Lately I've been having these indescribable moments, it’s almost an existential crisis of character for someone who prides themselves on what I put into my body. For me, food is supposed to be fun, tasty and most importantly nutritious.
This brings me to the crisis that has become overwhelming lately….
Recently at a friend’s house I came across a popular plant-based burger in the freezer that I once thought was a healthier option for me... filled with 40 highly processed ingredients that I can’t hope to name. As alarming as this was to me, I decided to check out the fridge, to my surprise it was littered with processed foods high in sugar, vegetable oil, chemicals, dyes and wrapped in toxic plastics- things that should never be ingested. This has me wondering about other places in the house. What do we find? Endless products that have micro plastics, fragrances filled with toxic products, shampoo and soaps that are marketed to look clean and environmentally friendly but are filled with chemicals. I left that day feeling unsure of how to bridge this essential gap in knowledge, without offending or overstepping people's boundaries.
The big brands that we all grew up using have become so ingrained in our lives that we hardly stop to think about whether these products are safe to use…. We assume there are agencies and governments protecting us.
The more you learn, the less trust you have in a system that doesn’t make healthy food, soaps, shampoos, skin care and environmentally sound cleaning products readily available to the consumer.
We are all learning and unlearning so much. There are over 10,000 chemicals that are banned for human consumption in Europe and are approved in North America. Did you know that alcohol-based hand sanitizers that are marketed to keep us safe are killing essential bacteria required to build our immune systems. If you investigate the quality of the alcohol used in these products, they have been linked to cancer. We use Teflon pans coated in chemicals that are proven to harm us , baby powder that is causing cancer, perfumes that dry our skin and worse poison our systems, birth control that drastically effects hormones, petroleum based jelly is rubbed on our babies as diaper rash cream cleaning products that our babies crawl all over that are proven to be harmful towards us ☠️ , We watch our friends slather themselves in known recalled toxic sunscreens that have been proven to be carcinogenic.
(Toronto Water System Pipes)
To tell or not to tell....
These are the FACTS as we know it.
We are filling our fridges with foods that lack nutrients, are genetically modified, sprayed with harmful and toxic pesticides, filled with rape seed oils, plastic fake foods that are the impetus for most of our health issues.
The hardest part of seeing all this poison in friends and families' kitchens, bathrooms and lifestyles is the knowledge that we’ve been lied to and the legitimate feeling of helplessness. If most people were aware of how deteriorating these foods are to their health, mood, weights, cognitive abilities, longevity, sex lives/sperm counts, birth rates etc., change would be the highest priority. There would be no blank stare, or anger for my intrusion into their lives, maybe disbelief once you name all the toxins lingering around them. We all need to give our bodies a little more love. We are inundated with so much information, that it feels impossible to navigate through the bad to get to the good.
As a health and wellness expert who studied nutrition/registered health/wellness coach it is my duty to help educate people about their bodies. It’s not a big leap to understand that what we eat affects how we feel. Don’t get me wrong, I have done it all…. dying my hair, tanning, painting nails, make-up, lips etc. The more I’ve learned the more aware I am of not only what is being put in our bodies, but also what is being used on our bodies.
People don’t realize how good we are meant to feel as humans and here we are walking around feeling depressed, feeling lethargic, dealing with brain fog, IBS, anxiety, the list goes on and on. If what we eat is what fuels us, it’s clear what ails us is due to our diet. The best thing that we can do for our lives and house is start to read ingredients, eat whole organic foods, when possible, start growing your own food, cooking most of your meals at home and being aware of what we put into our temples. With that being said, we are starting a Ripe Recipes + Cook Club (free recipes and health tips).
Ripe was born from the desire to heal through food, we are obsessed with eating food that truly heals and nourishes us. We use only organic, local farmed produce as much as possible and we refuse to cut corners and use preservatives/additives. We truly care about making tasty, healthy, energized products.
Here at Ripe we are determined to empower as many people as possible to be their most beautiful self. So many of our friends, family & clients say that they have no idea about the ills from these industries. These companies are motivated by profits. Our greatest power is how/where we spend our money. If we choose healthier options, local/seasonal ingredients, whole foods…. They will become more readily available.
We are learning and unlearning on this journey together. Let’s try to shape our world for a better tomorrow.
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
So we want to help to promote all the best small businesses that are striving to do it the right way!
Harmful Ingredients in Everyday Foods/Products: