RAW Lifestyle Changes - Beyond just the food. by
John Kohler (Earth Day 2001)
http://www.living-foods.com
I have become aware of many things on my "Raw
Path".. This article is here to share with you some of the
non-food related changes I have made in my lifestyle that
complement my diet related path to optimize my health, energy
and well-being.
When I first went raw, I used all the "standard"
products- i.e.: toiletries (aquafresh toothpaste, paul mitchell
shampoo, ivory soap, edge shaving gel, etc.). I had no idea how
bad these products were for my health!
When becoming raw, and started to detox my body,
I found that many of these products contain some "nasty"
ingredients, that I believe were not good for my system.. After
all I was suppose to be "de-toxifying".. and without other
lifestyle changes, I would "re-toxify" myself....
So why would I want to put all these toxins back
into my body? Some of the primary ingredients that I am now
weary of: anything with alcohol, sodium laurel sulfate, or any
other "big words" I can't pronounce or don't know what they
are... I mean-- what is raw foods about anyway? Its about
getting back to nature, and eating simply- whole, uncooked and
minimally processed foods.
I believe that in life, we should reduce toxins
in our environment such as we do with our diet. (Minimally
processed, and natural as possible products.)
Skin is the largest organ of our body. Is it
permeable? Many think, no.. But think again. Yes, its very
permeable, and things we put on our skin, get absorbed into our
body. It also works the other way. The skin also excretes
toxins, if its not clogged up... To cleanse the skin, I
recommend dry skin brushing with a skin brush. (Available in
many health food stores)
Here are some of the areas that I have changed:
SHOWERING: Chlorine found in many "city" water
systems is REALLY TOXIC STUFF. Do you drink purified water? I
sure hope so.. Why put chorinated water on your skin or breathe
it? That's what you are doing every time you take a shower. Here
is a quote:
"Not only is chlorine absorbed through the skin,
but also vaporizes in the shower, inhaled into the lungs and
transferred directly into the blood system. In fact, chlorine
exposure form one shower is equal to an entire day's amount of
drinking the same water. Therefore, drinking filtered or bottled
water addresses only half the problem"
At my residence, I have installed a shower
filter, and when I travel, I take a shower filter with me to
install at the hotel. I have noticed softer skin and more
vibrant hair after installing the filter. An affordable shower
filter with replaceable element can be found here.
SOAP: Now days, I use little natural soap (such
as dr. bronners, or hand made soap (with few ingredients) from a
farmers market). I use no deodorant, since its just not needed.
Many days I take a shower with only water.. Do animals take
showers or baths with soap? Do they use shampoo?
SHAVING: I couldn't believe a good friend who
has been raw for a number of years still using a "natural"
shaving cream.. I had him list the ingredients, and one of them
was the same ingredient that is in antifreeze for cars! I said,
what are you doing? Do you want to shave with antifreeze? Now
days I use a little soap with some jojoba oil ( a little goes a
long way). I get really close shaves with the oil and soap)
DRYING HAIR: I never use a blow dryer. They are
one of the highest sources of EMF (Electromagnetic Fields).. I
just towel dry and air dry my hair.
DEODORANT: I don't use any. Once your body gets
"clean", you shouldn't need any. If you really must use some, I
have seem some "crystal" products that may be better that other
products.
TOOTHPASTE: I don't use anything with fluoride
in it. I don't use anything with Sodium Laurel Sulfate. I use
natural toothpaste's or tooth powders with all natural
ingredients.
PERFUMES/COLOGNES: Many just nauseate me.. I had
a college instructor who was allergic to all scents, she said
that most are made with formaldehyde. Now days I use only
essential oils for perfume/cologne.
AIR FRESHENER: I use essential oils
(aromatherapy) for freshing the air, or if its really bad, I get
out the Air Wise - air purifier
WORKING ON MY CAR: When working on my car (such
as changing the oil, etc.), I ALWAYS wear gloves to minimize
contact with oil, grease, etc.
TOILET PAPER Many toilet paper and paper towels
are made from "virgin" (non-recycled paper). I have switched to
using recycled toilet paper that is not "bleached with chlorine"
(which releases toxic dioxins into the environment). Read more
about it here.
PAPER TOWELS: I'm working towards reducing all
paper towel use. I strive to use sponges and cloth towels
whenever needed when cleaning.
TISSUE PAPER/NAPKINS: Before I was raw, I can
remember getting runny noses, blowing my nose, etc., now days,
this rarely ever occurs, so I no longer purchase tissue paper. I
do not purchase napkins either, and use cloth napkins or a cloth
towel when needed.
CLEANING PRODUCTS: "Standard" cleaning products
in "supermarkets" are toxic. I recommend cleaning products that
are from yesteryear, like grandma use to use- i.e.: lemon juice,
vinegar, etc.. Or try some less toxic cleaners available in
health food stores..
TECHNOLOGY I have even gone so far to cut out
some "technology" out of my life, which may pose health risks.
I believe one of the biggest health risks in
todays world is CELL PHONES. When I use a cell phone, or if one
is in CLOSE PROXIMITY to me, and being used, I will get a
headache. I believe that I am really sensitive to the energy
fields that the cell phone produces.. Therefore I believe they
are not good to use... and toxic... It surprised me when at a
recent raw food dinner in Santa Monica, California how many
people had cell phones at the event! I do however have a pager
in case there is some sort of emergency. Since pagers do not
have to TRANSMIT, they do not give me the same headache. Lately,
I heard on the news that several cell phone manufacturers were
being sued by people "claiming" that they cause cancer.. Hmmm.
maybe my head is trying to tell me something?? Just listen to
your body, and all will be revealed.
While I believe the computer is a "great tool",
I believe in minimizing any risk factors that may arise due to
its use.
COMPUTER MONITORS (glass picture tubes) or CRT
may be another health hazard from research I have done. Since
most of my day is spent behind a CRT, I decided to purchase a
"FLAT SCREEN LCD" monitor, which doesn't pose the same risk as a
CRT screen. I have noticed I feel more "calm" after switching to
the LCD panel. While the text on the screen is comparable, for
fast action graphics (such as games or watching movies, or even
viewing pictures- the quality is just not the same). The prices
recently for the LCD screens have been coming down lately. A 15"
can be had for about $500, and a 18" for about $1000.
To check for EMF (Electro Magentic Field)
Exposure, I purchased a "cell sensor" which is a meter to
measure EMF. Its amazing to walk around the house and see how
much EMF is around, and how much it dissipates with distance.
In order to mitigate the effects from EMF on my
person, and increase my personal energy or "chi", I purchased a
Q-Link Pendant. Before and after purchasing the Qlink, I had
kirilian photography done, which showed the energy increase
after using the qlink. Read more about the Q-Link here. If your
interested in purchasing a "Qlink Classic Pendant", email me. I
may have some still available at 20% off the retail price.
To mitigate the effects of EMF throughout my
house, I purchased 3 tachyon discs. According to the Tachyon Web
site: "Electromagnetic fields lose their negative effects when
they become coherent through the unified field of Tachyon.". I
figured that the discs "couldn't hurt", and after I received a
recommendation from a friend, I went ahead and purchased them..
Learn more about Tachyon here
RECYCLING: I also strive to recycle more, and
help save mother earth. You can help by using a cloth bag,
backpack or bring a cardboard box when shopping, Minimally reuse
your paper bags to carry your food away from the supermarket..
(many markets will even give you a "bag credit" for doing this).
Be sure to compost all your fruit and veggie items! (I purchased
a worm composting bin).
Hopefully you will (or already have) implemented
some of the above less toxic solutions to "optimize" your health
as I have mine.
john@living-foods.com, is the webmaster and
creator of the Living and Raw Foods Online community which
currently recieves over 2,500 visitors a day. He has led a
"healthy' lifestyle since 1995 when he started on the living and
raw foods path by juicing. He started the web site in 1997 to
educate the world about the living and raw food word.
