11 - Detox Your Kitchen in 10 Easy Steps

So far on the Nourished Living Podcast, we've focused a lot on food — but today, we're shifting gears slightly... to your kitchen! In this episode, we're diving into 10 simple, practical swaps you can start making right now to detoxify your kitchen and reduce your daily toxin exposure. 

You'll learn:

• The shocking number of chemicals we are exposed to daily
• A brief history of how toxins became so common in our environments
• Why chemical exposure in your kitchen matters for your hormones, metabolism, and immune health
• How everyday items like non-stick pans, plastic utensils, and cleaning sprays could be contributing to toxin buildup
• How to start detoxifying without feeling overwhelmed or needing to overhaul everything at once

Resources Mentioned:

• EWG App (Environmental Working Group – scan and search product safety ratings)
• Episode 5: Provides The Dirty Dozen List & How to Choose Organic Produce
• Episode 8: Hydration Tips

Connect with Courtney: 

Instagram: @nourished_living_

Work With Me: Nourished Living

If you loved this episode, please share it with a friend who's working toward a healthier, toxin-free home! Don't forget to tag me — I’d love to see the changes you're making in your kitchen. 

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Nourished Living Podcast, where I'll be diving deep into nutrition, holistic wellness, and practical tips to help you live your healthiest, most vibrant life. I am Courtney Podany, a nutritional therapist, certified personal trainer, type one diabetic and mom. And I'm here to help you take charge of your health with ease and confidence. Together we'll explore how to nourish your body, mind, and soul in a way that feels good and sustainable. So grab your favorite beverage. Take a deep breath, and let's get into the episode. I. Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Nourished Living Podcast. I am so glad you're here. So far on the podcast, we've talked about food, food, and more food, and while today's episode still involves food, we are shifting our focus to your kitchen. So today's episode is going to be a good one. We are diving into. 10 simple ways to detoxify your kitchen. Now, before we jump into the practical stuff, let's talk about why this even matters. The average woman uses around 12 personal care products every single day. This could include things like deodorant, shampoo, body wash, hand soap, foundation mascara, et cetera. This exposes her to as many as 168 different chemicals, and this is just personal care that we are talking about. Men typically use less around six products, but that can still add up to 85 chemicals within one day. Now add in cleaning products, plastic packaging, pesticides on our produce, food storage containers and cookware. And it's estimated we come into contact with hundreds of toxins daily just through our kitchen and our food routines. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, meaning they mess with our hormones, they can interfere with metabolism, sleep, fertility, immune function, you name it. And while our bodies are designed to detoxify naturally, they are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume that we are exposed to. So today I want to empower you with 10 easy swaps you can start making right away to reduce the toxin load and support your health in a big way. When we talk about toxins, that word can sound a little overwhelming. Or on the contrary, it can sound extremely vague. When I say toxins, I'm talking about anything that can be harmful to our body. So that could be a chemical, a contaminant, food additives, glyphosate, heavy metals, or even something we're exposed to in tiny amounts over time, that adds up. And I promise you this will not be a history episode because this is by no means a history podcast, and that is not my personal zone of genius. But we will briefly touch on how toxins became so rampant among us. The rise in chemical exposure really took off during the industrial revolution, which was around 1760 to 1840. That is when we started seeing a huge spike in chemicals being created and added to literally everything, especially food and medicine. This was the era when actual cocaine was an ingredient in Coca-Cola. I mean, that is wild, right? And regulations to monitor and test. These substances didn't really come into play until much later. And even now, the systems that we have, like in the US still have a lot of gaps. One example is something called GRAS, which stands for generally recognized as safe. Well, sure that sounds reassuring, but unfortunately, many ingredients fall under that umbrella without thorough testing. Some of them are later found to be questionable or even. Harmful. Now, this isn't something to panic about. I'm definitely not here to scare you or make you feel like you need to throw everything out today, but it's empowering to start recognizing what is in your environment, especially in your kitchen, so we can make small shifts that will reduce our exposure over time. Because remember, we can only control what we can control, but that is enough to make a real impact. So let's dive in our 10 simple ways for your cookware. Try to avoid Teflon and non-stick. Non-stick pans, especially those made with Teflon can release toxic fumes when overheated, and those chemicals can build up in our bodies over time. Instead, you should opt for stainless steel or cast iron. Cast iron is especially great because it can actually increase our iron intake, which is a nice bonus, especially for women. Or if you are anemic. For cooking utensils, ditch the plastic. Plastic spatulas and spoons can leach chemicals when exposed to heat, so I would suggest bamboo or wooden utensils. These will be durable, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. Rather than plastic Tupperware use glass storage containers. I know this one can be tough because we all have that drawer of mismatched plastic lids and containers, but when the plastic is heated, it can leach chemicals like BPA into our food. Try swapping these out for glass containers. They are safer. They will last longer, and they don't stain or hold smells. But if investing in a whole new set of glass storage isn't in the budget right now, start saving your old pickle jars, pasta jars, or sal jars. All you need to do is wash them out and then you can reuse them for leftovers, snacks, or even pantry storage. No cost and no plastic. Instead of placing foil on cookie sheets, when baking something in the oven, use unbleached parchment paper. Aluminum foil can leach into our food, especially if you are cooking something acidic. Instead, you can line your baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper, and it's a simple swap, but it has a big impact. And while speaking about bleach, I would opt for unbleached coffee filters instead of the white bleached coffee filters. Bleached filters can contain trace amounts of dioxins, which are harmful. So just choose unbleached natural filters. Instead, when you're looking at the IMP appearance, it just looks brown instead of white. Rather than grabbing those plastic produce bags that they provide to us at the grocery stores, you can bring your own reusable mesh bags so you don't have. The plastic constantly touching your food. There's reusable nylon or cotton produce bags, and they are super lightweight. They are washable and you can usually get a pack of five or six way better for the planet and our health. We talked about this in the hydration episode, which was episode eight, but if you are still drinking out of single use plastic bottles, now is the time to make the switch. Rather than plastic, I would look for a glass or stainless steel water bottle and something that you'll be able to transport with you easily so we can always stay hydrated. And just rinsing your fruits and vegetables underwater isn't really enough to remove the pesticide residue, so I would suggest using a veggie wash. There are some great clean brands out there, like attitude or truly free, or you could simply make a little water and apple cider vinegar bath to wash the produce in. I go deeper into this and the dirty dozen list of the most pesticide laden produce in episode five, so I would definitely check that out so you will know which produce should be purchased organically and then which ones you do not have to purchase organic. For household cleaning products? You know, I definitely am not familiar and well versed with all of the chemical names. Which ones are natural, which ones are not. So I would suggest downloading the EWG app. It's free. EWG is the environmental working group and they test common household products. And even food products on their safety. So you can either search their database for the cleanest products or you can scan the barcode of the products you currently have in your home to see how they measure up. If what you have doesn't have the greatest rating, you can search for a better alternative to buy next time you run out. And when I'm talking about household cleaners and kitchen cleaners, I'm referring to dish soap, dishwasher detergent, all purpose sprays. Things like that, they can all be major sources of toxins. And what you clean your dishes with can leave a residue or what you spray on your counters. And when we're talking about toxin exposure, it's not just about what we eat or what goes on our skin. We also need to consider what we are breathing in. Household cleaners are a big one here. So many conventional products contain harsh chemicals that get released into the air and we inhale them without even realizing it. That can affect everything from our respiratory system to our hormones, but it does not just stop at cleaners. Candles are another hidden source of toxins. Many store-bought candles are made with paraffin wax and synthetic fragrance, which can release potentially harmful compounds into the air as they burn. Now, don't you worry. I am not saying you can't have a cozy, good smelling home. There are non-toxic candle brands out there that use beeswax or coconut wax and clean essential oil blends. Or one of my personal favorites is to use a diffuser with some essential oils added. You still get that spa-like scent without all of the extra junk you could use lavender, citrus, peppermints, eucalyptus. There are so many great options. Again, it's just about being more intentional. Our lungs are another route of exposure, and when we clean that up, our body doesn't have to work as hard to filter out what doesn't belong. So I've provided 10 areas within your kitchen for you to get started, detoxifying your home if necessary. Cookware, cooking utensils, food storage. How to line your baking sheets, coffee filters, produce bags, what you use to drink, how you wash your produce. Household cleaners and candles. Small changes really do add up. And trust me, you don't have to detox your entire kitchen overnight, but start with one or two of these swaps and then you can build from there. Your body will thank you. You will have less toxic load burdening you. You'll have more energy, better hormones, better digestion. If you haven't realized already by listening to this, everything is connected. If you found this helpful, please share it with a friend who's looking to create a healthier home. Or if you have any additional swaps that you've already put into place, I would love to learn about it. Please share it on Instagram and tag me at Nourished_Living_ I would love to see what you are doing in your own kitchen. Thank you so much for joining me today, and until next time, stay nourished. Thanks for hanging out with me today and tuning into the Nourished Living Podcast. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and found something you can start implementing right away to kickstart your nourished transformation. If you loved this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who could benefit from these insights. You can also connect with me over on Instagram at Nourished Living for more resources and support. Until next time, stay nourished.