How to Start 2020 Off Naturally!

With 2020 just a day away, I figured what better time than now to do a blog on my personal tips and tricks for starting the new year off with fewer toxins in our lives! One of the most asked questions I get here is, where should I start? And, to be honest, I know how overwhelming this all can be so I am here to help. My first piece of advice is- don’t stress it. We all have different priorities, routines, and budgets so instead of thinking that you have to throw everything away, simply start where you can! To make the change to clean a bit easier, here are my best tips!

Download the Think Dirty App- While this app is not always accurate, it is a good starting point to scan and find your worst offenders. Take your most used items like shampoo, body wash, skincare, foundation, lotions, perfumes or whatever else you find yourself using the most and scan those first. Example- You use body wash on your full body more than you may use a black pencil eyeliner. Make a pile of your most used items and scan those! From there, pick out the worst scoring items and swap those out first. Maybe you can only swap out one or maybe you can swap out five. This is a great starting point!
Choose a Few Safer Swaps- Once you have found the items you want to replace, my entire Organic Bunny website is full of my personal favorite swaps for my old conventional favorites. From botanically sourced retinol face creams to bacteria balancing body washes, you really can find a swap for anything you have now in my online store. Browse the categories for inspo! Have items you want to swap out but are not sure what the best swap is? Email us, we are here to help! [email protected]
Avoiding Greenwashing- While convenience is critical in life, the sad reality is, most mainstream stores do NOT carry truly clean items which may force you to compromise on your ingredient list if in a hurry. So many brands these days greenwash which means they market themselves as clean when really, they are not. Just a few examples of brands that you may think are clean but may not really be are- Tarte, Tatcha, Pacifica, YesTo, Origins, Supergoop, Que Bella, Pixi, Physician’s Formula, Method, Mrs. Meyers, When shopping in larger stores, you are also usually supporting larger brands like Proctor & Gamble or Unilever that do not truly care about human health and are, instead, capitalizing off the clean product trend. Be aware- Natural seals or labels at conventional stores are often still, not enough. Shop at stores that truly screen their products and are committed to ONLY selling you clean and effective products.
Filter Your Water- Sadly, commercial water is full of toxins, human carcinogens, herbicides, hormone disruptors, heavy metals, chlorine, fluoride and more chemicals that no one should be consuming regularly. Bottled water is not that much better as up to 40% of it is simply tap water, how crazy is that. Bottled water can also still contain toxic pollutants like arsenic so finding a reliable water filter is key for a reduced toxic load. I have been using the Berkey Filter for years now and it is still my top pick! You can read all about why we love it here and code ORGANICBUNNY saves ya $$!
Buy Organic Food- While it may not be possible to do all of the time, strive to buy as much organic food as possible. By making an effort to consume only organic foods, you are reducing your exposure to glyphosate and other carcinogenic pesticides or herbicides, genetically modified foods and antibiotics. Besides avoiding some of the most toxic chemicals around, eating Organic food also means getting better nutrition! There are endless studies out there now that showcase how much more beneficial organic foods are to our health with most containing higher levels of antioxidants and vitamins which is another reason choosing Organic is best for us. While I do personally eat plant-based, if you are going to consume meat, always make sure it is Organic, Wild, Humanely Raised, Grassfed and/or Non-GMO. What the animal eats and how it is treated makes a huge difference in your health. Conventional meats are raised on toxic, genetically modified foods and treated horribly. You then consume the fear, trauma, and toxins that animal was exposed to.
Eat More Plant-Based Foods- For years, I ate most of my diet from a box. Crackers, protein bars, cereal, boxed pasta, rice, etc… Even if they are “healthier” options, most of your diet should come from Organic, fresh and whole foods more than a box. A diet rich in organic fruits and veggies is ideal for optimal health! Many of you wanted info on how to eat more plant-based so here are a few of my favorite plant-based blogs- Ela Vegan, Veggies Don’t Bite, Pinch of Yum, Minimalist Baker, or check my Pinterest for lots of yummy ideas I have saved! For butter and cheeses, my faves are by Miyokos, I love their butter for everything, cheese spreads for crackers and mozzarella cheese for melting! Milk, I usually make my own fresh or buy a brand like Malk that has no gums or fillers!
Non-Toxic Cookware- Most people may not realize it but the methods we use in the kitchen are often lurking with toxins, from heavy metal leaching aluminum to carcinogenic non-stick coatings, what you cook with matters! We personally use Cast Iron by Finex as suggested off of Janny’s kitchen blog here. Our home does not have a microwave either so heating things up instead of microwaving, using parchment paper instead of foil, stasher bags instead of plastic Tupperware, etc. To see all of my faves for the kitchen, click my Amazon store here.
Dump Plastic- Let’s face it, our lives are drowning in hormone-disrupting plastic, so much that by 2050, it is estimated that our ocean will contain more plastic than fish, how insane is that? We use plastic water bottles and plastic straws, consume fish that consumes plastics from our waste, eat out of plastic, microwave food in plastic, use beauty products made of plastic, wrap our foods in plastic, feed our pets in plastic bowls, drink out of plastic cups, store our food in plastic Tupperware, use plastic for our groceries, etc… etc… Instead, opt for more eco-friendly, non-plastic options as often as you can, especially when it comes to water! Never drink plastic bottled water and opt for a glass water bottle instead. I personally carry a wide range of items like organic cotton produce bags and stainless steel straws! Check out all of my eco-friendly home options here.
Non-Toxic Cleaning Products- Another huge area of concern for me when starting was finding cleaning products that actually worked. I had a few old faves but some of the items were still so so. I finally discovered an entire brand that is not only super clean but has products for ALL uses in the home plus, I feel it’s super affordable! Click here for my blog on the best Non-Toxic Cleaning supplies, code included! Remember, kids and pets spend a ton of time on the floor so what you clean your home with matters!

Overall, these above tips are just a few of the best that I have learned over the years that I found useful so I sure hope that they help you too! Remember- baby steps are better than no steps so start where you can and before you know it, your routine will be super clean and you will be so glad you did it! As always, if you have any questions about any of the above, just shoot me an email! Happy almost 2020, may this be our best year yet ❤️