Becoming (Sort of) "Crunchy"

I learned the term "Crunchy" while sitting in the NICU with my daughter.  Two nurses were talking and one of them mentioned her "crunchy" friend.  I was intrigued.  Upon listening (eavesdropping?), I discovered that her friend leaned toward a natural lifestyle.  "Crunchy", as I learned, was a nicer way of saying "granola-loving, hippie type".  I love this term, although I am sure some people may find it a wee bit offensive.

As it turns out, I am (sort of) crunchy!   When it became clear to my husband and I that we were struggling with infertility, I threw myself into research.  I wanted to know what could aid our quest to become pregnant.  I read everything from the superstitious to the downright ridiculous!  I found a lot of wisdom, as well.  I came across a book called The Infertility Cure by Radine Lewis, Ph.D..  The book is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

In reading The Infertility Cure, I learned how everything that we put into and onto our bodies has a huge impact on the overall balance (Qi) of our bodies.  This, in turn, impacts our overall health, including fertility.  Around this time, I began to see an acupuncturist to help aid us in our endeavors.

I changed my diet and began to "eat clean". * Eating clean means to try to eat food that are in their most natural forms.  Fruits, veggies, rice, lean meat, eggs, nuts and seeds are all part of a "clean eating" diet.  I cut out anything that was too processed or far removed from its original state.  I never restricted calories or foods.  The body has to be properly fueled, especially when creating and sustaining new life.

I did a lot of research on what goes onto our skin in our everyday body care and beauty products.  I was shocked to learn that a lot of common ingredients in these products contain "hormone disrupters" and known carcinogens.  The last thing I wanted to do was contribute to our infertility by using any products that contained these ingredients.  I ran through the house and chucked out any products with the bad ingredients.  My husband and I hardly had anything left when I was through with my purge.  None of my makeup, skin care products or cleaning products were free of harmful ingredients.

With my list of harmful ingredients in hand, I slowly restocked our products.  I use baking soda, vinegar and "Nellie's All-Natural One Soap" for cleaning. **  It is a lot cheaper (woo hoo!) and very effective.  I learned to read labels and try my best to avoid the harmful ingredients.  I love the Rocky Mountain Soap Company and ZuZu Cosmetics.** I try to buy organic when I can.  This can be difficult as I live in a rural community, so choices are limited.

I am by no means perfect with everything we eat and use in our home.  Perfection is a goal better left for someone with more ambition than I.  We did, however, find that it made a vast difference in our lives.  Hubby lost 20 lbs without even trying!  I started to feel far more energetic, happy and strong.  Most importantly, we achieved our goal of pregnancy!

Miss. E has arrived and Hubby and I continue to be careful with our lifestyle.  I feel better knowing that I am doing my best to promote my family's health.

Here are some links that I found helpful in adopting a more "natural" lifestyle:

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/dirty-dozen-cosmetic-chemicals/

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/queen-of-green/2011/04/safe-cosmetic-brands-uncovered/

http://davidsuzuki.org/publications/resources/2010/sustainable-shoppers-guide-to-the-dirty-dozen-ingredients-to-avoid-in-your-cosme/

http://www.rockymountainsoap.com/

What natural products do you like?  Do organic or natural products have an impact on your life?

*  Please note that I am not a doctor or dietitian.  You should consult your health care provider when making any changes to your diet or exercise routine.

** The products mentioned in this post are products that I personally like to use.  This is simply my opinion.  I did not receive compensation for mentioning them in this post.