Ready to Live a Non-Toxic Lifestyle? Start Here.
Simple and easy tips to start living a non-toxic lifestyle ✨
Starting a non-toxic journey is overwhelming, especially when you’re stuck staring at ingredient lists, wondering what’s actually clean, non-toxic, organic, the list goes on and on. As the founder of Girls Who Eat and someone who has been obsessed with non-toxic living over the past 5 years, I wanted to start this Substack to help as many people as possible take their health into their own hands.
When I graduated college, I was living in NYC, working 60-80 hours per week as a corporate event planner. I was living the NYC dream as a restaurant blogger, getting to try new restaurants every week, so my health wasn’t my focus (until it had to be). Even though I always liked to eat healthy and discover new products at the grocery store, reading labels and really understanding what I was putting in and on my body was never my focus back then, until my health hit rock bottom in 2018 and I was diagnosed with a rare chronic disease.
Fast forward to now, I’m a certified health coach and an expert on thousands of ingredients and better (or as we like to say at GWE, “best”) for your health products. I’m living proof that it’s possible to start slowly when swapping to non-toxic products and leading a non-toxic lifestyle. It’s truly impossible to be toxin-free, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise; but it is possible to reduce your toxic load over time and step by step, and that’s what I am all about.
As the founder of an educational platform, the number one question I get asked is, where should I start on a non-toxic living journey? Here are some basics:
⭐ Focus on yourself. While there are a few swaps I recommend making first, the most important place to start is one that works for you. If you need a new moisturizer, swap it for one that’s non-toxic! Sometimes, it’s that simple.
🌿 It’s all about bio-individuality. Remember that no two people have the same budget, lifestyle, body, etc. Living toxin-free doesn’t mean completely overhauling your lifestyle in an entire week and spending thousands of dollars.
⏰ Be patient with yourself. Trust me, it’s taken me half a decade to get to where I am and having most of my products swapped out to non-toxic options.
🛒 Start with what you use most. If it's a product you use every day or something you use frequently and need to rebuy, it’s a great candidate for a non-toxic swap. No need to waste! It may sound cliche, but small swaps add up to big changes.
❤️🩹 Trust the process. The amount of DMs I have received from my community on social sharing how they no longer have skin issues, were able to wean off medication, and they have more energy just from implementing swaps from our platform is a true testament to this mindset.
Read All The Labels
After getting my health coaching certification in 2019, I became that person who aimlessly walked down every grocery aisle believing the marketing on the front of a product, to becoming the person who would spend hours (and I mean hours) reading through every ingredient label. I quickly realized that just because a product was marketed as “healthy” doesn’t mean it actually is. To save you time, here are a few of my tips when it comes to reading labels:
Read the label: always look on the back of the product for ingredients, not the front. The truth is in the full ingredient list..
Go straight to the ingredient label: Don’t worry too much about the calories or nutrition panel: instead, focus on the ingredient list. If you don’t recognize an ingredient, you can always turn to our Ingredient Glossary for help, but our saying is that if you don’t recognize it, there is a good chance your body won’t either.
Ignore marketing buzzwords: like “natural” and “healthy.” These words are all unregulated and the truth about the products you’re using will always be in the ingredients.
Scan the label: on food, an easy ingredient to quickly scan for is natural flavors and in beauty and household products, look for fragrance. Seeing either of these ingredients makes the product not GWE approved.
The Top 5 Ingredients to Avoid ❌
We have over 1000 ingredients in our ingredient glossary, so we know that ingredients can be extremely overwhelming. That's why we recommend familiarizing yourself with a few at a time. Here are the top 5 toxins to swap out at the beginning of your journey:
Fragrance. Ingredients labelled as “fragrance,” “perfume,” “parfum,” or “natural fragrance” can all contain a combination of over 3,000 chemicals. This blanket term may refer to chemicals that are hormone disruptors, carcinogens, or phthalates.
Parabens. Parabens are preservatives that prevent bacteria and mold growth, but they are hormone disruptors and can cause skin irritation - they’ll be labelled with “paraben.”
Phthalates. Phthalates are man-made chemicals that are intended to help artificial fragrance stick to the skin. Like parabens, phthalates are hormone disruptors - look for DHEP, DIDP, BBP, DnHP on the label.
Natural & Artificial Flavors. Natural flavors are derived from something in nature, while artificial flavors are derived from an inedible source, but both can contain up to 100 different ingredients, including GMO derived ingredients, preservatives, solvents, and harmful synthetic chemicals that are not transparent.
Glyphosate. Glyphosate is a highly toxic pesticide that is sprayed on many conventional and GMO crops like chickpeas and lentils. When sprayed, glyphosate seeps into the soil and on produce, potentially causing health issues like cancer and gut issues. Buying organic food can help you avoid glyphosate!
Start With The Simplest Swaps ✅
One of the best parts of a non-toxic journey, in my opinion, is investing in new products that you can use for the long haul. Start by making a few key impactful swaps for water, air, and cookware that will make a big difference. Sharing my recommendations and faves below:
💨AirDoctor 3500 Air Purifier: I have two of these in my home and swear by them! Indoor air is often more toxic than the outdoor air. Indoor air quality plays a huge role in our overall health. From smoke to VOCs to mold, there are a lot of things you don’t want to be breathing in, which is why a quality air purifier with a true HEPA filter and an activated carbon or activated charcoal filter will make a big difference for your overall health.
🚨I love these filters so much that we’ve organized a giveaway to celebrate the launch of the Non-Toxic Made Simple Substack! How to enter: if you want one of these air filters in your home, comment below a non-toxic question you have or a swap you want to see to be entered in the giveaway. Winners must be US-based and will be notified one week after this post is live, on June 7!
🍳Caraway Mini Fry Pan: I love my Caraway Fry Pans for making quick healthy meals. If you’re looking for a place to start with non-toxic cookware instead of overhauling your entire pantry, this is it. All Caraway products use a non-stick ceramic coating and are free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, cadmium, and other toxic materials that can seriously impact your health if they seep into your food during cooking. Get 10% off with the code GIRLSWHOEAT.
💦AquaTru Classic Countertop Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier: Heavy metals, carcinogens, PFAs, chlorine byproducts, and pesticides are all toxins that you can find in your tap water (ugh!!), which is why investing in a water purifier changed the game for me. This one from AquaTru does more than just get rid of the toxins, it actually creates mineral-rich alkaline water with its VOC Carbon ph+ Mineral Boost water filter. I loved that I didn’t have to deal with plumbing installation for such a high-quality filter.
💦Clearly Filtered Water Pitcher: I really love having a smaller version of a water filter to put in the fridge. My favorite one is this Clearly Filtered pitcher, mostly because of how many contaminants it targets: over 365! Plus, it has a sturdy handle, tastes amazing, and the pitcher is made from 100% BPA and phthalate free materials. Get 10% off with our link.
🍳Our Place Always 2.0 Pan: In addition to my Caraway pan, I love my Always 2.0 Pan from Our Place and have had these pans for over 4 years now because it’s seriously the perfect size. I’ve cooked everything from breakfast tacos to stir fry in this pan. It’s oven safe up to 450°F and its nonstick coating is completely PFA, lead, and cadmium-free, meaning it’s a great non-toxic swap for that Teflon coated non-stick pan that’s been sitting in your cupboard.
We’re so excited to officially be on Substack! 🎉
What questions do you have about non-toxic living? Leave them in the comments below because we’re always creating content our community is asking for.
🔔 If you’re looking to get cleaner air in your home, drop a question in the comments on this newsletter - whether it's something you're curious about in non-toxic living or a product swap you'd love to see me cover. You'll be automatically entered to win an AirDoctor 3500 Air Purifier (a GWE-approved favorite)! This giveaway is now closed.
I can’t wait for one of you to have this valuable swap in your home! Keep an eye out for our next emails this month for even more giveaways as we celebrate this launch, and don’t forget to share this post with friends and family who are curious about living a non-toxic lifestyle!
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Would love to see non-tox shampoo/conditioner swaps. This has been the hardest swap for me to find something clean that WORKS. Thank you!
So excited to have another space to get great info! I would love to continue getting great posts about what we can find in store like Costco, Publix, and Target!