25 Small Changes Moms of Color Can Make Towards Wellness & Clean Living
Don’t we all agree that making small steps towards wellness would benefit our families? Whether its choosing healthier foods, eating organically, buying non-toxic products, or meditating daily, we all want healthier lives for ourselves and our children.
Unfortunately, changing habits and switching to an all-natural and organic lifestyle can seem costly and overwhelming. With all the things on your mind as a mom of color, I recommend making small changes towards healthier living. Here are 25 bite-sized ways to live a more natural, clean, and healthier lifestyle.
Why should moms of color move towards healthier living?
I learned a lot about the importance of healthier living from the Shiftcon Conference last fall. Shiftcon offers influencers and bloggers a weekend focused on healthy and green living. As the creator of Growing Up Gorgeous Moms, I jumped at the opportunity to gain new information for our mama community.
The message that I heard at Shiftcon was crystal clear. Americans have a problem with pesticides, antibiotics, and harmful toxins in our food, drinks, beauty products, household items, and even in the air we breathe. We should be concerned about how all of these chemicals are impacting our bodies.
Members of the South Jersey Mom’s Community.
Communities of color have additional reasons to be concerned. According to research, there are often higher levels of chemicals in the air of black environments, in our beauty products, and foods in black neighborhoods. It is still unclear how these toxins mix in our bodies and what harm they cause. But, we do know that African-Americans are suffering from many preventable diseases.
History proves that we cannot wait for the government or medical community to confirm our suspicions about toxins. We must be informed and diligent in making better choices for our families. After all, when you know better, you do better.
What is a natural or clean lifestyle?
If you look up a clean, green, organic, or natural lifestyle on google, you will be overwhelmed with different descriptions. People have made drastic changes that range from living in a tiny house to only consuming certified organic foods.
For this article, I refer to clean living as paying closer attention to the things that we breathe, consume, or put on our bodies. The goal is to decrease our exposure to human-made toxic chemicals. Including what we eat & drink, the medications that we take, the air we breathe, and the products that we use.
The beautiful thing is that all moms can make small changes to a cleaner lifestyle. We don’t have to be obsessed with sweating every tiny detail, because “ain’t nobody got time for all that.” But, we can THINK before we buy and slow down to see a big difference.
The goal is to begin to consciously consume things that are good for our families’ health and the world around us. Here are 25 Small Changes that you can commit to today:
Start with your food:
As a mom of three, I worry about passing down traditions of unhealthy eating and preventable diseases, often crippling the black community. The current viral trend towards eating more Popeye’s chicken is hilarious, but also a scary indicator of what corporations are pushing on us. We have to change the narrative.
1. Fast food restaurants are notorious for serving low-quality, toxic-ridden food. Eat at home as much as you can. You don’t even have to sweat over the stove: sandwiches, fruit, chopped veggies, boiled eggs, guacamole, and breakfast for dinner make for quick & easy meals.
2. Commit to swapping out one food that you frequently eat for it’s certified organic version. Decreasing your toxins by a small percentage can have an impact on your health.
3. Switch out dairy milk (often filled with harmful antibiotics) for coconut, almond, or oat milk.
Dirty Dozen image from www.wellnessmama.com
4. If you eat meat, choose bison. Believe it or not, bison has fewer calories, less fat, and more protein than beef. (cookinglight.com) It’s also “illegal to use growth hormones in bison...Bison usually aren’t treated with antibiotics, either.” (Nola.com) Finally, all bison are grass-fed animals. Bison has become mainstream in the past few years, and you can find it at your local grocery store or Walmart.
5. Purchase organic food when you can, especially for the dirty dozen. The Environmental Working Group compiles a list of the foods with the highest amount of pesticide use based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Pesticide Data Program.
6. Read labels for ingredients carefully! There is a huge marketing push for natural food items. As a result, some companies are adding in only 1-2 natural ingredients and profiting from a lack of knowledge. Choose foods that have simple, clean ingredients. A rule-of-thumb is the shorter an ingredient list, the better.
7. Pick one-meal-a-day to be plant-based or vegan. Cutting down on non-organic animal products can help to limit your exposure to added hormones and antibiotics.
Switch out your beauty products:
The current conversation about black folks & their beauty products has focused mostly on the toxins in hair products. A recent study confirmed that “nearly 80% of hair products aimed at black women contain chemicals linked to cancer, infertility, and obesity.” (Dailymail.co.uk)
What isn’t trending in our community is the toxic effects of ALL types of beauty products. And it should be! Have you ever put on some lipgloss and thought about what they use to make it pop, yet they sell it so cheap?
It turns out it’s not just what we eat that impacts our health; it’s also what we choose to put on our bodies.
8. Prioritize replacing your hair moisturizer with a natural or organic brand. Of all the concerns with black hair products, hair lotion contains the highest amount of parabens. Parabens are preservatives commonly used in beauty products, and “paraben use has been linked to breast cancer and reproductive issues.” (Elle.com)
9. Create a Birthday Wish List from Blk + Grn an all-natural marketplace featuring all black-owned companies.
10. Create a Christmas Wish List from Beauty Counter featuring clean beauty and safer skincare for all skin types.
11. Switch out your lotion for 100% pure shea or cocoa butter. You can purchase a whipped butter or make your own.
12. Swap out your regular soap for 100% black soap. It lathers well, lasts long, leaves your skin feeling clean, and is affordable.
13. If your budget doesn’t allow you to go completely natural, purchase one natural product and “mix” it with your old brands. Even a small decrease in exposure can have an impact on your health.
14. Use the free app ThinkDirty when you are unsure if the ingredients in your products are toxic. Think Dirty gives a rating from clean to dirty and recommends alternative brands that are clean.
Follow these wellness bloggers:
Despite who often gets recognition, the “green lifestyle movement” includes many voices from people of color. Here are just a few of the wellness bloggers that I had the privilege of meeting at Shiftcon.
15. Check -out Aaronica from The Crunchy Mommy , where she hilariously shares practically green advice for on-the-go millienial moms.
16. Dr. Lisa Leslie-Williams is a pharmacist turned professional speaker, media contributor, and wellness expert. You can find her at The Domestic Life Stylist.
17. Nzingah Oniwosan at Yes Baby I Like it Raw is a holistic health consultant, yoga teacher, and chef. She has been using a plant-based diet to face challenges from PCOS and autoimmune disease.
18. If you need holistic support, check-out Sandrell from Natural Fly Diva, Sandrell helps women to live healthier lifestyles by focusing on their mind, body, and spiritual wellness.
The author and bloggers attend the shift in conference in Atlanta.
19. And of course, I have to mention fellow South Jersey Mom and certified fitness trainer De Bolton, who blogs at FaithFueled Mom. I am currently using her fitness program, Bibles & Bootcamp. But, she also shares tons of information about nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle.
Advocate for change:
It often seems that healthy living is available for those who have extra time and money. I would argue that not spending the time and money on these things now can significantly impact our resources in the future. There are too many people in black communities who are sick and tired. We must pay attention our health & wellness.
Even for those who may not have the financial resources to make changes, you have a voice! People have been singing the praises of natural and clean living for decades. Companies are finally taking notice and offering more options for their products. Joining the conversation today will make an impact on what is available for the generations that come after us. Here are some ways to use your voice.
20. Choose at least one brand to purchase from that you are 100% confident is ethically sourced. Your commitment to purchasing for that company can make a global impact.
21. Connect with your local environmental change group to help advocate against the disproportionate exposure to environmental toxins in many black and brown communities.
22. When selecting a health-care provider, look for someone open to including natural remedies in your health care. Check their online reviews and be unapologetic if you need to switch doctors.
23. Teach your children to become advocates for themselves in doctor’s offices. It is okay to ask about the side effects of medicine and alternative approaches for healing. Try to include them in conversations with their doctor and prepare questions for them to ask before arriving.
24. In that same light, consider having a “team” of support for your medical needs. The team can include naturopaths, family doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists, functional medicine doctors, and more. If your insurance doesn’t cover some of these professionals, don’t be afraid to call the office to ask about payment plans for the year.
25. Talk to the sisters in your community about your desire to live a cleaner lifestyle! Your story may inspire someone else to push for a healthier home.
Have you been making changes towards a healthier lifestyle? Join our conversation on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to hear from you.
Meet the author..
Christina Acosta-Martinez is a passionate community builder for moms, postpartum doula, wife, mama, educator, and faith-driven leader. Follow her journey @lifeofacosta
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