What is Clean Living?

Some may question "What is clean living?", "What does it entail exactly?". Well...it's not a fad, or a diet. It is a lifestyle choice. And it is WONDERFUL!

1) Get label savvy~ Start learning the ingredients in the products you are purchasing. If you can't pronounce it or have any idea what it is-investigate. Clean living foods are foods that are limited to one or two ingredients. Anything with a long ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean. You want a product that is in its purest form. Make things from scratch as much as you can. Again-purest form.

2) Avoid processed and refined foods. ( No white anything!)

3) Shop with a conscience~ Consume humanly raised and local meats if you are a meat eater. Support your local farmer's market. Any meat processed commercially has been put through the ringer. It is literally junk and unrecognizable metabolically by our bodies.

After learning about the toxic ingredients in many of our day to day products, I knew that I could do something different. I came across several recipes for making my own personal hygeine products like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, laundry soap, etc. I knew what I was putting on my body and I knew that it was a lot healthier than store bought products like Suave or Dove. (Those rate extremely high on the toxicity ratings.) I came across this website that put a lot product ingredients into perspective. http://www.natural-skincare-authority.com/index.html It helped me understand my label reading.

We grow as much of our own food as we can. (Apple trees, raspberries, strawberries, chokecherries, vegetables, chickens, and pigs.) I am still learning a lot about what grows well in Northern, MN as our summers are short! I have big, big plans for our garden this year. And lots and lots of canning and freezing in store for me. I have already begun drooling over seed catalogs. Can't wait for Spring!