Do you YUKA?
Do you know what’s in your food? No… really have you actually looked at the ingredients in your food and cosmetics??? Well, you should. Let me start by saying I am NOT some crunchy granola hippie living off the land and eating nothing but Vegan organic foods… yet. Vegan… no (I love meat and cooked food) crunchy granola hippie living off the land… yes, I’m working on it :) BUT back to the point. I like to say that I am more like “reduced for quick sale” grocery store granola… think ACV, raw honey, coconut oil but likes to shower and drink Jameson type of person. I spend A LOT of time reading labels in the grocery store and mainly shop the perimeter of the store. The more non boxed or prepackaged foods the better. I really try to shop at farmers markets and butchers. Luckily, I have both by me and frequent them a lot.
A little back story….
Growing up I had stomach issues. BAD stomach issues that would cause me to miss school and well just royally mess up my life. I just accepted it for a while and thought this is how my life will be. As I got older, I started cutting out certain foods that caused me pain (ice cream, dairy, cheese, gluten) You name it I’ve cut it out. It made for a miserable life and to top it off it didn’t even help! I tried mineral oil shots (no not an injectable shot just a straight shot of slimy mineral oil) I tried MiraLAX, Tums, Pepto, etc and nothing helped. I was bloated and miserable most of the time and it was so bad at times I just didn’t eat in fear of what it would do to me. Fast Forward a few years and I realized my diet had to be VERY strict. I was just eating to survive for years. I hated food for the longest time until I decided one day that I wasn’t going to deal with it anymore. I found a Dietitian who literally saved my life. I can’t say enough GREAT things about this woman. She is the first person to look at me and say… I understand what you’re going through so let’s fix it. It’s the first time in my life I felt seen and heard and not just brushed off as being dramatic. We came up with a plan which included cutting out garlic & onion… I know I’m still devastated about it. I realized quickly that I had to examine my food labels even more now that I had a plan in place. So, this brings me to YUKA…
One night I was aimlessly scrolling Tik-Tok and came across a post about the YUKA app. I was intrigued so of course I downloaded it and ever since then I have been living by it. Now before I used the app I for sure had a list of things I didn’t consume (gums, HFCS, corn syrup of any kind, food dyes etc) but this app took it a step further. The concept is you take a beauty product or food item and scan the bar code. From there the app will give you information on the product. It will let you know of any harmful additives and rank the ingredients on a scale of red, yellow and green. Just like the stoplight colors! It will also give you the fat contents and calories and rank them also. Let me tell you it has opened my eyes even more to the harmful things being put in the products we use on a daily basis. We have endless amounts of hormone disruptors in our cosmetics and even Formaldehyde can be found in beauty products. I have done a deep dive into hormone disruptors in products (FRAGRANCE is the WORST one) and what it does to women. I will say since I have cut them out of my products, I can tell a HUGE difference in my mood, skin and overall health. I highly suggest you try the app and just go through your pantry and beauty products just to see what the ratings are. From there you can do your research and decide if you care enough to toss them and go for a healthier option. BUT there has a got to be a reason why so many ingredients are banned in other countries… just something to think about.
*Disclaimer I am not a doctor just someone who likes to know what i’m putting on my body and in my body. I suggest and urge you to do your own research and find what is best for you.
Here are some of my favorites…
Beauty products/brands I LOVE (I have not tackled make-up yet)
** Oil pulling… I do this weekly and when I start to get sick, I gargle it too***
ANYTHING Shea Moisture (shampoo, conditioner, skin oils, curl creams and lotions)
Good Light- new moon balm, overnight cream and pimple patches
Good Molecules- Wake Up Eye Gel, Hyaluronic Acid, Face lotion
Every Man Jack Anti- perspirant deodorant for Men (I CAN’T use the Aluminum free stuff)
Shea Moisture Antiperspirant
Dove Beaty Bar or Sensitive Bar
Aztec Clay for face and arm pits (yes you should be “detoxing” your arm pits)
Honey- I use it as a face wash and for cuts and scrapes
Epsom Salt as a bath or foot soak
Apple Cider Vinegar in between hair wash days and to clean my body especially my arm pits!!! Clean your pits people!!!
Burts Bees SPF 30 Firming Face Lotion ( I ONLY use mineral sunscreen if any at all) PLEASE do your research on your sunscreens
All Good Mineral Sunscreen or surprisingly the Target brand Mineral Sunscreen ( Stay away from Oxybenzone, Homosalate just to name a few)
Coco Kind Matcha stick (great for face protection in the winter or for chapped lips)
Aquaphor Lip Repair (now it’s a debate on whether Petroleum is good for you so do your own research)
When I need it, I use the Colab Dry-Shampoo Dark Corrector… again there is a lot of talk about the dangers of Dry Shampoo so do your research (Arrowroot flour works just as good too)
Bondi Boost heat protectant spray or Earth Clean Beauty hair products (ALWAYS use heat protect with blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons and yes even the sun)
Twice toothpaste- I personally like the fluoride kind (again, a huge debate on fluoride and if it’s good for you. I have done my research and deiced it’s a necessity for me)
Davids toothpaste with nano-hydroxyapatite (trying to naturally rectify a small cavity and my enamel)
ELEVEN Australia hair products
Rael skin products
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT USE TRESEMME OR OGX PRODUCTS (multiple lawsuits against them and it makes your hair fall out)
Food products/brands I LOVE
Gatorade G-FIT is the ONLY Gatorade I will drink…. ever
Aldi Simply Nature products tend to NOT have additives or food dyes
Jif Natural or the Target brand Peanut butter
Artesano Golden Wheat bread (I make my own bread, but this is a good alternative)
MOTS for TOTS Apple juice (less sugar and no additives)
Cape Cod potato chips
Zevia sodas
GOGO Squeeze active applesauce pouches
ZOUP bone broths
Vegan Chocolate Chips (Enjoy Life or Nestle Toll House- said in a Phoebe voice)
Any Made Good products
Country Crock Vegan Butter is my absolute favorite!!!!!
Country Crock Dairy Free heavy whipping cream (doesn’t contain coconut)
** Again, I eat mainly fresh foods, or I make my own food, so I don’t have a lot of recs on pre-packaged items
SO, what do you think!? Will you YUKA?????