more tips for living healthier-- with or without babies

So I think I have a lot of good tips I've learned from different places (books and internet, mostly-- none of these things are my own revelations) and usually when I talk to people about some of my healthy living tips, they are so thankful!  Last week I did a post on what I think is the most important part of living healthy which is what you eat and what you feed your kids/baby.

Here are some more little tips and tricks that we live by in the Waagner household: (okay, so Cannen and I live by them... Eric is still learning ;)
        p.s.  These aren't just for people with babies! Anyone can live healthier!


1)  Plastics and BPA-
This is something that I learned a lot more about after I had Cannen but I wish I'd known this simple trick earlier.  BPA is a chemical that strengthens plastic but can mess with hormonal development if it's leached into your body (especially kids).
To keep our household free of BPA, we go by this simple mantra "4, 5, 1, and 2- all the rest are bad for you".  Here's what this means:

These numbers you can find on the bottom of any plastic container or toy-- anything plastic.  If the number (or letter) is anything but a 4, 5, 1, or 2--- it's bad for you.  A child shouldn't be putting it in his/her mouth, you DEFINITELY shouldn't be heating your food in it, really, you shouldn't have it in your house.  

  Tip:  Most all organic companies are BPA free in every plastic that they put on the market.  Go with those.  Plus organic shampoos, lotions, baby products, and etc. are better for you anyway... but we'll get to that later.

2) Non-foods to keep out of your life:

~Refined flour- refined flour turns into sugar as soon as it enters your body.  Your body processes it like sugar and breaks it down into glucose which causes a spike of blood sugar, then a crash (i.e. sugar high, sugar rush...) and then you're hungry again 5 minutes later.  Swap any refined sugar or flour for their whole grain equivalent.  This will help avoid the crash and it's way healthier for you.

~Artificial sweeteners-  For those of you who live on these in coffee or sweets, I'm about to ruin your day.  The ONLY healthy sugar choice is pure cane sugar.  And I wouldn't necessarily call this sugar "healthy" for you but it's better than anything artificial.

          Aspartame- triggers migraines and breaks down into FORMALDEHYDE in your body... No, I'm not kidding. Unfortunately, aspartame is in almost every single diet/zero calorie soda.  Gross.

           Splenda, Truvia, Agave, Stevia-   "Natural sweetener"= healthy, right?  No.  These contain 70-80% fructose-- MORE than what's found in some high fructose corn syrup! BAD!  Of these, agave is the best, I guess. So try to find agave that has no more than 30% fructose and make sure it's organic and 100% pure.

~Artificial Colors- If it can make a food blue or purple, it's probably not good for you. 

~Sodium Nitrates- don't buy ANY processed meat unless it's labeled Nitrate Free.  Nitrates are linked to cancer and and are really bad for pregnant women and children.

Lastly, when it comes to bath and beauty products, I'm a stickler.  Especially things that Cannen uses.  Here are some things I've learned and some tips for staying healthy in this area:

1) If a label says Hypoallergenic or Natural-- this literally. means. nothing.  The government doesn't regulate these two terms with definition so the company is free to define the words however they want. Example: the product may contain aloe, which is a plant based ingredient.  So the label will say "Natural" and "Allergy tested"... but no.  Just the ALOE is natural.  Every other ingredient may be crappy and bad for you.

Also, make sure anything you buy organic, SAYS "Certified USDA Organic".  Any company can put organic on it's label but it's only certain to be organic if the USDA cleared it as so.  

Also, "unscented" is not a good thing.  Unscented on the label means that they have just covered the fragrant ingredients with an unscented fragrance.  Look for "fragrance free" which means there are no engineered fragrant ingredients.  Unscented means nothing.

2) Tear-Free baby shampoo and body wash-  This is disturbing.  Most lotions, body washes, and shampoos that say "Tear-Free" contain a special mix of toxic chemicals that work by NUMBING your baby's eyes so they can't feel the other harsh chemicals stinging!  AHHH! Go for organic, plant based actives.  Also look for pH balanced soaps and shampoos because this will naturally not hurt baby's eyes or skins.

3) Parabens-- these are found in any water based products (shampoos, conditioner, lotion, body wash, etc.)  Paraben is a preservative.  We absorb the parabens through our skin and they've been found inside breast tumors and linked to cancer.  They are also toxic to our reproductive and immune systems.  Look at the ingredients and make sure there are no parabens. (USDA organic= no parabens)


OOOOOOOOOKAY---- so by now you think I'm a crazy paranoid fool who spends most of the time in the grocery store checking labels and looking psychotic, but I'm not.  These are just some of the tips that I try to go by- keyword TRY.  Sometimes, economically, you can't pass up the sale shampoo or non-organic, cheaper mangoes.  Aspartame or not, sometimes I need a Diet Coke.   But for the most part, I try to incorporate these things (and there are TONS more) into our every day life to keep me, Eric, and especially Cannen as healthy as possible.
 It's meant to make life a little easier, not complicate things.  And TRUST ME, once you do have a baby--- you'll want to know ALL of these things to protect their little bodies.

More tips to come next week!  By the time I'm through with you maybe you will be a little health-crazy like me, butttttt I think it's worth it. ;)