The month of May has been filled with the most wholesome of times. Weddings, golf with friends, time at the beach with family and my dogs, travel, and gardening.

Last year, our garden was quite the failure. Weeds overtook the entire thing before anything was able to sprout. This year, we are already watching rows and rows of tomatoes, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, peppers, and green beans go from seeds, to small sprouts, to flowering vines, and now fruiting plants! 

One of my favorite childhood memories was the summer my mom and I grew so many tomatoes that we had trouble making enough tomato pie and tomato sandwiches to consume them all. 

This year, our garden is competing with that summer; and I’m ecstatic. As a tomato lover, you can really never have too many. I’m considering learning how to preserve and can so that these tomatoes can carry us into the fall through homemade marinara sauce and maybe even salsa.

This year, we sprouted so many seedlings that we actually helped 9 different families in our neighborhood start their own gardens as well! And the favor has been returned.

My neighbors have traded me herbs for my tomatoes and peppers for my cucumbers. Nothing gives me more joy than watching more and more people around me learn to grow their own food. And I love nothing more than my neighbors who bring their kids down on a daily basis to “check on Ms. Hannah and Mr. Ross’ garden”. 

And if you’re reading this and are curious about it, maybe too should start a garden. It’s not too late to run to the hardware store and pick up some larger plants and plant them in the ground. I challenge you this year (or in the future) to grow your own food. Start teaching your family about the importance of organic, pesticide free homegrown food and appreciate how difficult it can be to farm especially this day and age.

As promised from my last post, I have been working on a list of ways to invest in your health. In my previous post I discussed my list of Pennys – ways to prioritize your health with little to no cost.

2024 is the year we stop making excuses and allocate time and money to our health. If we don’t, the health issues will continue to pile up and so will the medical bills. This list below contains ways to buckle down and invest in your health with your time or money.


Invest

  1. Start a garden – Yep, you guessed it! This takes planning, time commitment throughout the season, and if you’ve never had a garden before there will be some cost involved. Organic food is getting more expensive by the day, so over time starting your own garden may actually save you money. And aside from that the reward for growing your own food is priceless!
  2. Ditch the toxic cookware – This is the year we finally recognize that nonstick cookware is wrecking our health. From the beginning, these can lead to health risks but once scratched (yes, even a very small scratch) toxins are leaching into our food and causing cancer, hormone issues, and thyroid dysfunction among countless other issues. Don’t let cooking from home be the reason you have health issues. The best alternatives are stainless steel (not aluminum) and cast iron. Once you master the craft of cooking on these surfaces they function just as well as nonstick and you will feel like a true chef!
  3. Ditch conventional household products – Bleach, dish detergents, laundry detergents, dish soap, spray cleaner, dryer sheets, the list goes on. This is arguably the most important place to start because these products are affecting you, anyone in your home, and anyone you have over or hug. If your cleaning products have a warning label on them, ditch them. I use a combination of Branch Basics, cleaning vinegar, and wellness products. The great thing about these is you buy one concentrate and mix it with water. It makes a cleaner for just about any purpose. Don’t let a clean home be the reason you get cancer, have allergies, or have hormonal imbalances. And beware of greenwashing (products that look nontoxic but are not) – NO Mrs. Meyers is not a nontoxic alternative. It is actually just as toxic as Clorox, just with a cute name and higher pricetag.
  4. Filter your air – Dust, mold, bacteria, off gassing of chemicals from your furniture, and fragrance are causing our indoor air to be the most polluted it’s been in history. It can be up to 100x more polluted than outdoor air. Prioritize clean air and invest in an air purifier. Your AC filter isn’t nearly enough. We have made our homes so airtight that the lack of air flow is actually putting our health at risk. I use AirDoctor air filtration systems and have 2 in my home. They do run a sale a few times a year and that’s when you should stock up! Be prepared for any house guests to say the air in your home feels crisp! 
  5. Filter your water – We are taught to believe that tap water is safe to drink. I’m here to tell you it is anything but safe, and a Brita filter isn’t doing anything except filtering for taste. The truth is that tap water is riddled with pharmaceuticals, debris, chemicals, bacteria, and fungus. To check what to filter for, check out the EWG tap water database to learn what is polluting the water in your city. Unfortunately, this water is not even safe to bathe in, because our skin is very absorbent and a hot shower opens us up even more to these contaminants. This is a place I’m still working to invest in. At this time, while I would love a whole home filtration system, I have a Clearly Filtered pitcher and water bottle that I take everywhere with me to ensure my drinking water is safe. I was hospitalized 2 years ago with a bacteria found in the Charlotte drinking water in “safe amounts”. The hospital bills alone had me immediately investing in clean drinking water.
  6. Ditch the plastic – Plastic wrap, plastic bags, but mostly plastic Tupperware, and anything you are heating up – you should replace with glass. Plastic is so prevalent in our bodies that it’s being found in the umbilical cords of new mothers and reproductive tissues of men. Invest in food storage that is not plastic – for example Pyrex glass storage is a great option. Silicone straws and bags are great replacements as well as beeswax covered wraps instead of plastic wrap. Buy your honey from the grocery store in a glass jar, as opposed to the plastic honey bear. I’m not here to say I never use plastic, but I minimize use of it where I can.
  7. Hire a functional medicine doctor – Have you seen multiple doctors for an issue and only ever been met with a prescription? Do you have unsolved allergies, arthritis, hormone imbalance, or GI issues? This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I highly recommend trying something new and seeing a functional provider. A functional medicine doctor is hired to get to the root cause of a health issue. They do not prescribe medication, however run extensive testing and get to the bottom of your symptoms. You’ll never be met with “we can’t run that because insurance says we can’t”. They will run much more extensive testing than what your Western medicine provider will run because the functional provider isn’t held down by your insurance company. And you’ll have a true listening ear rather than someone just writing a script for your symptoms. 
  8. Supplements – Odds are you’re deficient in nutrients. It’s inevitable given the declination of soil quality, prevalence of pharmaceuticals in our country, and the stress of modern day. A great place to start is addressing your diet and incorporating whole, real foods. Another great addition is pasture raised desiccated supplements. I have fine tuned my nutrient needs through functional testing with my doctor and have combatted health issues I was told were impossible to cure with these.
  9. Therapist – I am a firm proponent that everyone would benefit from seeing a therapist. Regardless of where you are and how you’re feeling, establishing a relationship with a therapist is amazing for your health. Don’t be like me, and establish care before you hit rock bottom.
  10. See a Holistic Chiropractor – If you’ve been here since the beginning, you know that my journey to heal began with my chiropractor. She was the first one who helped me see that I didn’t have to live with constant symptoms and diseases I was told were incurable. She helped me navigate through my body healing itself, and from then the healing never stopped. Start taking accountability for your health and support your nervous system through chiropractic!

I hope you enjoy my quick tips for a less toxic and healthier life. I’d love to hear about how it goes if you choose to implement any of these in your daily life!

Disclaimer: The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical concerns or conditions.