A Year Of Healthy Living: Monthly Steps Recommended by the Environmental Working Group to Avoid Toxic Chemicals, Protect Your Health and Save Money

Many parents and families want to live a cleaner, chemical-free life. However, making sweeping changes to incorporate healthier products in your family’s life can seem daunting. But making incremental changes can be easier and can add up over time to larger life changes you may be seeking for yourself and your family.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests making small changes over a year. This organization has put together monthly steps to help you create a healthier lifestyle, one free from toxic chemicals and wasteful materials and good for your family and the planet. Follow these smart solutions to healthier living every day.

January

Filter your tap water

Drinking plenty of clean water is important for your health. If your tap water is not from a pure source, consider using a water filter system.

Carbon filter pitchers, faucet mounts and large dispensers are inexpensive options. Reverse osmosis combined with a carbon filter is the most effective way of purifying water and an ion exchange filter will soften your water.

February

Pick safer cosmetics

The cosmetic industry is largely unregulated. Many cosmetic products contain dangerous chemicals. We need to become label readers and skip those products likely to contain dangerous chemicals, like hair dyes and chemical straighteners, loose powders and products containing artificial perfume or fragrances.

Whenever possible, avoid these common ingredients:

• DMDM hydantoin
• Diazolidinyl urea
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Ceteareth
• Polyethylene glycol or PEG
• Talc

March

Clean green

It would be easier to shop smarter if all ingredients in cleaning products were listed on the label, as is more commonly found with food and cosmetics. But the federal government doesn’t require full disclosure. So check labels for warnings and ingredients, not marketing claims.

Avoid products that contain:

• Glycols, glycol ethers and esters
• Sodium hypochlorite, found in chlorine bleach
• Quaternary ammonium compounds like benzalkonium chloride and other chemicals that end in “onium chloride”
• Propane, butane and isobutane propellants used in aerosol products
• Isothiazolinone and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
• Phthalates and synthetic musks, often hidden by the umbrella term “fragrance.”

Look for Environmental Protection Agency-registered products with these safer active ingredients, which are lower in toxicity compared to conventional actives:

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Ethyl alcohol, ethanol
• Citric acid
• L-lactic acid
• Caprylic acid or octanoic acid

April

Avoid pesticides

Pesticides and toxic chemicals are increasingly linked to serious health problem, especially in children, whose developing bodies are more vulnerable to chemical exposures than those of adults. Research shows some pesticides are linked to cancer, hormone disruption and cognitive and behavior problems.

To avoid pesticides on your food, buy organic when you can. When you can’t buy organic, buy less contaminated conventional foods. See EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen on page 86; and on the website, ewg.org to know when you can feel OK buying conventional.

May

Protect yourself from PFAS chemicals

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are “forever” chemicals that stay in the environment and you. PFAS build up in our bodies and never break down in the environment. They are present in a wide range of consumer products and commercial applications. Many studies link these chemicals to a variety of health harms, including:

• Testicular, kidney, liver and pancreatic cancer
• Reproductive problems
• Weakened immunity in children and adults
• Low birth weight
• Endocrine disruption
• Increased cholesterol
• Weight gain in children and dieting adults

To avoid PFAS exposure:

• Install a water filter
• Avoid packaged food and takeout containers lined with waterproof or greaseproof coatings.
• Wet-mop floors and use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove household dust that may contain PFAS.
• Choose stainless steel or cast-iron cookware over nonstick.
• Avoid fabrics treated with nonstick chemicals.
• Read the ingredients lists on your personal care products and choose products that don’t contain PFAS.

June

Choose a safer sunscreen

Sunscreen remains a crucial way to help prevent lasting skin damage and skin cancer caused by sun exposure. But it can be a challenge to find sunscreens that are effective and free from chemicals of concern that can harm humans and also aquatic life. EWG recommends avoiding these chemicals in sunscreens:

• Oxybenzone
• Vitamin A, also called retinyl palmitate
• Added insect repellant
• Avoid sprays, powders and products that are over 50 or under 15 SPF. Choose creams that contain zinc oxide or mineral actives.

July

Eat more sustainable proteins

Reduce your impact on the environment and improve your health by exploring your protein options, then pick a day to go meatless. On other days, try using meat as a flavor or a topping instead of the main dish.

Choose grass-raised or pasture-raised beef, and lean cuts of certified organic and humanely raised meat. Avoid highly processes meats containing nitrates and preservatives. Eat sustainable seafood, avoiding air-freighted fish and farmed salmon and shrimp.

August

Reduce your exposure to toxic BPA and its regrettable substitutes

You may find this month’s goal more challenging because of the widespread use of BPA (Bisphenol A) and harmful alternatives such as BPS. But EWG has some simple steps you can take to limit your exposure.

• Substitute fresh, frozen or dried food for canned
• Avoid polycarbonate – hard, clear plastics – marked with the recycling code #7 or the letters “PC.”
• Limit the amount of packaged and processed foods you eat. BPA may be used in the lids of glass jars and bottles and in tins and aerosol cans.
• Say no to paper receipts at stores, gas pumps, ATMs and other locations. If you’ve handled a receipt, wash your hands before preparing food or eating.

September

Create a healthier home

Look around for products that contain or emit toxic chemicals and choose safer alternatives with this simple checklist:

• Use cast-iron, stainless steel or glass instead of nonstick cookware.
• Choose glass or stainless steel over plastic and never microwave food in plastic containers.
• Use filtered water in a reusable stainless steel or glass water bottle instead of plastic.
• Cook with fresh, frozen or dried ingredients whenever possible instead of using canned food.
• Avoid the most toxic formulations of air fresheners.
• Choose either fragrance-free products or those that disclose their fragrance ingredients. Support companies that disclose all their ingredients.
• Skip laundry products you can do without like dryer sheets and fabric softener
• Choose furniture without chemical flame retardants. Don’t “protect” your fabrics and carpets with chemical stain guard treatments.
• Compact fluorescent light bulbs, also called cfls, contain mercury and should be handled and disposed of with care.
• Try to dust as much as possible, because chemicals from products lurk in household dust.
• If your wood deck, picnic table or playground set was made before 2005, your outdoor pieces likely contain arsenic. Replace them with safer wood or reduce exposure by sealing it.

October

Stay nourished and save money

We’ve all heard the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away—but which other foods pack in a lot of nutrients at a good price? Here are EWG-approved suggestions:

• Pears have more fiber, potassium and folate than an apple.
• Avocados contain more potassium than bananas, with more fiber and less sugar for about the same cost as a tangerine.
• Parsley packs a punch as potent as kale for a quarter of the cost.
• Sweet potatoes contain twice the fiber, potassium and vitamin A of carrots.
• Try goat, which costs the same as ground beef, with more iron and less saturated fat.
• A serving of lentils or pinto beans is a quarter of the cost of turkey. Turkey is one of the cheapest animal sources of protein, but produces one tenth of the greenhouse gas emissions.

November

Cook with safer utensils

Skip the nonstick, so you don’t breathe toxic fumes while cooking on high heat. Replace plastic tongs and spatulas with safer alternatives like bamboo utensils and ditch plastic storage containers.

December

With all the cooking and shopping you probably do during the holiday season, it’s easy to forget to celebrate sustainably.

This year, why not make the festive season a celebration of healthy living? Challenge yourself to carry out at least one of the tips below—you may inspire your friends and family to follow your lead.

• Carry items to family and friend gatherings in a reusable bag. A sleek grocery bag makes a nice gift for the host.
• Bring your own cup —like Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel pint cups—so you can avoid single-use party cups.
• Bring a seasonal dish for your holiday potlucks, and shop the farmers markets for loads of fresh, organic veggies for dinner. It’s healthy for you, your family and friends and it’s easier on the environment than meat-heavy dishes.