10 Swaps to Decrease Toxic Load!

Here are 10 low-toxic alternatives to things you use on a daily basis to decrease your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and improve your fertility.

In my previous blog post, Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: What you need to know to improve your Fertility, I discussed what EDCs are and how they affect your hormones and fertility. In this post, I wanted to give you some real-life swaps that would help to decrease your toxic load and that would make a positive impact on your fertility.

Are you looking to make some changes but don't know where to start? Here are 10 Swaps that will give you something to think about!

Swap #1 - Plastic food storage/water bottles for glass food storage/glass or stainless steel water bottles

Plastic food storage containers contain BPAs and phthalates. Due to public concern and regulatory restrictions, BPA has been discontinued in many products, many of which are labeled "BPA-free" (2). This has prompted companies to use other bisphenols, such as BPAF, BPB, BPF, BPM, BPS, and BPTMC, instead. These are also EDCs but have not been as heavily studied as BPA. (I'm going to geek out with some high school Chemistry class here, bear with me!) BPAs and phthalates have non-covalent bonds which means the chemicals leach out of the item into the food or water being stored in the container. This is the issue! In women, bisphenol exposure has been linked to anovulation, altered menstrual cycle lengths, poor IVF outcomes, and infertility (2).

Switching to glass food storage containers and stainless steel or glass water bottles not only decreases your toxic load but is environmentally friendly also!

Swap #2 - Non-stick cookware for stainless steel, cast iron, or ceramic-coated cookware

Non-stick pans/cookware contain PFAS or "forever chemicals". PFAS has been shown to disrupt normal ovarian function, menstrual cycle length, and decreased mature eggs collected in the IVF treatments (2).

Swap them out for cast iron, stainless steel, or ceramic-coated pan/cookware as a low-toxic alternative.

Swap #3 - Aluminium Foil for unbleached parchment paper

Aluminium has been linked to causing damage to the testes and ovaries (2). It is also linked to many other diseases and adverse health issues such as Alzheimer's Disease, certain types of cancers, Crohn's Disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, infertility, and many, many more (1).

Unbleached parchment paper is a great low-toxic option. If you are not looking to replace your non-stick or aluminium sheet pans, you can line them with unbleached parchment

paper to decrease aluminium absorption into the food you are cooking.

Swap #4 - Plastic kitchen utensils for stainless steel, bamboo, or silicone utensils

See Swap #1 for details about BPAs and phthalates which plastic kitchen utensils contain.

Swap these out for stainless steel, bamboo, or silicone kitchen utensils.

Swap #5 - Multi-purpose cleaner for Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap

Conventional multi-purpose cleaners contain EDCs such as triclosan, artificial fragrances, phthalates, parabens, etc. Triclosan is used as an antimicrobial. Tea tree oil is a natural antimicrobial and can be added to a homemade cleaning solution to give it an added boost.

As an alternative try Dr. Bronner's, Pure Castile Liquid Soap. This soap has many more uses than just a multi-purpose cleaner; 18-in-1 uses. This soap is a concentrate, which means it needs to be diluted with water, here is Dr. Bronner's Cheat Sheet for its multiple uses.

I use this for my multi-purpose cleaner in the kitchen, shower, and as hand soap.

• For multi-purpose solution: 1/4 cup of soap to 1 quart (1L) of water in a spray bottle, plus 1/4 tsp. tea tree essential oil

• For foaming soap dispensers: 1:3 ratio of soap to water

Swap #7- Conventional glass cleaner for distilled white vinegar and water

Instead of conventional glass cleaner try a mixture of distilled white vinegar and water for a low-toxic streak-free shine.

• For glass cleaner: 1:10 ratio of distilled white vinegar to water in a spray bottle.

Another low-toxic alternative is Norwex clothes and water. You'll need 2 Norwex clothes, wet one of the clothes, use the wet cloth to wash the window and the dry one to dry it. It is really that simple.

Swap #8 - Dryer sheets for dryer ball and essential oils

Dryer sheets contain phthalates among other EDCs. Instead, try dryer balls, these can be wool or hypoallergenic. This is not only a low-toxic alternative but is also environmentally friendly as they are reusable.

You can also add a few drops of your favorite organic essential oil to the dry balls if you are missing the artificial fragrances from dry sheets.

Swap #9 - Take outdoor shoes off at the door

Instead of wearing your outdoor shoes in the house, try taking them off at the door. Think of all the places you go to on a typical day, that is where your shoes have been! The grocery store, gas station, public restrooms, coffee shops, parking lots, playgrounds, sports fields, doctor's offices, work, etc. You get the idea. All the chemicals, germs, and bacteria from your outings get collected on the bottom of your shoes and get tracked into your house.

This is a simple way to decrease your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and it doesn't cost you a penny!

Swap #10 -Conventional Feminine Products for organic, low-toxic feminine products

Conventional Feminine products are full of EDCs, such as artificial fragrances and colors, chlorine dioxide (bleaching agent), harsh additives, pesticide-soaked cotton, petroleum-based foams, and plastics.

Your vaginal tissue is very absorptive, which means anything that goes in your vagina, (for example, tampon or menstrual cup) or against your vulva (for example, pad, period underwear, incontinence briefs) your body will absorb the chemicals that are in them! So I implore you to READ LABELS!!!!!!

Look for products that use 100% organic cotton and that are fragrance, chlorine bleach, paraben, PBA, and phthalate free. There are many low-toxic feminine product brands out there but here are a few brands for you to start you out:

• Lola

• CORA

• Rael

• Honey Pot

Final thoughts...

These are all swaps I have personally made over the years and found to be a good fit for my household. I hope these swaps were helpful. Anything you can do to decrease your toxic load is beneficial to not only your hormones and fertility but your overall health!

Be kind to yourself. Change is hard. Small sustainable changes can add up and will lead to a healthier you.

If you are interested in 1:1 hormonal health or fertility coaching for help with menstrual health issues or infertility, please reach out at info@kjdwellness.com

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Thanks for being here and your time! :)

Disclaimer:

Remember: this post is for informational purposes only and may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.

Resources:

1. Igbokwe IO, Igwenagu E, Igbokwe NA. Aluminium toxicosis: a review of toxic actions and effects. Interdiscip Toxicol. 2019 Oct;12(2):45-70. doi: 10.2478/intox-2019-0007. Epub 2020 Feb 20. PMID: 32206026; PMCID: PMC7071840.

2. Land, K. L., Miller, F. G., Fugate, A. C., and Hannon, P. R. (2022). The effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on ovarian- and ovulation-related fertility outcomes. Molecular Reproduction and Development. 2022;89:608–631. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23652

3. La Merrill, M. A., Vandenberg, L. N., Smith, M. T., Goodson, W., Browne, P., Patisaul, H. B., Guyton, K. Z., Kortenkamp, A., Cogliano, V. J., Woodruff, T. J., Rieswijk, L., Sone, H., Korach, K. S., Gore, A. C., Zeise, L., & Zoeller, R. T. (2019). Consensus on the key characteristics of endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a basis for hazard identification. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 16(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0273-8