FREE resources!
This page is for you to gather ideas on clean eating, simple recipes, and lots of other tools for your journey. Knowledge is power!!
I hope you find this super helpful!!
Water is a huge deal so be sure to do plenty of research before purchasing a water filtration system. Choose a filtration system that takes out not just chlorine but also chloramine, VOCs and pharmaceuticals. Many city water facilities have gone to using chloramine in addition to chlorine which needs additional filtration. Refrigerator filters do NOT take out chloramine and many other contaminants.
Avoid reverse osmosis filters and ionizing filters because they take out all of the minerals and are referred to as the “white bread of water”. Mineral enriched water is not the same! If you are using a Reverse Osmosis consider using a natural mineral supplement such as pure Himalayan Shilajit Powder. The benefit of Reverse Osmosis is that it does take out fluoride which most other filters can not do. Probiotic foods and essential oils are a great way of naturally detoxifying from those contaminant that can’t be removed. Check out our Rescue Me essential oil blend!
Here are the best options we have found for water filters. Of course there are LOTS of other water filter companies out there so doing your own research is always an option.
ThesourceH20.com —My personal top pick. (Dont let them talk you into the more expensive ionizers or reverse osmosis filters)! I recommend their Nero Free whole house filter option which removes bad taste, odor, chlorine and chloramine. This filter also significantly reduces VOCs and pharmaceuticals. Cost is about $2600 with a lifetime warranty on the system. The filter is guaranteed for 10 years at which time the filter can be replaced for cost of the filter. Other companies I have compared are about twice the cost. This “maintenance free” system, means that you do not need to change filters regularly like many do. Note that this company offers several different options, many of which remove the minerals. Be sure to look at the details, ask lots of questions and insist of the lesser expensive version that does NOT take out the minerals.
Berkeywaterfilter.com —Portable stainless steel water purifiers with excellent carbon block filtration. These systems keep the important mineral content of the water in tact but remove chlorine as well as chloramine and a wide range of contaminants. This is probably the best option for travel and apartment/dorm living. I own this one personally for and use when traveling. The Berkley Go is the smallest option and great for one or two person travel. Larger options also available. They carry a wide variety of sizes at different price points. Filters need to be changed based on how many gallons are used annually.
Multipure.com—They offer a nice under the sink option. A great choice for filtering your tap drinking water and purchasing shower head filters if you choose to not do a whole house filter. This filter also keeps the mineral content in tact. Be sure to get the one that takes out chloramine as well as chlorine as they have both options. Cost of this system is about $590. The unit itself should last forever but the filter needs to be changed annually. This option is a bit less expensive up front but there is the annual filter expense. Multi-pure has a whole house filter but we do not recommend it because it only takes out chlorine.
EWSwater.com —Whole house maintenance free filters. More expensive but might be worth taking a look at to compare.
Hang out more in the produce section of your grocery store! Try some thing you have never tried before or something you haven’t had since you were a kid. Choose local and organic as much as possible. Use the dirty dozen/clean fifteen list if you are on a budget. Save money by eliminating wrappers. Packaged foods are expensive and not near as nutritious as whole fresh foods. Think about using fresh vegetables for the base of a meal rather than pasta. Remember the best “gluten free” items are naturally gluten free and less expensive!
OOHHHH!!!! This is the good stuff for homemade sauces, dips and dressings. Once you start making your own you will never go back to prepackaged. Check out our FREE recipe down load on the Resource page. Six pages of simple amazing sauces, dips and dressings that can make any meal a hit!
Here are some of our favorite for whole grains…
Lentils are smaller legumes which tend to be much easier to digest that large legumes. Legumes and whole grain brown rice together make a complete protein. Soups and stews are a great way to save money and eat healthy. Wild rice by itself and quinoa by itself are also compete forms of protein. These are all great for adding to salads or bowls for plant based meals. The 365 pasta sauce from Whole Foods Market is the best value we have found for a clean ingredient pasta sauce with no sugar added. It is delicious over a bed of sautéed veggies with or with out animal protein. The Miracle noodles are a great gluten free option if you must have noodles and they are SUPER easy to prepare.
Ok so pizza is definitely not a health food but who doens’t love a great pizza from time to time. The Chebe crust on the right is gluten free, yeast free, and tastes amazing! Choose to have a small serving along with a nice big salad. Our favorite is to make individual size servings, roll it thin and let each person top their own. Throw them on a grilling stone and grill until done. YUMM!!!!! Look for the Chebe pizza crust at your local health market or find for less expensive sometimes online at places like vitacost.com. or Swansonvitamins.com which is also a great place to find herbal teas and other staple items at discount prices.
Animal products are probably the most important when it comes to buying high quality. If possible choose pasture raised and organic chicken/turkey/eggs. “Cage free” only means that the chickens were not in a cage (not necessarily that they were outdoors and free to roam). For beef and other meat products the highest quality is 100% grass fed. For fish your best option are small cold water fish that are wild caught or sustainably farmed without hormones/antibiotics. The sustainably farmed salmon at Whole Foods Market is sourced from Norway and is sold in Europe as “organic”. It is SO amazing!! Incorporating more high quality fish is imperative for optimal health as it has almost everything we tend to be deficient in!!
Sometimes eating more animal protein such as a paleo type diet can be helpful in healing the gut. Grains can tend to be inflammatory. Everyone is Bio-individual!!!! We do always caution people to not get too stuck on a certain “diet” for too long. There are great sources of complete protein we can get from plant based sources such as wild rice, quinoa, legumes/brown rice. Most people eat WAY too much meat which after awhile tends to make us feel “heavy” and paleo eating is not so sustainably for the environment!! Work on healing the gut and try to find a good balance! Get some advice from a good wholistic practitioner if you are feeling stuck and not gaining the results for your health that you hope for.
Sourdough and sprouted breads are the easier to digest than breads that are made otherwise. A true sourdough bread will NOT have yeast added and if made from a gluten containing grain most if not all of the gluten content can be mitigated by the sourdough process. We don’t find a lot of options in the way of true sourdough breads but here are our favorites…
I have been recently purchasing from an online company called Organic Bead of Heaven. I absolutely love their sprouted sourdough and the sprouted sourdough cinnamon loaf. They also have sprouted sourdough tortillas which I thought were very good and pizza dough which was not our favorite because it was super heavy. (These are not shown above)
Note in the photo above the two on the left are not gluten free per se but again because of the sprouting/sourdough they are likely gluten free for the most part and much easier to digest. Another one that is not shown in the photo valve is the Ezekial breads which are super hearty and delicious. Again not completely “gluten free” but the sprouting makes much easier to digest. The Ezekial bread and the sprouted Spelt one above also do contain yeast so use with caution if you believe you have an issue with yeast and use the Gut & Immune Protocol DAILY to keep yeast in check. Simple Kneads also shown above offers gluten free sourdough yeast free breads delivered to your door! Our favorite is the pumpernickel. Check it out here. The Rebellion on the right is made in Whole Foods bakery and can be found in the freezer section at Whole Foods Market. It is delicious for “fancy toast”
Fermented foods are probiotic power houses for feeding the good bacteria in the gut! Our hormones feed off of good bacteria in the gut and probiotic food support SO many aspects of health. Did you know that miso has over 150 strains of good bacteria? Try to incorporate different probiotic foods DAILY! Choose organic grass fed low temp pasteurized yogurts, kefir, cottage cheese and raw cheeses. Raw cheese can be found in your local health food store. Choose lacto fermented pickles, kimchee, and sauerkraut. These will be found in the refrigerator section and without vinegar. If vinegar is added this will kill the good bacteria. Be sure to read your labels! Kombucha can be found in a variety of flavors and can be a great treat. Fermented foods are not only a great source of probiotics but also lots of B vitamins and folate! Caution: fermented foods can be high in naturally occurring yeast so use with caution if you believe you have a yeast/bacterial overgrowth and work on gut healing!! Check out our Daily Digest Essential Oil Blend that supports gut health.
Vegaianise, where have you been all of my life?? This is the best mayo we have ever tasted! Here also are some of our favorite clean label sauces. Our favorite dips and dressings are ones we have home made. Check out our 6 pages of recipes in the recipe file you can print off of our Resource Page!
Look for organic spices, seasonings and baking items at your local natural grocery store. It is important to be eliminating GMO products and things like aluminum from the diet. Many of these items can be purchased in bulk at a fraction of the cost. Be sure to be using a himalayan pink or celtic grey sea salt so that you are getting the daily minerals that we need! Processed white sea salt is devoid of important minerals.
OK so these are not “Health Foods”, but who doesn’t need a little chocolate from time to time?? Use sweets and snacks sparingly. Focus on eating three healthy meals each day. Work on healing your gut so you don’t crave the bad stuff and enjoy better options from time to time! Read ingredient labels to make better choices. These are some of our favorites.
Herbal teas are a great way to support health and crowd out cravings for other things we are trying to avoid. A nice cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon or at bedtime can be a great treat. You can also find teas in bulk on sites like Starwestbotanicals.com and other online sites. These are some of our favorites here. Remember that teas can be brewed and poured over ice for summer time enjoyment or enjoy hot in the winter.
The Throat Coat tea is a nice sweet tea that is almost always a favorite. It has several herbs that are great for coating not just the throat but the whole intestinal tract. It helps to increase the mucosal lining of the intestinal tract, support healing the gut and is often a great aid for acid reflux. It does contain licorice root which is great also for adrenal support but must be used with caution for people with high blood pressure. The Hawthorn with Hibiscus tea is a great one for supporting conditions of high blood pressure. Use daily for best results. Cranberry is great for bladder and urinary issues. The Belly Comfort is our recommendation for calming conditions of gas, bloating and diarrhea. Ginger Aid is just a nice treat if you like ginger. Lemon balm is a great hormone support with such a nice smooth taste. That one as well as the Tulsi and Budda Calm are all great ones to try for night time relaxation and sleep support. Try some different ones. Always pay attention to how they make you feel. Again everyone is Bio-individual and some may not agree with you. Hope you find some that you love!
Yum and more yum! A spoon of nut butter with an apple or banana can be a great snack. You can also make your own home made nut butters from raw pecans or other nuts. Raw or sprouted nuts are always much easier to digest!
Choose natural sweeteners such as raw local honey, pure organic maple syrup and stevia. Be sure that your stevia does not have other ingredients such as grain alcohol sugars like erythritol and xylitol. Those are very processed and not good for us. The Sweet Drops stevia pictured above does not contain alcohol like most stevia drops do so it tastes way better. The vanilla cream is our favorite. Use even natural sweeteners sparingly :-)
Cold and flu support. Here are some of our favorites. Try to avoid things like over the counter medications such as tylenol, motrin, etc. and go for more natural health supportive items like essential oil blends, medicinal mushrooms, herbal teas, homeopathics, etc.
Did you know that the average American female applies over 350 chemicals to her body before she leaves her bathroom in the morning?? Also babies are being born with even more identifiable chemicals in their blood stream. Yikes! Choose simple products with few ingredients. Choose using things like almond oil or coconut oil for moisturizing. Avoid products with fragrances and perfumes like the plague because those are endocrine disruptors!! The Dr. Bronner’s unscented pure castile is a great all purpose soap. We use this in the shower for body and hair. Be sure your deodorant is aluminum free because those are associated with higher instances of cancer. Sweating is one way that our bodies detoxify and is so important. Changing to a natural deodorant can be tough. Once your body has detoxified you will find that using natural products feels good and oder becomes a non issue. Check out our handout on Decreasing Your Toxin Load on the Resource page.
Here are some things that we have found that are better options. Of course we cant leave out our own topical use essential oils. These are formulated not just for beautiful skin with luxurious oils that hydrate and protect skin from damaging sun rays! Check out our full line for mood, cognitive, hormone support and more. Our handcrafted blends are made with 100% organic ingredients. We use essential oils that are more expensive less common and AMAZING for health support at half the price that other companies are offering for similar products. These are all found in our Shop Page!
The Earthing Store offers moccasins for “earthing” or “grounding”. Earthing helps to shift the nervous system from a stress dominated state to one of calming. Check out their moccasins here. We love going for walks or working in the yard with these moccasins!