Talking Toxins: Q+A on Non-Toxic Living 101 (+ How I Started)
Your most-asked questions, answered: how I began my non-toxic journey, what swaps actually matter, and how to cut through the overwhelm.
As the founder of Girls Who Eat, I get a lot of questions about non-toxic living every single day, and I try to answer as many as possible, but a lot of them are repeats of the same question! That’s why I’m so excited to be able to answer questions from the community on Substack through this Q&A series in a longer format because it’s the best way for me to give you useful, non-toxic knowledge directly (and it will live under our Q+As, so you can always refer back to it and I can keep updating it)!
I also get a ton of questions about my own path to non-toxic living and how to start a non-toxic journey. When I graduated from college, I was living in New York City and working 80-100-hour weeks, not prioritizing my health. That changed in 2018, when my health hit rock bottom and I was diagnosed with a rare chronic illness, amongst other gut and digestive issues. Everything in my life shifted when I realized I needed to pay better attention to what I was putting in my body and the ingredients in products in my home, but also change my lifestyle if I wanted to feel better. Now, I’m a certified health coach and an ingredient expert, and I have made it my life mission to help as many people to take their health into their own hands and better understand ingredients impact on our health.
My story is proof that when you decide to make a big change for your health, you don’t have to change everything overnight. Making non-toxic swaps takes time (I’m still making swaps, and I started this lifestyle over 6 years ago), and it’s okay to go slow. In the first of Q+A newsletter series (which will be a mix of Q+A with me and experts, so let us know in the comments who you’d be interested in us interviewing), I’m answering some of my most frequently asked questions about non-toxic living here.
FOOD & BEVERAGE
🌱 What are “natural flavors”?
Despite the name, natural flavors are anything but natural, and it's one of the ingredients I feel most called to educate about in depth. They’re the fourth most common ingredient in processed foods and can contain up to 100 undisclosed chemicals, like preservatives, solvents, and synthetic additives. They’re called “natural flavors” because they’re derived from something in nature (like a plant or animal), but what you get is a highly processed, proprietary mix you’ll never see fully disclosed on the label. This includes terms like “organic flavors” or “X flavor” (e.g., vanilla flavor). At GWE, I avoid them across the board, and any food and beverage swap you see will never include them as an ingredient.
🍯What are refined sugars and unrefined sugars? Which is healthier?
Did you know that sugar can be disguised on labels with over 40 different names? There are two types of sugars: refined and unrefined. Unrefined sugars are less processed and offer certain trace nutrients that refined sugars don’t. This includes raw honey, date syrup, coconut sugar, or maple syrup. They are still sugar, so you still want to be mindful of how much you’re consuming.
🍬Why are gums in everything? Are they good or bad?
Most gums, like xanthan gum and guar gum in processed foods, are often chemically made and serve to stabilize or thicken products. Unfortunately, they can mess with your gut health, especially if you already have digestive issues. It’s best to avoid gums if possible, and all swaps I share will never have these. However, gums like agar and acacia may be better tolerated, but they should still be used in moderation. If you want to learn more about these or any other gums you find on labels, bookmark my ingredient glossary.
🫒I keep hearing that certain oils are inflammatory. Which do you recommend?
There’s a lot of noise online about cooking oils, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Choosing the right oils can seriously support your health and once you know what to look for, it becomes second nature.
I keep it simple: for cooking, I reach for four clean options: avocado oil (great for high heat), extra virgin olive oil (perfect for low heat or dressings), ghee (lactose-free with a high smoke point), and virgin coconut oil (my go-to for baking).
What I do avoid: ultra-processed seed oils like canola, corn, soybean, and vegetable oil blends. These are often high in omega-6s and can promote inflammation, plus, they’re usually stripped of nutrients during processing and processed with harsh solvents.
THE BASICS
🔄 What are the most important non-toxic swaps to start with?
The most important things to swap when starting a non-toxic living journey are items you use every single day. This can include beauty products, household cleaners, or bedding. However, there are three impactful swaps that I believe go the longest way when swapping out products, and those are cookware, water filters, and air purifiers. Cooking, drinking water, and breathing in air are essential to our everyday health! These swaps have a big impact on your everyday toxin exposure, so they’re worth prioritizing before moving on to beauty or cleaning products if possible.
💰 How do I budget for non-toxic swaps?
Whenever I get this question, I always want to remind people that you don’t need to overhaul everything overnight! Think of non-toxic living as a slow, steady upgrade that sticks instead of a complete 180. Start with the essentials you use every single day (like your cookware or face moisturizer), then gradually work in other swaps when your budget allows. We’ll also be sharing tons of info on big sales like Prime Day and Black Friday here, so you can know which non-toxic products to look out for on sale. Plus, we have over 100 exclusive to the GWE community discount codes on our website here that help you save money on our favorite non-toxic GWE-approved brands and products.
🧼 Does organic always mean clean or healthy?
A common misconception, but the short answer: Not necessarily. “Organic” means ingredients were grown without conventional pesticides and fertilizers, but it doesn’t guarantee the overall product is non-toxic or free from additives. Organic products can still include preservatives, synthetic additives, organic-certified natural flavors, or even organic-certified pesticides. Always flip the label and scan the ingredients, even on organic products, to search for ones that aren’t GWE approved. If you’re ever unsure, check out our ingredient glossary (a free resource with over 1K+ ingredients) to double-check!
🧪 How can I tell if a product is greenwashed?
Something too common in marketing, especially for beauty and household products that are often marketed as clean or non-toxic, and are far from it. Watch out for vague terms like “natural,” “clean,” or “green,” they’re not regulated and often don’t mean much. The best way to tell if a product is truly non-toxic is to look up the actual ingredients (again, sharing the Girls Who Eat ingredient glossary as a helpful resource, so definitely bookmark this!).
🧾 What are your tips for skimming an ingredient label?
I covered some of my best advice for reading labels in this post, but if you want some high-level tips for skimming, here’s what I’d say:
Start by spotting the big red flags: natural flavors and fragrance (which can also be listed as parfum or natural fragrance). These often appear toward the end of the label. If you want more tips, go to our first Substack post, which has some in-depth label-reading advice.
Next, scan for sneaky preservatives like phenoxyethanol or methylchloroisothiazolinone, both linked to irritation..
Lastly, watch for petroleum-based ingredients like PEGs, which can contain contaminants such as 1,4-Dioxane.
Once you’ve got the basics down, reading a label becomes second nature!
❤️🩹 What advice would you give to someone just starting on their non-toxic journey?
Start small and don’t let perfection hold you back. One product, one swap, one label at a time. It can feel overwhelming at first; there’s so much information out there and so many areas of our lives where toxins can sneak in, but you don’t have to change everything overnight.
My own journey started with food labels and grew from there. I always say: focus on the things you use the most, your food, your cookware, your skincare, your air and water. And remember: this is a long game. It’s about progress, not perfection. Every intentional choice you make adds up and creates real change for your health. Be curious, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to take it one step at a time. I built Girls Who Eat to be a trusted resource, so you don’t have to navigate it alone. You’re already doing something powerful by just being here.
SUPPLEMENTS
💊 How do you know what supplements your body needs?
The best place to start when it comes to determining what supplements you need is with thorough bloodwork. No two people are the same and everynoe will have different supplement needs. It’s the most accurate way to see what your body needs, you can often get this done through your primary care provider, but walk-in options like Function Health work, too! If you’re curious about getting your blood work done outside of your primary care provider, I just wrote a super detailed review of my experience with Function Health, which gave me a detailed health panel (100+ tests) all from two blood tests and is a great way to discover what supplements you might need. Use my link to try it.
For personalized guidance, after your blood work is done, I recommend working with a practitioner who specializes in functional or integrative medicine. They’re trained to interpret lab work with a root-cause lens, which goes far beyond what conventional medicine typically offers, which is often more of a symptom approach.
🧬 Do you recommend digestive enzymes or probiotics?
Yes, I recommend both! If you’re confused about how they’re different, here’s what you need to know:
Probiotics help repopulate your gut with beneficial bacteria over time. I’m a big fan of spore-based probiotics, which are soil-based and can survive your stomach acid to reach your digestive tract alive. They’re more effective than common strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which often don’t reach your gut alive unless they are in specially coated capsules. If you’re looking for a great probiotic, I always recommend Just Thrive, which is spore-based and you can use my code GIRLSWHOEAT for 20% off!
Digestive enzymes, on the other hand, work right away to break down your food and reduce bloating or discomfort after meals. They don’t change your gut flora, but they do help you absorb nutrients more efficiently. I love Enzymedica digestive enzymes, because their products are all intended to ease digestion without the use of added toxins. Together, digestive enzymes and probiotics can be a powerful gut health combo: enzymes help with digestion now, while probiotics support long-term gut health.
🔍 How do you know if a supplement company is reputable?
With supplements, transparency is key. Here’s what I look for at Girls Who Eat:
Scan the full ingredient list, not just the active ingredients, to get a full picture of what you’re putting in your body. Pay close attention to the inactive ingredients, because this is often where certain brands will hide questionable additives.
Check if the brand provides third-party testing and will share a Certificate of Analysis (COA). Look for a recent date (within 2 years) and ideally, the name of the lab that conducted the testing. I personally emailed over 200 brands to get reporting before sharing brands with my community.
If a brand refuses to share this info, especially under the guise of “confidentiality,” that’s a red flag. Trust that the best non-toxic supplement brands won’t be afraid to show their work.
BEAUTY
💧 What is the most important non-toxic beauty swap to start with?
Deodorant is a great place to start! It’s used daily and applied directly to an area with direct access to your lymph nodes. Conventional deodorant options often contain aluminum, fragrance, talc, and other ingredients that block sweat and disrupt your detox pathways and hormones.
Look for non-toxic deodorants made with ingredients like baking soda or magnesium hydroxide, and skip anything with “fragrance” or aluminum. I always recommend Primally Pure as a starting place for deodorant and beauty, plus, our code GIRLSWHOEAT will get you 10% off your order. If you’re interested in even more options, check out my beauty product marketplace on Girls Who Eat!
I know that starting a non-toxic journey can feel overwhelming, which is why I want to make sure I’m answering questions that the Girls Who Eat community actually needs the answers to! What Q+As do you have about non-toxic living? Comment them below, and I’ll make sure to address your questions in a future Talking Toxins newsletter.
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