Tonya Harris - The Slightly Greener Method: Detoxifying Your Home Is Easier, Faster, and Less Expensive than You Think

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Books . Change . Lives .

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Books . Change . Lives .

Why Slightly Greener

Youve probably seen headlines like Toxins Are All Around Us on the news or in your Facebook feed. Although most of those articles are clickbait backed by dubious science, their underlying message is true. Our modern world is filled with more harmful substances than ever before. But the good news is that making small changes to become slightly greener can make you and your family significantly healthier.

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

This Maya Angelou quote distills the essence of the Slightly Greener Method. I repeat it often when I teach clients how to reduce their toxin exposure, showing them how harmful chemicals can be found in nearly every product they bring into their homes, which is often quite shocking for them. Doing better refers to becoming slightly greener once you know how. It means making small changesslowly over timeto avoid toxins in the foods you eat, the personal care products you use, and the cleaning products you buy. Notice Ms. Angelou didnt say, Be perfect! She also didnt say, Shame on you for not knowing earlier!

When I meet someone new and explain that I teach people how to eliminate toxins for a living, they stare back at me with wide eyes. I see their fear and the thoughts racing through their mind: Please dont tell me I can give my kids cancer by feeding them hot dogs. But once I explain that small changes over time can drastically reduce overall toxin exposure, their face softens. Then I add, Sticking with those changes, even for just a few days, can have a tremendous impact on your health. Now they are hanging on my every word. I go on to explain that the approach Ive developed to reduce toxin exposure, the Slightly Greener Method, is simple, inexpensive, fun, and doesnt require being a domestic diva. Then they smile. At this point, Ive earned a new client or a made new friendusually both.

Toxins lurk in much of the food we feed children, as well as in personal care products like shampoo, soap, and toothpasteeven ones labeled for babies and toddlers. These chemicals can affect every aspect of kids health and wellness, including learning and behavior. In this book, I will teach you easy tips and tricks for making your home slightly greenerand your family significantly healthierin ways that will transform your life. Youll also be a bit horrified at what you learn, all the sneaky and deceptive ways toxins have crept into your home, your food, and the very air you breathe. You might scream, pull your hair out, or hurl this book so hard against the wall that the windowpanes shake. Its OK.

After reading this book, you wont wake up and magically have a fully detoxified, chemical-free home. You cant blink and make all the harmful toxins disappear. However, you will be more educated. And with your new knowledge, you can make small, impactful changes. With each one, youll feel healthier. As you stick with them, youll feel lighter and calmer too.

When my clients first learn about how much gnarly stuff theyve been shoveling into their mouths and slathering on their skin, they get uncomfortableand they feel guilty.

Oh no, they think. Ive been pouring chemicals all over my kids. On their skin! In their mouths! (And in mine.) I remind them of Maya Angelous words: When you know better, do better. If you learn anything from this book, its that guilt can be just as toxic as hidden chemicals. I empower my clients to take back control. And I dont allow them to listen to the inner voice that says, How could you?

You didnt know. I didnt either.

But now we do.

Rule number one of the Slightly Greener Method? No guilt allowed!

On my dresser at home, I have a photo of my son Eric on his first birthday. Hes sitting in his high chair, all adorable with chubby cheeks, drool on his chin. In that image, hes holding a fistful of birthday cake, preparing to cram it into his mouth. Right there on his high chair, in huge letters across the plastic tray smothered with icing and cake, it reads: MICROBAN. I bought that particular high chair because it was made of antibacterial plastic. No germs getting in this babys mouth! I said. It was 1999, and back then, I had no idea that Microban is a brand name for triclosan, an endocrine disruptor. Youll learn all about endocrine disruptors, the nasty health problems they cause, and how to avoid them in this book. Back then, I didnt know. Eric wasnt eating many germs, but boy was he was shoveling harmful endocrine disruptors into his mouth by the handful! Do the best you can until you know better. As human beings, and especially as parents, most of us do what we think is right. We believe that someone out there will prevent us from bringing harmful substances into our homes. Sadly, that person doesnt exist. Many new parents think, No one would put dangerous chemicals in baby products, right?

Wrong.

Before I became an environmental toxin expert, I assumed someone else was taking care of it. Health food company CEOs? The FDA? What about pediatricians? Theyre alerting parents about the dangers they need to know about, right? Although doctors provide valuable, life-saving expertise, protecting us from dangerous chemicals in consumer products isnt always a service they provide. When was the last time your doctor said, Hmm, your son is having attention issues. What kind of toothpaste does he use? Or, Does he consume foods that contain a lot of artificial colors? There arent always screening questions at the pediatricians office for environmental toxinsat least not yet.

For the past five years, my business, Slightly Greener, has filled the void that most peopleespecially parentsneed. I teach micro changes and habits for reducing toxins in your home without wrecking your budget, your relationships, or even your day. The key is starting small, sticking with it, and building from there. Ask anyone who knows me. I cant cook, I say, but I can whip up twenty-two chap sticks in four minutes. If I can do it, so can you. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, just outside Chicago. People from my hometown wave to one another, work hard, and enjoy life to the fullest. I apply that same Midwestern sensibility to the Slightly Greener lifestyle. You dont have to sacrifice happiness to be healthy. I wont ask you to throw away that giant bag of Cheetos in your pantry.

If you remove all the fun from life (an occasional scoop of bright blue ice cream or spritz of your favorite perfume), then its no longer living. But if you can buy or make healthy products 80 percent of the time, you can still eat hot dogs occasionally. You dont have to exist on blades of grass (organic, of course!) and tree bark, I promise. Ill show you how to pick and choose which products to allow in your fridge, your pantry, your medicine cabinet, and under your sink. Together, well toss out the most harmful products in your home. The Slightly Greener Method is like decluttering with an added health boost. Goodbye, chemicals. Hello, health and organization.

Genetics, nutritional status, and general overall health can also play powerful roles in how our bodies handle chemicals. Our general health impacts how and when we will feel the effects of toxins. If youre in good health overall, youre in a better position to process and eliminate harmful chemicals. Illnesseven as mild as a coldcan decrease your tolerance to household chemicals. Stress can also affect the bodys ability to handle and process toxic chemicals. I always tell clients: implement just a few small changes at a timewhichever ones feel easiest for you