Acutane for 6 months, came back to the dentist and had NINE cavities. Coincidence? Nope. Acutane actually ruins your enamel. One of the lovely side effects of possibly the most toxic chemicals I've ever put into my body. I wish I had known at the time, I would have never gone on it for that and so many other reasons.

I spent that entire summer I turned twenty getting filling after filling. I was able to get white fillings which were fairly new. I'm glad at least that I didn't get a mouth full of mercury! Fast forward about 6 years into my fillings. I went for a cleaning and was told I had some decay under the fillings which were now failing. Another two years went by before I finally went and got x-rays to see how bad everything was and what I needed to do to fix it. At this point I was told I needed a root canal. This was all at the cusp of being very sick and starting to change my lifestyle to a much healthier one.

Within a few months of that appointment I saw a naturopath who greatly encouraged me to look into alternatives because root canals can be toxic to your health. I started researching it and completely agreed that a root canal wasn't an option for me. My naturopath actually had me start taking a supplement called biodent which is a pretty amazing support for your mouth! I decided to drag my feet once again, so along with a healthy diet, I took the biodent and also started oil pulling. If you've never heard of oil pulling, it's pretty amazing. Even if you're not trying to heal tooth decay, it's awesome for getting rid of bad bacteria and promoting overall health for your mouth.

To oil pull you'll start with a tablespoon size amount of coconut oil. Put it in your mouth and start swishing it around. Everything I've read says 20 minutes, but you most likely won't be able to do it for twenty minutes the first few times. I couldn't! Anything to start is good. Work your way up to 20 minutes if you can. I feel like doing it for 7 or 10 is better than nothing! You can do this once a day or numerous times a day.... depends if you've got bad decay or not. Make sure when you're finished you spit it out in the trash instead of the sink or toilet. I talked to a holistic dentist about oil pulling and he's all for it. He gave me one great piece of advise that nobody else told me. When you're finished oil pulling, rinse your mouth out with salt water. It makes such perfect sense since you're literally pulling out all that bacteria and it's technically still just sitting in your mouth even after you spit out the oil. This will eliminate all that nasty bacteria you've worked so hard to get out!

After years of putting it off, I FINALLY saw a holistic dentist. He's very used to people avoiding root canals, even to the point of having teeth pulled out over getting one. He x-rayed my teeth and said I actually have fantastic teeth and some of the filling I have he wouldn't even have done in the first place. The two most decayed teeth (one of which I was told I needed a root canal on) weren't as bad as the other dentist made them sound. The holistic dentist said he's seen much worse that were salvaged and didn't need root canals. We decided to do overlays on both of those teeth. I've had one done so far & am going back for the second one soon. I'm really glad that I found an alternative treatment to something I would have regretted. Our teeth are a very important to our health and to live. It's important to take good care of them and make informed decisions about what we do to them.