My Favorite Things List For the Holidays -Nontoxic Gifts for the Home
Have you started making your holiday list? Now is a great time to add items to your wishlist! Add items that will promote and help support your healthy gut and overall health-related goals. As a GI doctor, I always tell my patients to focus on their health as a total package. We don’t want to trying to spot treat with targeted remedies. Everything is interconnected! Things like the air you breathe and the water you drink can have huge impacts on your gut health and immune system. Yes, even if you are otherwise eating a clean and healthy diet.
Understanding the importance of non-toxic living
We all know it’s important to eat right, drink water, and take care of our bodies, but the environment around us is a huge part of healthy living… and I am not just talking about the world’s atmosphere! Our homes can be extremely ridden with toxins if we allow it!
Here are some mind-blowing statistics for you. The average modern home contains 62 toxic chemicals which is more than chemistry labs at the turn of the century. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also concluded that indoor air is 3 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air.
The chemicals in our homes can have a deleterious effect on our gut microbiome which acts as the command center for our overall health. This might all sound a bit overwhelming but, there are a number of simple changes that you can make for you and your family immediately and over time to combat this. Being aware of the facts and being a conscious consumer are the first steps! So why not start with your holiday shopping?
Nontoxic Gift Ideas for the Home
You get an air purifier! And you get an air filter! While I wish I could pull an Oprah and gift all of my patients with these amazing products, eliminating the guesswork by sharing my “favorite things” is the next best option. With so many products on the market, it’s overwhelming to research and determine which ones are up to par.
I always warn friends and patients to watch out for “greenwashing” or companies that use creative packaging and marketing schemes to make customers feel like they are purchasing safe products, when in reality they just look the part.
While I have collaborated with some of the brands to provide discount codes and other specials for you, this is because I whole-heartedly believe in the products and can validate the safety and quality of them. Without further ado, here are my all-time favorite nontoxic products.
AirDoctor is an air purifying system that contains an ultra Hepa filter which filters out particles as small as 0.003 microns, meaning it catches even the smallest of viruses and other particles! For a discount, click here.
Water Filter
We have to drink water to survive and the fact of the matter is, it’s almost impossible for public drinking water to be free of contaminants. Also, since most drinking water is transported in plastic bottles, this presents the risk of chemicals and microplastics seeping into the water. For these reasons, I recommend investing in a water purifier. I highly recommend AquaTru since it filters the widest range of particles out of all of the options on the market! There are other good options on the market, but this is the one I chose for my family after extensive research. For a discount code and to learn more, check out the AquaTru Countertop Water Purifier.
Nontoxic cleaning products
important to regularly clean your home, but harsh cleaning products can release volatile compounds into the air in your home which can get into your system and damage your microbiome. Brand Basics is my go-to brand for cleaning products because their products start from concentrate which is good for the environment and, unlike some nontoxic products out there, they get the job done and don’t leave behind residue. Since making the switch more than a year ago, we have saved money, noticed our home is cleaner and have felt reassured by the quality of their non-toxic product. This year, Branch Basics is doing something they have never done before for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. They are offering 20% off their entire site. Gift cards are excluded. With subscriptions, customers will receive 20% off their first order, then 10% off ongoing orders. The sale will start 12 am EST (11/24) and end 11:59 pm HST (11/28).
Naturepedic Organic Cotton Pillows
Pillows are such a critical part of getting a restful night’s sleep. I love these cotton pillows. They are made of organic material. They come in two different densities depending on how soft or firm you like your pillows. These pillows are made of a PLA batting filler, which is a fiber-based, non-toxic material that is also made of a 100% renewable resource! So when you lay your head down at night, you can rest at ease knowing you are sleeping on a pillow that is supporting your overall gut health.
iRobot Roomba
As with the air purifier, keeping your home clean is essential to your overall health. With kids and pets, this can be a big challenge. Do you find yourself vacuuming and sweeping multiple times a day? A Roomba is a great solution. You program it to run whenever you’d like, and it does the hard work for you. Is there any greater gift than a few minutes of time back into your busy day?
Gardyn: Indoor Home Garden
Gardyn is a company focused on reaching all communities with healthy, fresh ingredients. With Gardyn, you are able to grow food in your own home, free from pesticides. This offers a smaller environmental footprint than traditional produce. Looking for a way to reduce your grocery bill and start your own home garden? Gardyn is a great company to help you get started. It is an indoor gardening system that allows customers to grow 30 large plants on auto-pilot. It’s truly a garden of the future and uses AI technology to produce a bountiful harvest with a minimal footprint!
Organic Cotton Socks
Everyone knows the age-old joke about getting socks, underwear, etc., for a gift, but they do make great stocking stuffers. It’s hard to find just the right thing to fit in the toe of your stocking, insert, and socks. And these cotton ones are warm, soft, and made with organic fibers! It’s also a company that is focused on sustainability and the fair treatment of workers.
Organic Recycled Full Zip
The company that makes this sweatshirt, econscious, is a sustainable textile company. They are focused on reducing the impacts of clothing creation on our environment. By using certain recycled fibers, they reduce textile waste and limit the amount of water used. This creates a significantly smaller overall environmental footprint. They are dedicated to sustainable practices! They work only with factories that ensure a healthy and safe working environment for their employees.
Cotton Short Sleeved Shirts
Who doesn’t love to pull out a soft cotton tee to wear? These are perfect as undershirts or a standard t-shirt. Also made by econscious, they are sustainably created with organic cotton.
Gut Health Guides & Resources
I have developed gut health guides to equip you and your family with everything you need to know about all aspects of gut health, including nontoxic living. You can purchase my Intro to Gut Health or Plant-Forward during Pregnancy guides. Why not gift them to friends and loved ones interested in improving their health? I also have several free guides on my website. At Planted Forward, we have developed a system for treating patients that takes an integrative approach to healthcare. This is outside of the parameters of the normal healthcare system. We focus on the whole patient – mind, body, and soul. Gifting a loved one with quality healthcare could be the gift that keeps on giving. You can learn more about Planted Forward, here.
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