We all want to achieve a certain level of health within our lives. Working out and eating well are the most common ways to achieve healthy living but another way to achieve healthier living is through the products that we use every day. Just because a wide variety of products are available at our disposal doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re healthy for us. Using safe alternatives to commonly used products is one of the best ways to take our health to the next level. Keep reading on to find the easiest and healthiest substitutes for a healthier lifestyle.
Sunscreen:
Taking proper care of our skin is so important. With summer still here, we need to be sure to protect our skin from harmful UV rays. When looking for sunscreen, there are two options: mineral and non-mineral. Non-mineral sunscreens are more widely available in-store but that doesn’t exactly make them the safest option. With ingredients such as oxybenzone, fragrances, and retinol or vitamin A included, it’s been recommended by the Environmental Working Group to apply mineral-based sunscreens instead. Mineral-based sunscreens will have zinc oxide or titanium dioxide included as active ingredients but be sure to double check and read each label to make sure they don’t contain any of the potentially harmful ingredients mentioned above.
Hair Dye:
Whether you want to go full blonde or apply subtle highlights, coloring your hair is a common thing. But with many hair dyes containing sulfates and parabens, applying these kinds of chemicals can affect your hair health. Not only can these kinds of chemicals remove natural oils from your scalp and hair but in doing so, can leave your hair often dry and brittle. In order to make sure you have the healthiest hair possible, apply vegan hair dye as a safe alternative to traditional hair dye instead. As these kinds of products only include natural ingredients, it will give your hair the safest kind of color possible. The next time you have the urge to give your hair a change, use a plant-based hair color such as this to ensure that you are using only the healthiest kind of dye available.
Deodorant:
As most people love to smell as fresh as possible, deodorant is a highly popular personal care item you’re guaranteed to find in most people’s cabinets. But even though deodorant is widely available, not all forms of deodorant are healthy for us. Many deodorants contain parabens, triclosan, and phthalates. There’s also the concern that deodorant including aluminum can lead to breast cancer in women. While there has been no conclusive evidence made on the link between aluminum-based deodorants and breast cancer, if you’re looking for healthier and possibly safer options, aluminum-free deodorant might be the best option for you. Here are the most recommended aluminum-free deodorants that will have you smelling fresh the all-natural way!
Natural Medicine:
We all know how expensive medicine can get. If you want to take a more organic approach to treating yourself, try incorporating natural remedies instead. A common issue many people have is anxiety and depression. If you don’t want to have to rely on pharmaceuticals, you can try the more organic approach of going to therapy, trying yoga, or even having a cup of green tea or chamomile tea. You might wonder how tea can help be a natural and helping alternative but studies have shown that L-theanine, often found in green tea, can help with a rising heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety. The same goes for chamomile as a study found that people with generalized anxiety disorder had a significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms when having chamomile supplements.
If you’re often healthy but come down with a case of the sniffles as we all occasionally do, instead of grabbing the cold medicine, try alternative healing methods such as aromatherapy oils, tea with honey, plenty of hydration as well as Vitamin C. No matter what kind of ailment or illness you have, you’ll find there are natural solutions to almost all of them.
Food:
Maintaining a healthy diet can be one of the hardest tasks to accomplish. It can be incredibly easy to be a yo-yo dieter or just not diet at all if you’re not good with restricting yourself. But so often, how we feel is determined by the food we eat. If you’re trying to eat healthier, start with cutting out certain things on weekdays such as alcohol and sweets. While it may be tempting to unwind with a glass of wine or your favorite candy after a long day of work, waiting till the end of the week will only make your favorite indulgences taste that much better!
You can also find easy substitutes for everyday eating. For example, the next time you’re making dinner and want to make rice as a side, skip the whole grain rice and instead make cauliflower rice. Not only will this make you feel fuller but it’s also significantly less calories than normal rice. You’ll find through your search that eating healthier doesn’t have to be a challenge, it’s just making easy and simple substitutes to common foods that can help you achieve a healthier diet.
Drinks:
Even though products such as soda and juices are commonly consumed doesn’t mean that they’re healthy. With these kinds of drinks including large amounts of sugar, studies show that an excessive amount of consumption can increase your chances of obesity and an increased risk of illness. The easiest place to start with drinking healthier options is by limiting your options at home. Sticking to drink options such as water, tea, coconut water, and healthy smoothies will allow yourself to change up what you’re drinking but also ensure that you’re consuming only the healthiest options possible. As it can be easy to get tired of drinking plain water day in and day out, infuse your water with fruit to give yourself a sweeter but satisfying healthy option. Soon enough, you won’t even be missing the taste of artificial sweeteners!
