Five Tips for Avoiding Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in 2022
The start of a New Year is always the time to ponder new beginnings—new habits we want to commit to, resolutions on moving toward a better version of ourselves, or simply showing up in the world as our true selves. Our goals can often be broad or specific. With so many ideas it can often become hard to deliver. If one of your New Year’s Resolutions is to live a healthier lifestyle, we can help! We have step-by-step opportunities for you to increase your well-being by eliminating everyday, household toxins from your life. Try these five practical tips in the coming year and check off those goals!
Removing chemical exposures can have a big impact. In fact, in her recent TEDx talk: EXPOSED, MADE SAFE Founder and Executive Director, Amy Ziff, shares from personal experience how removing harmful exposures made a powerful difference in her own life.
When it comes to reducing chemical burden, start with endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) because of their ubiquity in today’s world. EDCs are substances in the environment that mimic, block, or interfere with hormones in the body’s endocrine system, which is responsible for virtually every bodily function. EDCs throw off the endocrine system’s normal messaging resulting in health issues including cancer, obesity, and fertility problems. There are many different kinds of EDCs; some examples include phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). See our top tips below for practical ways to edge these hormone-disrupting chemicals out of your life.
1. Eliminate plastic from your kitchen.
One of the best places to begin is in the kitchen. Replace plastic wrap, bags, and Tupperware with alternatives like beeswax wrap and glass and stainless-steel containers. This will help you avoid EDCs like phthalates and bisphenols.
2. Ditch synthetic fragrance.
Toss products containing synthetic or undisclosed fragrance. Start with these top three offenders: air fresheners, dryer sheets, and scented cleaning products. This will help you avoid phthalates (and hundreds of other nasty chemical culprits as well). Phthalates are commonly used in fragrance products to enhance a product’s ability to hold scent.
3. Invest in your food.
Buy organic food or local food from a farmer you know whenever possible and cook at home. This is not just an investment in your diet but one in your health that will pay back for years to come as you avoid high-risk pesticides used in growing conventional foods. This also provides more control over what you are eating and it’s preparation, which limits processed foods and contamination.
4. Shop the MADE SAFE® seal.
MADE SAFE prohibits the use of known EDCs in Certified products, making it easy to steer clear of a whole host of EDCs. Start with what you need to buy next, as no one at MADE SAFE wants you to buy something unnecessary! And at the very least, be sure that you are reading ingredient labels to get an idea of what is contained in a product.
5. Educate yourself.
Check out our MADE SAFE Recommended Resources on books to get you started. The list includes books such as COUNT DOWN by Dr. Shanna Swann, SICKER, FATTER, POORER by Dr. Leo Trasande and OUR STOLEN FUTURE by Theo Colborn, Pete Myers, and Diane Dumanoski.
We hope that these tips will help you start off 2022 on the right foot. If you’d like to learn more about EDCs—what they are, where they’re found, and how to avoid them—check out our full guide on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!