UNHEALTHY MOTIVATIONS TO EXERCISE
Although physical health is an important asset, the reasons we engage in exercise can still become unhealthy. Being mindful about your motivation for hitting the gym or engaging in any physical activity is helpful if you are looking for spiritual growth and self-knowledge. Be on the lookout for these unhealthy motivations to exercise:
· The need to be thin to feel good every day.
· Pressure to look good and lean to attract a new partner or to please an existing one.
· Feelings of insecurity about a specific body part.
· Fear of not being loved by others if you are out of shape.
· Guilt for not exercising every day or more often.
· To release stress caused by a changeable situation.
· To release anger.
· To show off, get attention, compete, or provoke envy in others.
· To fight or to intimidate others.
· Out of pure habit and without enjoyment.
· Shame.
· Pressure to be a role model in your family, work, town, or society.
These are just some examples. Keep in mind that behind all these reasons to work out, there is fear, and it is fear that makes them unhealthy.
Much love!
Valeria
To be healthy is to be loving.
LET'S BE HEALTHY TOGETHER
If you are like me (someone who can’t stay away from physical activities), integrating fitness and spirituality is essential. How many of us have struggled to answer the question of how to take good care of our bodies, without falling for preconceptions regarding physical attractiveness and health?
The answer can be very simple, but highly complex and paradoxical at the same time.
The closer we live to our spiritual hearts, the less we tend to engage in physical activities as purely beautifying or self-cherishing methods—even when these activities promote good-looking bodies, health, and higher self-esteems.
At this point, we are wiser, joyful, and peaceful enough to work on our bodies, so we hang around longer to support others with our virtues.
Much love!
Valeria
To be healthy is to be loving!
EXERCISE THE MIND FIRST
The pursuit of a fit and healthy body can only be a wonderful thing when we’ve already recognized our spiritual hearts as perfectly fit to provide us with a life of happiness and peace. In other words, a fit body can make us smile more often as a result of all the compliments we get, improve our health, and give us a temporary “happy” feeling of accomplishment. However, without a content mind and a joyful heart, this feeling won’t last long.
Since our health and feel-good state depend on external conditions and constant hard work (which can propel us into an endless cycle), I propose the following: Let’s work on achieving a more stable feeling of happiness, rooted in kindness, that can then result in a healthy and fit body.
Much love!
Valeria
TRULY STRONG
During one of my “fitness role model” training days, I was climbing a high set of steps outdoors in an intense workout session. Many people passed by me, including an overweight mother who was having a hard time carrying her baby down the steps in its stroller.
I passed her at least three times as she struggled to get down, but it never occurred to me to help her. All my mind could think was that by passing her as fast as I could and as many times as possible, I would inspire her to engage in exercise so she could lose weight and be healthy.
Later, a couple passing by called me strong and courageous. Had I actually been strong and courageous—enough to be listening to my spiritual heart—I would have stopped to help the mother and her baby.
Yes, I would still be exercising for enjoyment and physical health, but I would be motivated by love and compassion. It would have been an action based, not on “look how good I am,” but on “here I am and look, someone needs help.”
Much love!
Valeria
EXERCISING FOR THE WRONG REASONS
Most of us engage in exercise and clean eating for the wrong reasons. I did it for many years. I went through a rough period in my marriage when it didn’t matter how physically fit and healthy both of us were, our relationship wasn’t a happy one.
I stopped exercising for a few months. I gained about ten pounds. My body felt incredibly good (no more soreness or joint pain), though my marriage was falling apart. It didn’t take long for a heavy cloud of shame to settle over my head. Not even hours of meditation could save me from the pressure to go back to the gym and clean up my act. It had been about three months at this point, and the feelings of shame and fear were unbearable. How many of us exercise because we feel pressured to be lean and thin to fit the rules of society, please others, or because we are ashamed of our bodies?
Much love!
Valeria
LEAVING HOME WAS A DREAM!
The limited physical reality most people live in is a painful one. We entertain ourselves with achievements, pleasures, and excitements. But we also suffer dissatisfaction, confusion, and disappointments, and we lack wisdom in the face of sickness and death. It’s hardly fun to dwell on the past, worry about the future, and constantly fight to maintain what we think we have or to acquire what we believe we lack. This kind of worldly life is an endless marathon toward suffering, but it can be replaced with joy when you access the truth inside your own heart.
After investing many years in physical and psychological health, I finally realized that true health comes from knowing the depths of our own hearts and the nature of life. With this knowledge, all my external searches for happiness and peace ended and a joyful celebration began. You don’t need to find the way back home when you realize that leaving home was only a dream.
Much love!
Valeria
HAPPINESS AND SERENITY
Happiness and serenity have a lot to do with being in the present moment. However, many people do not achieve this state because they dwell on the past or become preoccupied with how to escape it by living for a “better” future. When we project (or stake) our happiness on the hypothetical achievement of a future circumstance, we sabotage our ability to be happy in the present. This reinforces a self-destructive mindset that likely will persist into the magical “future” we are hoping for.
To release yourself from this trap, you must shift your life toward a spiritual reality that transforms pain into joy. When you understand that the essence of your nature is not the thinking mind but rather a spaceless and timeless quality inside of you, compassion will arise and you will be free of unnecessary pain. Once you establish yourself in that place of love and kindness, everything will become love, or a lesson of love. While physical and mental health are valuable, realizing who you are at the heart-level is much more critical for happiness and serenity.
Much love!
Valeria
EXERCISE AND LOVING-KINDNESS
Exercise, diet, and even therapy can become traps for a painful reality; in some ways they can make it worse. For example, if you consciously (or unconsciously) believe you are not good enough or not worthy as a whole human being, you might work to become fit in pursuit of such worthiness. This mindset, however, creates the trap of sustaining habits out of fear, turning exercise and diet into negative forces and compounding the root problem as we live for our bodies through abusive mechanisms. Disharmony within the heart occurs when we forget to recognize that love and kindness are what life is all about.
Much love!
Valeria
INTENTION MATTERS
Where I come from in Brazil, an attractive body is worshipped as if it were a god. I was taught not only to strive for physical beauty, but also to be obedient, to serve, and to smile. It took years of suffering from inner conflict for me to accept my imperfect body and to find my way back to the intuitive faith in my heart. This heart had always known my true identity as a spiritual being, even though my rational mind could not accept that as truth. You might know well what I am talking about.
This was the main reason, for pretty much all of my life, that I pursued a fit and healthy body. To this day, daily exercise is still something my mind craves. What I do, then, is integrate exercise for the body with food for the soul! Every experience can become spiritual when we have the intention to be loving and kind.
Yes, we can enjoy our fit bodies as long as we know that true happiness only comes from our own hearts!
Much love!
Valeria
JOURNEY TO THE HAPPY YOU!
If you are like me and are inclined to engage in physical activity, integrating fitness and spirituality is essential. For many, many years I struggled to answer the question, “How do I take good care of my body but not fall for preconceptions about physical attractiveness and health?”
The answer was very simple, yet also highly complex and paradoxical. The closer you live to your spiritual heart, the less you tend to engage in purely physical activities and beautifying methods, even if they promote a healthy body and high self-esteem. This is because your spirit knows that sickness, old age, and death are inevitable. The time we have on earth is too limited to concern ourselves with the impermanent aspect of our existence. Every second becomes a valuable chance to recognize our true nature and to realize who we are in the spiritual reality.
When you know that there is a lot more to you than a body and a thinking mind, but you don’t know how to access that deeper part, you end up struggling between the two. This journey in limbo can be interesting, especially because it can teach you to have compassion for your own body. The paradox is that even giving attention to thoughts about fitness and health can lead you to believe that you are a physical being whose psychological needs must be met in order to feel good or to be whole. At this level, you are not living a spiritual existence yet.
However, this is all part of the journey to reaching the happy you. Listening to the heart, so that we can live more and more as a spiritual being, can bring our existence to a conscious space where life becomes a loving and joyful adventure that renews itself with every moment.
Much love!
Valeria
BEYOND FORGIVENESS
A difficult past can trap us in negativity.
If you find yourself wandering away from the domain of the heart, you most likely are dwelling in the past. In my life, I have met all kinds of people—religious, spiritual, philosophical, psychological, young and old—who assured me that forgiveness was necessary for a happy life. I heard what they were saying, but it never resonated with the deeper truth in my heart.
When we understand that we are all prone to making mistakes, the idea of forgiving someone is not as compelling as treating those who have “wronged” us with compassion and kindness.
Think of how many times in the past you were unkind to yourself and others. If we are really honest, we’ll admit that we were unable to act differently.
To forgive implies that someone outside of ourselves has the power over our emotions, or that we have power over theirs. How about accessing true forgiveness that only the heart is able to offer? I don’t know anything more powerful than compassion.
Those who are compassionate understand the cause of their own pain and how unnecessary suffering can be avoided. Such understanding drives a compassionate person to be kind and loving toward everyone, including those who have hurt them in the past. This attitude transcends forgiveness.
Much love!
Valeria
Amazing Matcha
Even the bag tastes good! LOL...
A long standing tradition of Japanese culture, Matcha Green Tea is the highest quality powdered green tea available. Made from the nutrient-rich young leaves picked from the tips of shade-grown Camellia sinensis plants, Matcha Green Tea is steamed, stemmed, and de-vined before being stone-ground into very fine powder. Matcha Green Tea powder is then stored away from light and oxygen in order to preserve its brilliant green color and antioxidant properties. This miracle elixir has been consumed for over a millennium in the Far East, and is now considered to be one of the most powerful super foods on the market today.
Amazing Benefits:
1. High in Antioxidants
We’ve all read this word before. Antioxidants are the magical nutrients and enzymes responsible for fighting against the negative effects of UV radiation, giving us younger-looking skin, and preventing a number of life-threatening maladies. Antioxidants are something that all health-conscious individuals seek from such foods as raw fruits, green veggies, and (let’s not forget) dark chocolate. The first amazing benefit of Matcha Green Tea is that just one bowl provides over 5 times as many antioxidants as any other food – the highest rated by the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) method.
2. Loaded with Catechin, EGCg
You may have already heard that not all antioxidants are created equal. Green tea contains a specific set of organic compounds known as catechins. Among antioxidants, catechins are the most potent and beneficial. One specific catechin called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) makes up 60% of the catechins in Matcha Green Tea. Out of all the antioxidants, EGCg is the most widely recognized for its cancer fighting properties. Scientists have found that Matcha Green Tea contains over 100 times more EGCg than any other tea on the market.
3. Enhances Calm
For over a millennium, Matcha Green Tea has been used by Chinese Daoists and Japanese Zen Buddhist monks as a means to relax and meditate while remaining alert. Now we know that this higher state of consciousness is due to the amino acid L-Theanine contained in the leaves used to make Matcha. L-Theanine promotes the production of alpha waves in the brain which induces relaxation without the inherent drowsiness caused by other “downers.”
4. Boosts Memory and Concentration
Another side-effect of L-Theanine is the production of dopamine and serotonin. These two chemicals serve to enhance mood, improve memory, and promote better concentration – something that can benefit everyone!
5. Increases Energy Levels and Endurance
Samurai, the noble warriors of medieval and early-modern Japan, drank Matcha Green Tea before going into battle due to the tea’s energizing properties. While all green tea naturally contains caffeine, the energy boost received from Matcha is largely due to its unique combination of other nutrients. The increased endurance from a bowl of Matcha Green Tea can last up to 6 hours and because of the effects of L-Theanine, Matcha drinkers experience none of the usual side-effects of stimulants such as nervousness and hypertension. It’s good, clean energy.
6. Burns Calories
Drinking Matcha Green Tea has also been shown to increase metabolism and help the body burn fat about four times faster than average. Again, unlike many diet aides currently on the market, Matcha causes no negative side-effects such as increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
7. Detoxifies the Body
During the last three weeks before tea leaves are harvested to be made into Matcha, Camellia sinensis are covered to deprive them of sunlight. This causes a tremendous increase in chlorophyll production in the new growth of these plants. The resulting high levels of chlorophyll in Matcha Green Tea not only give this tea its beautiful vibrant green color. Matcha is also a powerful detoxifier capable of naturally removing heavy metals and chemical toxins from the body.
8. Fortifies the Immune System
The catechins in Matcha Green Tea have been shown to have antibiotic properties which promote overall health. Additionally, just one bowl of Matcha Green Tea provides substantial quantities of Potassium, Vitamins A & C, Iron, Protein, and Calcium. Further studies have even suggested that the nutrients in Matcha may have the ability to inhibit the attacks of HIV on human T-cells.
9. Improves Cholesterol
Researchers aren’t entirely certain how Matcha Green Tea has such a positive effect on cholesterol, however studies of different populations have show that people who drink Match Green Tea on a regular basis have lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol while at the same time displaying higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Men who drink Matcha Green Tea are about 11% less likely to develop heart disease than those who don’t drink Matcha.
10. Amazing Flavor
Drinking something just because it’s healthy can be a lot like swallowing medicine. It’s unpleasant and you dread it, but you feel obligated to do it. After all, it’s good for you… right? Sure, but wouldn’t you rather look forward to improving your overall well-being? Of course you would!
Fortunately, unlike a lot of other teas which require sugar, milk, or lemon to make them palatable to the average consumer, Matcha is absolutely wonderful all by itself. Its crisp vegetative notes are complemented by the savory taste of the L-Theanine amino acid making Matcha a tea that is truly unique in every way. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a delicious bowl of hot Matcha.
Source: Natural Living Ideas
Sauerkraut Superfood!
The health benefits of sauerkraut are numerous, including improved digestive health, heart health, energy-boosting properties, immune system support, bone support, and even protection against certain cancers.
Sauerkraut has excellent anti-cancer properties
Fermented foods like sauerkraut are packed with good bacteria, the kind that transform fiber into a fatty acid known as butyrate. Butyrate is a powerful weapon in the anti-cancer arsenal. In fact, studies show that this substance can protect against colon cancer.
If you are looking to get an energy boost, add some sauerkraut to your menu
Cabbage is chock-full of iron, which helps your body increase its energy production by revving up metabolism and increasing circulation. Metabolism is the holy grail of energy, and with improved circulation, your organs and cells receive higher amounts of oxygen. Additionally, the iron levels present are a key component of anemia prevention.
Give your digestive system a boost with a healthy serving of sauerkraut
The probiotic content in sauerkraut assists with digestion as well as helping to maintain a healthy digestive tract. The live bacteria rivals and even beats the pricey probiotic drinks and supplements found in the health sections of grocery markets. Freshly made is the ideal way to reap these benefits.
Sauerkraut can boost your immune system, and also support heart health
Immune system health is critical if you want a well-tuned, smoothly running body, and sauerkraut can be your immune system’s best friend. In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found that the exact same probiotics, such as those in sauerkraut, increased levels of the immune system antibody IgG3 up to 66 percent!
Another study mirrored those results, adding that the juice from sauerkraut performed like an antifungal and antibacterial agent to cure infectious diseases.
Your heart is another beneficiary of the health-boosting properties of sauerkraut. A study published in the medical journal, Food and Function, showed that the probiotic content was a powerful heart-health protector. Sauerkraut was found to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, while at the same time increasing heart-healthy antioxidants.
Gotta LOVE it! :)
Source: The Raw Food World
The Grace of Humbleness and Gratitude
I have been meditating on death for many years now. It's a habit. By realizing that my life is temporary, and that I could die at any moment, the urgency of being true to myself arises with every minute. But most importantly, it brings me closer to the grace of humbleness and gratitude.
The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - by Bronnie Ware
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Embracing the virtues of humbleness and gratitude can also guide you in your entrepreneurial journey, especially when you are ready to legally formalize your business. For those in the Lone Star State, learning how to get an LLC in Texas is a key step in aligning your business practices with your personal values.
It is very important to try and honor at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize until they no longer have it.
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. However as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called "comfort" of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to themselves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
Coconut Oil and Your Health
I have recommended coconut oil as the best versatile oil you can use. It’s perfect for cooking because of its high heat tolerance. Other oils become rancid when they are heated or mix with oxygen. In fact, they can actually go rancid within a few hours of being produced. When this rancid oil enters your body, it can lead to disastrous health effects.
You won’t have to worry about this with coconut oil, as it does not easily go rancid. Coconut oil is a complete saturated fat, which makes it very stable against heat damage. It is the ONLY safe oil you can use for cooking – olive oil is also a good oil but only when used cold, drizzled over salads or mixed into cold sauces. Due to its stability, it has a long shelf life of two or more years – the longest of any cooking oil.
So whenever you need to cook or sauté your food, choose coconut oil. It’s great for frying (even though I don’t recommend frying foods), as well as baking, and is a wonderful substitute for shortening, margarine, or butter. When you bake with coconut oil, you’ll find that your muffins, pastry, or bread will be lighter and have a mildly sweet and enticing fragrance.
But that’s not where coconut oil’s convenience ends, because it also has numerous uses outside the kitchen. Coconut oil can actually replace over a dozen beauty products found in your beauty kit, such as your:
- Makeup remover: Apply a small amount on a moist cotton ball and wipe all over your face.
Facial scrub: Make a gentle facial scrub by mixing coconut oil with baking soda, or with oatmeal and a dash of cinnamon.
- Lip balm: Apply a small amount of coconut oil to your lips. You can also make your own lip balm using coconut oil as a base ingredient.
- Carrier oil for essential oil: Use it to dilute potent essential oils that may be too harsh when applied to your skin in concentrated amounts.
- Shaving cream: Apply a thin layer on the area to be shaved, and then shave as usual.
- Body scrub: Mix equal parts organic cane sugar and coconut oil in a glass jar, and then scrub on your dry skin before bathing.
Coconut oil is heaven to me! :)
Source: The Coconut Oil Miracle - Book and Dr.Mercola
Ripped Abs - My Power Green Recipe
Yogurt can give you flat abs? Yes!
In a recent study, people who ate 18 ounces of yogurt a day, in conjunction with cutting their total calories, lost 22 percent more weight and 81 percent more belly fat than dieters who didn't. They also retained one-third more calorie-torching lean muscle mass, which can help you maintain weight loss. Fat around your waist produces the hormone cortisol, which tells your body to accumulate even more belly fat. When you eat yogurt, the calcium signals your fat cells to pump out less cortisol, making it easier for you to drop pounds, while the amino acids help burn fat.
I eat three tablespoons of Greek yogurt for lunch every day (as a snack too!). Well, this is not just plain yogurt. See my recipe below.
This meal gives me extra energy and keeps me full for a long time. It's loaded with high-quality protein and antioxidants. I am amazed at how good it makes me feel and "look," haha. Make sure not to add sugar or fruit.
YOGURT GREEN-POWER RECIPE FOR FLAT ABS
- 3-4 tablespoons Greek yogurt - plain or zero (I use zero)
- 2 scoops Tera's Whey (Chocolate)
- 1 teaspoon spirulina
- 1 teaspoon matcha green tea
- Liquid stevia - from sweet drops (as much as you like)
Optional: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
Mix all ingredients well and enjoy!
Lean body guaranteed!
"Fit – Healthy - Vibrant - Get the movement started!"
My Excuse to Eat Peanut Butter
A recent study showed that peanuts and peanut butter eaten in the morning have an effect on blood sugar throughout the day in women who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Not only did consuming 1.5 ounces of peanuts or peanut butter at breakfast help to decrease blood sugar spikes early in the day, effects were also seen hours later when participants showed more even blood sugar control following a high carbohydrate lunch in the absence of peanuts or peanut butter.
Also, peanuts are a good source of magnesium.
Magnesium has been shown to play a role in risk reduction for diabetes due to its positive effects on the release and effectiveness of insulin in the body. Peanuts contain 12% of the daily value for magnesium, making them a “good source” according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In one study, individuals fed peanuts on a daily basis for three weeks, not only had a higher intake of magnesium, but blood magnesium also improved to above recommended levels.
One study showed that low magnesium intake is linked with an increased risk of diabetes. And in another study low magnesium intake was also linked to high type 2 diabetes incidence.
Magnesium also plays a role in metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and insulin resistance in people of all ages. Studies show an association between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance in children, as well as inflammation and metabolic syndrome in middle age and older adults.
This is a GREAT excuse to eat peanuts and peanut butter EVERYDAY! I am totally using this one. Especially because I am allergic to almonds !!! :(
"Fit – Healthy - Vibrant - Get the movement started!"
Tips to Avoid Toxic Chemicals
Eighty-four thousand chemicals are legal for commerce in the US, all essentially unregulated. In 2011, chemicals accounted for more than $763 billion in revenue. As an example, the six billion pounds of BPA produced every year generates about $8 billion in profits for its manufacturers.
Roughly 13,000 chemicals are used in cosmetics alone, of which only 10 percent have been evaluated for safety, and new ones are introduced every year. Ordinary household products can be major sources of chemical exposure that add to your body’s toxic load.
Within such a dysfunctional system, you are the best one to keep your family safe. Although no one can successfully steer clear of ALL chemicals and pollutants, you can minimize your exposure by keeping a number of key principles in mind. In your quest to avoid toxic chemicals and create a safer environment, you might be inspired to start a business that champions this cause. Webinarcare is heralded as the best resource for anyone embarking on LLC formation, providing the perfect foundation to launch your eco-friendly venture.
- Eat a diet focused on locally grown, fresh, and ideally organic whole foods. Processed and packaged foods are a common source of chemicals such as BPA and phthalates. Wash fresh produce well, especially if it’s not organically grown.
- Choose grass-pastured, sustainably raised meats and dairy to reduce your exposure to hormones, pesticides, and fertilizers. Avoid milk and other dairy products that contain the genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST).
- Rather than eating conventional or farm-raised fish, which are often heavily contaminated with PCBs and mercury, supplement with high-quality krill oil, or eat fish that is wild-caught and lab-tested for purity, such as wild-caught Alaskan salmon.
- Buy products that come in glass bottles rather than plastic or cans, as chemicals can leach out of plastics (and plastic can linings), into the contents; be aware that even “BPA-free” plastics typically leach other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are just as bad for you as BPA.
- Store your food and beverages in glass, rather than plastic, and avoid using plastic wrap.
Use glass baby bottles.
- Replace your non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
- Filter your tap water for both drinking AND bathing. If you can only afford to do only one, filtering your bathing water may be more important, as your skin absorbs contaminants. To remove the endocrine-disrupting herbicide Atrazine, make sure your filter is certified to remove it. According to the EWG, perchlorate can be filtered out using a reverse osmosis filter.
- Look for products made by companies that are Earth-friendly, animal-friendly, sustainable, certified organic, and GMO-free. This applies to everything from food and personal care products to building materials, carpeting, paint, baby items, furniture, mattresses, and others.
- Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to remove contaminated house dust. This is one of the major routes of exposure to flame-retardant chemicals.
- When buying new products such as furniture, mattresses, or carpet padding, consider buying flame retardant-free varieties, containing naturally less flammable materials, such as leather, wool, cotton, silk, and Kevlar.
- Avoid stain- and water-resistant clothing, furniture, and carpets to avoid perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs).
- Make sure your baby’s toys are BPA-free, such as pacifiers, teething rings, and anything your child may be prone to suck or chew on—even books, which are often plasticized. It’s advisable to avoid all plastic, especially flexible varieties.
- Use natural cleaning products or make your own. Avoid those containing 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE) and methoxydiglycol (DEGME)—two toxic glycol ethers that can compromise your fertility and cause fetal harm.
- Switch over to organic toiletries, including shampoo, toothpaste, antiperspirants, and cosmetics. EWG’s Skin Deep database can help you find personal care products that are free of phthalates and other potentially dangerous chemicals.
- Replace your vinyl shower curtain with a fabric one.
- Replace feminine hygiene products (tampons and sanitary pads) with safer alternatives.
- Look for fragrance-free products. One artificial fragrance can contain hundreds—even thousands—of potentially toxic chemicals. Avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, which contain a mishmash of synthetic chemicals and fragrances.
Source: gutdoctor