How to Reduce Your Toxic Load at Home: Practical Steps That Actually Work

We are exposed to more chemicals, plastics, and environmental toxins than any generation before us. It can feel overwhelming.

This episode provides practical ways you can start to reduce that toxic load, without needing a ton of time or money. 

In part two of my conversation with naturopath and medical herbalist Anthia Koullouros — founder of Apotheca by Anthia — we shift from how the body detoxifies to what's adding to the burden in the first place. We go through the hidden toxins in your food, what's actually in your tap water, how personal care and cleaning products are quietly accumulating in your system as endocrine disruptors, what's happening in your home environment (including mould, VOCs, and synthetic fragrance), EMFs, and plastics.

And then — because this is Wellness Simplified — we land on the specific habit you can start with (she provides three - start at one and then work your way up).

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• What a "food audit" is and how to do a simple version at home using the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists and checking labels
• What's actually in your tap water in Australia and the simplest and most affordable way to address it
• How personal care products accumulate as endocrine disruptors in your body — and the one swap that makes the most difference
• What greenwashing looks like in cleaning products and personal care — and how to spot it
• The three most practical places to start when you're trying to reduce your overall toxic load without it becoming another full-time job

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to Wellness Simplified. I'm Kelly Nichols, and this show is for busy people who care deeply about their health, but are drowning in conflicting advice and don't know where to focus. Every episode, we simplify one area of health. One habit, one simple experiment, one clear next step that will actually fit into your life. Together, let's optimize our health. One simple step at a time. Hey, I'm Kelly Nichols, your host. Welcome to this week's episode of Wellness Simplified. I've been trying to live a low-tox life for at least 20 years. I read labels, I buy organic food where I can, I've done my research. And then last year I did a total toxburden test, and it still came back showing plastics and multiple chemicals. So, like most people, I'm very much on this journey of seeing how to reduce toxic load, which is exactly what we're talking about in this week's episode. Because here's the thing: we can't avoid every toxin. That's not the world we live in, sadly. But there are simple steps we can take and build on over time to minimize our exposure, both for ourselves and our families. This episode is part two with Anthea Kaluros, naturopath, medical herbalist, and founder of Apotheca by Anthea in Sydney's Surrey Hills. She has 31 years of rich experience, which she's bringing to this week's episode. Last week, we covered how your body naturally detoxifies and how to support it. This week, we're focusing on what's actually adding to your toxic load, where the hidden exposures are that most people don't even think about, and most importantly, what you can do about it. We talk about hidden toxins in your food, what's in your tap water, how your personal care products are quietly accumulating in your body, mold and VOCs in your home, EMFs, microplastics. And then, of course, we land on one action that you can start with that's easy. If you're ready to get practical about reducing your toxic load, this episode is for you. Hey Anthea, thank you so much for coming back to the show. Um, last week's episode was brilliant, and I hope everybody has been taking your advice over this past week and just taking time with their food to chew to till your food is actually liquid and take the time to observe how your body goes, the food that you're eating as you recommend it. Um yes, if you haven't been doing that, you still have time, please do. So last week, uh obviously we talked about, and if you haven't listened to the episode, go back because we talked about how to support the body to detoxify. We went through all the different detoxification organs. Um, really, really practical, beautiful episode. And this week we're going to now be looking complementarily into okay, what are all the ways that we're putting toxins into our bodies? And there are so many. Um, and how can we just gradually find ways to reduce those? So I'm looking forward to this episode. Thank you so much. Thank you. As I said um last week, we always start just getting an insight into something in your life. And I was this week I thought it would be nice to look at what's one small change that you've made to your own life recently that surprised you with how beneficial it's been.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

I think we we talked about this last week, and for me is reverence for the stage I am, which is perimenopause, because again, it's very noisy out there, and as a practitioner who sees a lot of women who are in perimenopause, and I think, yes, it can feel like a roller coaster. So I'm in it and also sitting outside of it, observing it, and having real reverence for this transition has made it um, I don't know what the word is, really much more enjoy it and not be frightened of it. There's so much negativity around it as well. And yeah, I don't know what it is, but again, that word reverence has come up for me for this. So it's you know, applying it to this now. I'm in this transition, and what does that feel like?

SPEAKER_01 4:27

And and does reverence in this case kind of look like um reverence for your body and the changes that it's going through and what it's provided and how it's still like what does that look like? Because to you, yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

It's like my goodness, I'm so blessed, I'm healthy, I've made it thus far in my life in this body, and sure it doesn't look like it did. Why should it look like what it did? And just how the outside world is wanting us to look exactly the same and not change. And again, it's it's just so not realistic. But I'm a woman like anyone else, and of course, you know, we have vanity and we want to look our best and be beautiful and be desirable and still be um noticed and all those things. But for me, what's more important is a reverence for this extraordinary body, how it's able to help me do the things that I love doing so much is being able to create, see my patients, be liberated from symptoms and disease because I have reverence for it because I look after it. Um, it doesn't mean that everyone who looks after their body is free of disease either. So I I really know this very well. But whatever it is that you can do that supports it with kindness and understanding and curiosity rather than an outside message telling me what it should look like and what it should be doing and what it should feel like. It's it's a different way of existing, and I think a lot of women are feeling this right now. It's like I'm not 20, I'm 54, and this is what 54 for me feels like, and this is what it looks like.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Yeah, it looks beautiful, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Um, thank you. As everyone's got their own thing, so I think it's reverence and acceptance.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Yeah, no, I love that because I feel like there is so much. I mean, I'm 46 and I'm constantly the same thing. You're just constantly being fed information about all the ups and downs, and actually not the ups, the downs of perimenopause, and should look like exactly the same as you're saying. And I love that approach of kind of just focusing on like loving your body and loving where you are. Um, yeah, that's beautiful, really, really beautiful. Love it. So you've last week we talked about how your approach to detoxification has like amazingly stayed the same over your 31 years of practice. You've also been advocating, I think, for like toxic chemical-free lifestyle that entire time. Um, and so what brought you to that position all that time ago before it was trendy or whatever?

SPEAKER_00 7:32

I know, I think uh I can blame my dad, maybe, but in a positive way. Thank my dad rather than blame my dad. Um, he was always that way inclined. And we come from Greek Mediterranean background, we grew our own food. Dad came here when he was 11, my grandparents came here much older. And I don't know, we just lived a much simpler, kind of a very natural lifestyle. And dad was an electrical engineer, very much new science and physics, and new chemicals and toxins, and he just we weren't allowed to have toxins in the household, toxic chemicals, I should say, in the household. So there were natural products and and products that weren't fancy or stuff that he would make. And then I started naturopathy when I was 18. So I kind of just jumped straight into that natural world, yeah, yeah, and that's all I've known, to be quite honest. Um, but I'm obviously very aware of the toxic chemicals that we live in. We can't, there is no such thing as zero toxic chemicals. I'm living in the city.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Yeah, absolutely. And that was what I was gonna ask next because I feel like going into this topic, it can feel a little overwhelming because we are so exposed. So I can give a personal example. I maybe not as long as you, but I've been aware of this for at least 20 years, trying to live a you know, low-tox lifestyle for me and my kids. Um, but I did a total toxin toxburden test. I don't know if you use those with your clients, and it still came back, you know, plastics, this, this. I was like, oh my goodness, but I try so hard. So yeah, it can feel overwhelming. How do you how do you work that through with your clients?

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Uh we always say start with the foods that you're eating. So you minimize the toxins as in additives and preservatives and artificial colours and flavorings. There's your first lot of toxic chemicals, yeah. And then the how the foods are stored, second lot of toxic chemicals. So, you know, minimize the amount of plastics that food is stored in, because now we know so much more about plastics. But also, what's one easy swap that you use, whether it's for cleaning or beauty or personal care? Um, some people come to their own conclusions with this because they've been diagnosed with a big chronic illness. And so they, you know, they come along and it's like I've already eliminated all of this. So, and other people are completely brand new. Like we have this little rule. I don't know why I'm whispering, but we have this fill in your questionnaire that you tick off and be mindful not to wear perfumes and aftershave when you come and see us in the clinic. And the reason being because we have sensitive patients. So if he's waiting in the waiting room with patients, um, or you're gonna trigger a migraine within me. So some people don't read that bit. We can't obviously lawfully put it into place, but we say be mindful of what you spray yourself with.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

So we ask kindly, we're in an enclosed space in a clinic with sensitive people.

SPEAKER_01 11:08

I love that. I love that. I keep on arguing with my elder son at the moment because he wants to he get like, you know, spray on deodorant because he said none of the natural stuff I buy him works. And I once relented, but I was like, I am dying having this done. Yeah, terrible. Yeah. Um, okay, let's start with you said you start with food. So let's start the conversation with that and go through um the different elements that people could look at. So uh there's obviously a number of potential hidden toxins. Could you talk through those?

SPEAKER_00 11:41

Um so I get my patients to do something called a food audit, and I even created a substack called the food audit. But the food audit is looking at the ingredients of everything you eat that comes out of a packet. So often it gets missed if we're just looking at the nutritional panel, which is protein, carbs, and fats and sodium and sugar. So the ingredients will often have numbers and words that we don't recognize. So we say less ingredients, more food ingredients that you recognize, that's a good place. And if you don't know, ask questions. Go to my Substack, the food audit, you'll see it there. Um, but just start flicking packets over and just looking at the ingredients so it's more natural.

SPEAKER_01 12:24

Yep. And are there particular things that you would say really look out for these, for example?

SPEAKER_00 12:30

I think just flavors, preservatives, just all the words and numbers. That's that's what you want to start with. But then I say, okay, from there, now we're gonna look at your produce and we're gonna teach you about something called dirty dozen, the dirty dozen, and the clean 15. And they look at me with their eyes wide open and it's like, what's the dirty dozen? And some people know about it, which is the environmental working group in the US that created the list of the 12 foods grown with the highest amount of pesticides. Yeah. And the clean 15 are those grown with the least amount of pesticides. So we say the dirty dozen should be consumed organic, grown without any chemical pesticides. And the clean 15, you could buy non-organic if you don't want to spend all the money on organic produce.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Yeah, beautiful. I'll link to these in the show notes, and I definitely recommend everyone looking them up. Uh, because I do I find personally it's a great way to save money. Because I would, in an ideal world, love to only eat everything completely organic. But you know, when times are tough, that can be difficult. So this is a really great practical way of just reducing that impact in a much more cost-effective manner.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

And I think then, you know what else we're teaching people? Okay, this recipe calls for spinach. Spinach is on the top of the list of the highest grown vegetable with pesticides. Okay, so can we swap the spinach for something else then? So if we can't afford to buy it organic, maybe buy some zucchini or buy some other green or it could be parsley. I don't know. It depends what the recipe is, of course. Um, but I that's where, you know, that kind of rigid rigidity that people are sitting in as well. And I also find that, you know, last week we talked about sterilization and purification when it comes to detoxification, yet they're not looking at the alcohol they're drinking and the pesticides in the dirty dozen. And those kind of hidden, you know, toxic chemicals. They're sterilizing over here with strong detoxification protocols, and yet they're still eating raw spinach in a smoothie or a juice that isn't organic.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Absolutely. And and then, you know, thinking that they're doing something good for their body because it's yeah, absolutely. Okay, make sure you check the show notes because I'll make sure to have those in there. Um, what about water? Is uh what do people need to know about what's actually in their tap water here in Australia?

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Well, some people say, Well, isn't our tap water safe? I mean, of course it should be safe, and it is safe from harmful microbes. Yes, this is true, but there's other things that are in water that maybe you don't want to have in your water, which might be coming from old pipes or the environment. So we're looking at heavy metals. Some people don't want chlorine in their water. You feel there might be trace amounts of pesticides or pharmaceutical residues or microplastics. So um, microplastics you're going to find more in plastic water bottles, but we're talking about tap water here. So buying a water filter from the oldest filter water shop called the water shop, um, I'm not sponsored, just love. Um, they can kick people out with really inexpensive water filters, counter units if you're renting or something installed underneath if you own your own place. But that could be a simple place to start, is just making sure you're having good quality water without any heavy metals or chemicals, toxic chemicals.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

Yeah, and there are there are different options from relatively affordable right up to you know getting the whole house done, kind of thing. There are. Yeah, beautiful. So personal care products. I think particularly, I mean, like I said, it's actually for men and women, um, as I said for my son. But could you talk a little bit about the chemicals uh that we're exposed to in those? And I'm gonna show him this part of the episode.

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Yeah, good. Well, so we can we're we're consuming so many products. And when I say consuming, whatever you apply on your skin, you might as well be eating. We absorb it through the skin, we breathe it through our nasal passages, we use oral toxic chemicals in our mouth as mouthwashes and toothpaste and things like this. So, and and then cleaning products also come through the clothes that we're you know that we're wearing. So if I think of personal care products, which is skincare and makeup and and all those kind of different toiletries, hair deodorants, I just say with that, some patients want to go all in and change everything all at once. And I say that's very expensive to do. And yes, you want to do that once you're made aware of it, and I get that, I would want to do that too, but it can be a very expensive exercise. So, first of all, I often say, Do you really need that product? So you're not just swapping out a product that you don't use very much of, or do you really need it? Um, it's the same with cleaning products. Like, do you need a drain cleaner? Like, you know, there's certain products that we could do without. And what is the most commonly used product that you could swap out? Because it's the one that you use so often all the time, that is laden with toxic chemicals that we can swap out to a natural product that is as effective.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Yeah. Could you speak a little bit to what are some of the impacts of these uh like skincare, makeup, deodorant, etc.?

SPEAKER_00 18:29

Well, I think it's the toxic chemicals themselves, it's the cumulative effect of them as endocrine disruptors. So when I say cumulative effect, it's the eye makeup remover, it's the hair color, it's the deodorant, it's the lipstick, it's the soap, it's the foot cream, it's the cumulative effect, it's the toxins that are cumulative effect, accumulating within the body that are known endocrine disruptors, so they disrupt hormone and which affects hormone regulation. Um there are known carcinogenic, so cancer-causing, again, from cumulative products, cumulative toxic chemicals within cumulative products. So that's just two of them. But there are products that also cause skin irritation because they disrupt the pH, they disrupt the skin barrier. Um, so they don't allow the skin to breathe. So often, you know, I'll shake someone's hand on and I'll say, geez, your hand is so soft. And then they'll tell me the hand cream that they're using, and I think I wouldn't touch that with a bar of, I just wouldn't touch it ever. Because it's got this kind of plastic that sits on top of the skin, which makes the skin feel like velvet. But I'd rather have my soft but slightly rough skin rather than this kind of fake plastic filament sitting on top of the skin. And we've got to remember the skin is an organ of elimination, the skin needs to breathe. So uh every which way you cut it, there's so many different ways you can look at this.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Yeah, absolutely. Um, and with the cleaning products, the other thing is they can be really simple. Like, what do you personally use?

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Sometimes bicarbonate apple cider vinegar, as I mentioned, drain cleaner, that can be the best drain cleaner.

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:23

Um, and you can look up those recipes everywhere. But even eucalyptus in a bottle of water with some apple cider vinegar makes a really good disinfectant cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner. Sure, I've got really favorite natural cleaning products that are alternatives that work brilliantly, magically, even, um, that do the job of you know cleaning grouts and between tiles and you know, um, stainless steel pots and things like that, and and windows. I mean, there are some beautiful natural products out there that are so effective. Um, just as there are brilliant natural makeup ranges and hair products and deodorants that are super effective. Um, they've just got better and better, but just make sure they aren't greenwashed. I think, you know, meaning great marketing, but when you look at the ingredient listing, there's not much natural in it.

SPEAKER_01 21:25

That's the other thing. I think that's really important that you mention that because especially with cleaning products, I've noticed that those ones that say that they're green have just as many chemicals. Absolutely. Yeah, you really have to start like learn to read labels, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Yeah, read labels, look up websites, look up the brands. Um, but reading labels is a good place. And also, unlike food labels, ingredient listing on these products, you don't they don't need to list every single ingredient. And often that's why it's really hard on these kind of products. Is there isn't that much the same transparency as there is on food products. So you've really got to go to the website or find people like you, me, and ask us the questions what's your favorite this and what's your favorite natural product of that?

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Totally, totally. And I mean for cleaning products, I think you know, good old vinegar. So, like you said, some apple cider vinegar water and some essential oils does the trick for nearly everything. So yeah. Um, okay, let's talk about the home environment because sadly, like it's a source of many toxins. I've been dealing with mold in my own home, which is really, you know, hard to deal with. There's VOC, synthetic fragrances, like we've talked about. So could you just talk a bit about the the toxin toxic burden that we could be exposed to in our homes? And what are some things that we could do to address that?

SPEAKER_00 22:50

I think it's um especially if you've just newly renovated or newly built, from the paints to um the treated wood. So there's something about a new build. There's probably not going to be any mold issues, and then an older build, you're left with the mold issues or lead paint and all sorts of things like that. Um, my clinic is in this beautiful old Georgian building, and it's sandstoned on one side of the wall, doesn't get much sunlight. I put wallpaper up, non-breathable wallpaper, and it started to mold up behind the wallpaper. So I had to strip it back, my beautiful wallpaper, and I thought, no, I need to use non-toxic paint and breathable paint so the wall itself can breathe because it's sandstone. So sometimes it's just trial and error what you end up with because you're renting or you buy a place and you don't know the ins and outs, and you're not, and it not everyone can afford to do a rebuild, or some people say, Should I get a building biologist come out and measure the mold? And it's like, yep. And then you may need to do something, or you may need to move, or you something needs to happen. I think the thing is, is so minimize your toxic chemical load, natural candles, avoid incense with synthetic fragrances or synthetic room sprays, open up windows at any season, let fresh air in, let sunlight in. Um, there's some of the simple things you can do. Have pot plants around, but check the soil that there's no mold growing in the soil. Like plants are great, but also water them well and make sure they're draining, drained well, and they're getting plenty of sunlight so they're healthy, so they can be healthy with us. Otherwise, we end up be looking as sad as the plant sitting next to us in a sad room.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

No, beautiful. Now, I wanted to touch on EMFs. I mean, this is something that I personally feel, but I know there's loads of people that you know don't. Um, what's your perspective?

SPEAKER_00 24:59

Well, I'm curious how you personally feel it because there are some people who know enough about it and some don't even know what we're talking about. So I only bring it up if it's brought up. How do you feel it within your body?

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Uh so I'll give you a really clear example. When my father passed away, I inherited his Tesla and um I kind of had a sentimental thing about it because he loved this car. But Teslas have much higher levels of EMF. Um, and I find that when I get in that car, like after I can drive it around locally, but if I drive it too far, I get this kind of lightheaded feeling. Um, and that's like during COVID, when I was constantly on Zoom calls, I would get the same feeling. It's like my my brain can't think clearly. Um, but I know that's not the case for many people, as I said. So, what's happening there between someone who is sensitive to EMF exposure and someone who's not? And maybe we need to actually explain what our EMFs are.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Yeah, electromagnetic um frequencies, electromagnetic frequencies, yeah. Um, I was going to say that I think one of the things that again, like the toxic chemicals, why are some people more sensitive than other people? I think once you start becoming aware of the impacts of toxic chemicals and EMFs and um toxic thoughts, whatever it might be, yeah, you in a sense are creating more sensitivity within yourself, would you say? So, and some people are oh, better than you know, uh uh what's the common saying? Um, I'd rather be um ignorant and blissful. Is ignorance bliss?

SPEAKER_02 26:52

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:52

And it's like yes and no, because then you might end up with a diagnosis and unawares to you, and it's like, how did I not see that coming? Whereas a certain level of sensitivity is like a barometer of health, it's your nervous system um sensing safety. So having uh an acceptable reaction or response to an environment is what we want. So, is does that make you more sensitive or does that make you just normal? That's an appropriate response to the environment. So, for some patients, we look at, you know, if they're feeling very stimulated nervous system-wise or very fatigued or brain fog, then EMFs are gonna be a consideration or constant headaches or difficulty concentrating. So, for many people, obviously they're gonna look at their diet first, they're gonna look at toxic chemicals, they're gonna look at their relationship. And EMFs often get left last. And I think it's just because, well, what can I change it if it's something I just have to live with? I think it's just being aware of it, and it could be like the adjustment that you've made long drives no good, short drives better. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

And I think something that you kind of touched on is interesting. Um, my experience is when either I'm going through a lot of stress or when you know health is a bit down or whatever, then I feel that or other toxins a lot more because you're sitting in it, which makes sense, right?

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Um so and does it make sense for everyone? You're already in a heightened state of awareness, you're in a fight-flight response. You're gonna feel things much more acutely. You will sense them. That's what your fight-flight response is meant to do. You will sense things more acutely. The freeze response is different. That emergency state of your nervous system, um, that the dorsal vagal state of your nervous system where everything blunts down out, and you're not as sensitively or sensorily acute in your of your environment and what's happening inside of your body. But it's a real protective mechanism that when you're in long fight-flight response, that and so overwhelmed that you moved into this freeze state, and so you don't sense as much. Um, but in the acute fight-flight response in that state, you're yeah, you're gonna be much more acutely sensitive to so many things that you're almost intolerant to walking down the laundry aisle of a supermarket or loud noises or more EMFs.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

Yeah. Where can people find you and what are the different ways that they can work with you?

SPEAKER_00 29:42

Sure. Well, I too have a podcast which is This Is How We Heal. Um, so on all platforms. But if they visit my apotheca byanthea.com is my website. You can book a one-on-one consult with me. You can subscribe to my Substack, you can listen in on the podcast. So it's Apotheca by Anthea A-P-O-T-H-E-C-A B-Y-A-N-T-H-I-A.com. And that's where you'll find me, either in my store, in my clinic here in Surrey Hills or online.

SPEAKER_01 30:16

Beautiful. We'll put those all in the show notes. Um, I highly recommend you read Anthea's uh Substack. It's so many kind of thing, like really practical things that you can apply. And I would also really recommend doing her seasonal cleansers. There's one on now, so you probably missed that, but there'll be another one in winter. So definitely sign up for that. Thank you again, and thank you for doing the double episodes. Um, this yeah, worked just beautifully. I really, really appreciate your time. Thank you. Now it's your turn. Take what you've learned today and put it into action. Try the habit, run the experiment, and actually track how you go. I'll be doing it right alongside you and sharing on socials. So come find me there. Links are in the show notes. Tell me what's working, what isn't, and what questions are coming up. I genuinely want to know. And if today's episode helped, share it with someone who needs it. And if you haven't already, hit subscribe so we can keep optimizing our health together. One simple step at a time. Take care, and I'll see you next week.