Hello and welcome back to the Gubba podcast! I’m Gubba, a first time homesteader following in the footsteps of my homesteading forbears. In this podcast I discuss prepping, homesteading, and everything in between.
Today I am going to dive into getting rid of the toxic items in your home and what to replace them with. I never realized until a few years ago that our environment is swimming in toxins.
Seriously, we are surrounded by harmful elements that are disrupting our body’s natural system. Our hormones seem to be the ones under fire the most. From the light bulbs in our house to what we store our food in, it appears as if nothing is safe anymore. So let’s dive in to some common household items, and see how we can swap them out.
How to switch to a non-toxic lifestyle?
Also, this podcast isn’t meant to instill fear. It is to inform. I am grateful for all of the loud voices that spoke up and continue to speak up, so I can learn. I would rather know the truth about the products that surround us than sit in the dark on them.
I understand this is a delicate subject because whenever I make videos about items I don’t use anymore because I care about my health – people are in an uproar. This is because we grew up in a toxic environment and are used to it being normal, so when I come and say hey your face washes and moisturizers are disrupting hormones and the ultra-processed food your consuming is causing cancer, people are angry because this makes them have to question their reality.
I think that we should seek truth and not be afraid if the truth counters our identity or what we know as reality. I think we should question our norm, but don’t let it consume us. People say that this information causes harm because it inspires anxiety, but that’s what I mean—it doesn’t have to consume you. Just be aware and make adjustments if you want to.
Let’s start with a recent experience I had. I went to a gathering and I had to go put something in the fridge inside this person’s home. I walked in and was hit with synthetic fragrance from the air freshener that was billowing out chemicals from the wall.
My immediate thought was “oh no, I got to get out of here.” Because I know how dangerous these are, which we will get to. I rounded the corner to the kitchen and saw shelves lined with ultra-processed foods. Again, you do you with whatever you want to eat, but there are dangerous cancer-causing ingredients that are added into our “normal” foods.
I knew before even coming to this gathering, that I probably wouldn’t be eating anything that was there because well, the norm is junk food and junk food makes me sick. I skedaddled out of there, but it made me realize that most people aren’t aware of the dangers in their home, even something as small as an air freshener.
Are air fresheners toxic?
1) Air fresheners can be incredibly toxic. They are filled with toxic compounds that continuously emit into the air we breath to affect our respiratory system, endocrine system, our overall health.
Although air fresheners can make your living space smell nice, they are not worth it. There are other alternatives you can do to you’re your home smell nice without all of the pollutants.
Many air fresheners contain endocrine disruptors. These chemicals interfere with the hormone system by either mimicking or blocking natural hormones, I have discussed this a lot when it comes to sunscreen.
Sunscreen is riddled with hormone disrupting chemicals, yet we are trained to just slather it on our skin, our children’s, and it all ends up in the water.
Well, fresheners have common ingredients like phthalates and synthetic fragrances which disrupt our hormones can lead to fertility issues, premature puberty, increased risk of hormone-related cancers (such as breast and prostate cancer, and metabolic problems, including weight gain.
Do you ever wonder why infertility is on the rise?
I don’t when I think about how our environment is loaded with things that seem to damper our fertility.
Did you know that fertility clinics don’t allow perfumes or air fresheners for this reason?
If fertility clinics don’t allow them, why should they be allowed at all?
Research suggests that exposure to phthalates, which are used to prolong the scent of air fresheners, can lower testosterone levels in men, which may impact reproductive health and sperm quality.
For women, phthalates have been connected to reproductive issues and earlier menopause. This is all so sad to me because I know women in my personal bubble who struggle with infertility, and they probably don’t realize air fresheners they’re using are harming them and their spouse.
Also, the term "fragrance" on a product label can conceal a mixture of chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, which may irritate the lungs and eyes. Chronic exposure to formaldehyde may disturb hormone levels, potentially impacting thyroid function and overall metabolism.
Some VOCs are classified as carcinogenic, and others can interfere with the body’s ability to maintain hormonal balance.
The potential hormonal effects of air fresheners are especially concerning for pregnant women and children. Exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals during pregnancy can interfere with fetal development, leading to issues like low birth weight, developmental delays, and possible long-term health concerns for the child.
It is important to keep in mind that our pets have heightened senses, especially smell. They are inhaling these compounds like us and they have sensitive systems. I don’t think it’s a coincidence cancer in animals is on the rise as well.
While air fresheners may seem harmless and a quick solution to fresh air in your house, they carry serious risks in my opinion, particularly with prolonged use. So what can you do instead?
What are non-toxic air freshener alternatives?
Diffusing essential oils that are pet-friendly is a good option. You just get a diffuser with water and essential oils and it disperses out water vapor with essential oil scent. One of my favorite things to do during the holiday seasons is to take the peels of oranges, apples, apple cores, cinnamon sticks, and other spices like cloves, cover in water then bring to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer.
This will have your house smell like a holiday spicy scent. This does require the stovetop running and you have to refill water, so I don’t do it all of the time. Another thing you can do is use natural cleaning products like orange peel infused vinegar or vinegar with essential oils added to it when you clean. I like to use grapefruit and other citrus scents to keep my house smelling fresh. No carcinogens or harmful hormone disrupting chemicals here.
Are ultra-processed foods dangerous?
Now let’s dive into the other harmful issue at my gathering I went to—the food. Ultra-processed food has become the norm. Celebrations, snacks, meals, school cafeterias..we have been infiltrated. I remember growing up and having easy access to the cosmic brownies, oatmeal pies, a variety of chips, and things like bagel bites for dinner.
Snack and lunch time at my schools were no different. Every kid brought some sort of ultra-processed snack in with the outlier kid who would have vegetables and ranch dressing as the healthy alternative. The school cafeterias were loaded with fast foods and soda machines as far as the eye could see.
Sadly, this is our food system, at least here in America and it is the norm to eat processed slop that causes cancer.
Something that doesn’t make sense now that I’m an adult is that all of my sporting events were followed up with team snacks. The team snacks were sugar drinks like Sunny D and packages of chips.
How is this beneficial to the growing body and mind of a child?
It isn’t, but this is the norm. If you don’t participate, people think you are snobby and acting better than everyone else. We live in a time where making healthy choices for our bodies relays to others that we are snobs. This is not the case. We are simply just making better choices.
At this gathering I went to, there were large family-size bags of chips, soda galore, processed meats and buns to go with, and other junk scattered about. If you have ever seen the movie “They Live” it’s about a guy who finds these sunglasses that when he puts them on all of the billboards, newspapers, and tvs say things like “obey” “conform” “work” “reproduce” but when he takes the sunglasses off, they are normal billboards and what not.
I feel like I have these sunglasses but when it comes to food. I look at the ultra-processed food and see “cancer” “diabetes” “autoimmune disease” “dementia” but then you take off the sunglasses and see the doritos, burgers, and mountain dew. I want everyone to have these glasses because I feel like the health of society would improve.
Ultra-processed junk food can be a hard habit to kick because there are ingredients added to make things like oreos, mcdonalds, and doritos addictive. Your taste buds are hijacked, so you want to continue to consume and go back for more.
The best thing you can do is throw out all of your junk food. Go to your pantry and throw it all in the garbage can. Learn how to cook real foods from scratch because once you start consuming real food, you will realize you stay satiated and feel a lot better. Your body will transform.
Seriously, just throw it all away. You can swap out for the better options, learn to make items from scratch, or just kick the habit entirely. Seriously, getting off of junk food is like quitting an addiction. You have to retrain your tastebuds and brain.
Ultra-processed food ingredients are linked to heart disease, a variety of cancers, liver disease, and more. Just think, anything lab made, toss. Regain your health and control over your food by learning to bake from scratch.
Simplify your diet.
Is eating healthy more expensive?
If you are thinking that eating healthy is more expensive than eating junk, yes and no. A bag of doritos on the Walmart website right now is $5.17 a lb whereas you can get a chub of ground beef for $4.29 a lb.
Ditch the sodas and sugar drinks and swap for water and milk, you save yourself money there.
Ditch the other processed slop that runs an expensive amount per lb. A can of mandarin oranges is $1.42 for a lb. And these go on sale often, the canned goods. So saying eating healthy in general is more expensive is a joke. This year, I was able to secure half a beef for $4.50 a lb and now have meat in my freezer for the entire year. Shop local, find deals, quit making excuses.
Eating healthy can be more expensive in the sense you will pay more for heirloom tomatoes at the local farmer’s market than the tomatoes at Walmart, but with the heirloom tomatoes, you are skipping the harmful pesticides and other chemicals. In my opinion, you save huge when you try to eat healthy because medical bills are expensive and I think junk food lands us in the doctor’s office.
Throw your junk out. Make better choices.
Is skincare toxic?
The junk doesn’t just appear in the kitchen, it is in every facet of our life. Even our skincare. I used to have a super toxic 10-step skincare routine. I was following the skincare trends online and got the products that everyone was raving about, including dermatologists.
What I didn’t realize is that lotions, serums, face cleansers, all of these skincare products you buy at the store are loaded with endocrine disrupters, meaning they affect our hormones.
Almost seems like there is a pattern here, right? Our hormones are under attack. Parabens are in popular skincare products, and I find that interesting because we fought to get them out of haircare, but they are still in skincare. Other skincare preservatives like phenoxyethanol also disrupt our hormones. Again, when it comes to this junk, just throw it out. That’s my honest advice, and I would tell that to my loved ones. Throw it out.
What is tallow?
This is part of the reason I started my own skincare brand, Arvoti, because everything is so toxic. The medications my dad was being prescribed for his eczema were incredibly toxic but now he doesn’t struggle with eczema thanks to the tallow I make. I also have ventured into cleansers and serums.
Did you know a common ingredient in high-end skincare serums is human trophoblast cells, commonly sourced from foreskin from circumcisions? Yes, the hospital sells those body parts and the skincare industry takes them up. This isn’t a joke, and even celebrities talk about using this particular body part to stay young.
I personally think that is disgusting and wrong on so many levels. Seriously, the skincare industry is corrupt, toxic, I believe contributing to infertility and also unethically sourcing human body parts.
My skincare brand, Arvoti, is clean, nature-based and all started with the Homestead Blend Tallow balm that has changed thousands of peoples’ lives. I get messages everyday from people thanking me for making this tallow and sharing what it has done for them. Just yesterday, someone messaged and said “clear skin for the first time in over a decade.” And I thought that was pretty neat because I know what it’s like to struggle with acne and other skin ailments. If you are interested in ditching the toxins, try my skincare. I have tallow balms, cleansers, and I just launched a new eye-awakening serum.
Seriously, throw the crap away and start restoring your skin.
Are LED lights dangerous?
For the next toxic-swap we are going to be discussing, just look up—your light bulbs. Almost all of the light we are surrounded by is LED. LED lights are toxic for our circadian rhythm because they emit significant amounts of blue light which interferes with our body’s natural cycles and rhythms. When you are surrounded by blue light, especially at night, your melatonin production becomes suppressed and you will have a harder time falling asleep. Along with that, the blue light can lead to eye strain and fatigue. The flickering from the LED lights, which isn’t always noticeable, can cause headaches, eye strain, and lead to migraines. Seriously, LED lights are straight toxic.
Unsurprisingly, incandescent light bulbs have been banned in the United States. The US can’t ban toxic chemicals in our food, but can ban light bulbs because supposedly they aren’t environmentally friendly. Come on. They use the environment as a scape-goat quite frequently while the people pushing the bills are jetting around in their private jets. You see the agenda, right? Raw milk is banned and now certain light bulbs. It’s almost as if there is a pattern to the madness. Ban or take under anything that is good and helpful for the poeple.
Why? Because sick people are the one of the biggest revenue generators.
If you can find incandescent light bulbs, switch out your LEDs for them. I noticed a difference. I don’t feel as stressed with the softer light and I don’t have to listen to the annoying buzz from the LED lights. I also don’t get headaches like I used to. In fact, I don’t get headaches ever really anymore.
The last toxic swap revolves around what you are wearing.
Is synthetic fiber clothing toxic?
Sadly, yes our clothes, like everything else in the 21st century, are most likely toxic. This boils down to what our clothes are made of. When I say that everything comes down to the ingredients, I mean it, even with our clothing.
Synthetic fabrics like polyester, rayon, and acrylic can contain or release harmful substances that affect our health. Polyester, a petroleum-based fiber, sheds microplastics.
The chemicals used in its production, such as formaldehyde and plasticizers, can irritate skin and even act as endocrine disruptors. Again, we have endocrine disrupters here. I am convinced our fertility is under attack, even down to our clothing.
Rayon, although plant-based, is processed with toxic solvents like carbon disulfide, which pose health risks due to its toxicity. Acrylic, made from acrylonitrile, sheds microplastics and introduces carcinogenic chemicals into the production process. Nylon, another petroleum-derived fiber, releases nitrous oxide during manufacturing, a potent gas, and is often treated with chemicals that can be irritants.
Clothing treatments, including the use of formaldehyde for wrinkle resistance and PFCs for water and stain resistance, add another layer of potential toxins to fabrics.
Formaldehyde is a known irritant and possible carcinogen, while PFCs, used to create water-repellent finishes, are linked to again, hormone disruption. Literally the best thing you can do here is replace your clothing with 100% organic cotton clothing, no synthetic fibers, linen, or other natural materials like wool.
You just need to research wherever you are getting your clothes from. You will feel the difference from this.
When people tell me about their allergies, I can’t help but wonder about all of these things mentioned in the podcast. How is their diet? How is their environment? What endocrine disrupters are in their home?
A toxin-free lifestyle doesn’t have to happen all at once. You can take baby steps or you can just toss it all out at once. Whatever works for you. I know I personally feel better the more toxins I eliminate from my life.
I hope you found this podcast informative and helpful, and I appreciate you spending your time here. I’ll see you next time!
