Really Very Crunchy: A Beginner's Guide to Removing Toxins from Your Life without Adding Them to Your Personality

by Emily Morrow

I want you to realize that “crunchy” can be pursued without an air of superiority and actually should come from a place of humility. I guess I’m trying to say that you can remove toxins from your life without adding them to your personality.

If you’re “going on a crunchy journey,” then I suggest starting with small decisions. From there, you can open yourself up for more as you see fit. And if things start to make you worry or if you can’t sleep at night because of what you’re reading, then it’s time to take a step back. You know what’s worse than drinking a glass of tap water? Staying up all night worrying about drinking a glass of tap water!

My husband, Jason, and I have learned to prioritize our community over our organic preferences, and I’m never disappointed by that choice.

Crunchy shouldn’t be scary or exclusive; it’s just a fun way to describe someone who is making healthier, more natural choices.

As I’ve continued my journey, I have thought about this exchange a lot and realized it’s good to try your best to be unoffendable and also try not to offend.

Later, with a gentle demeanor, she told me there’s a lot of evidence that food dye isn’t great for your health and that it’s linked to a bunch of different behavioral problems in children—some dyes are even known carcinogens. Many of the common dyes used in the US are banned in European countries.

I believe that people (crunchy or not) are trying to do the best they can with the information they have. At the root of humanity is a longing for peace, security, and happiness.

The biggest sacrifice I’ve had to make is spending less time consuming entertainment and more time making and doing, but there’s an immense satisfaction in seeing what you’re able to create, and the money saved is worth the extra work.

The Easiest Crunchy Things You Can Do on the Cheap Get outside in the sunshine for fifteen minutes in the morning. Add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon to your water. Take a walk after meals. Bring your own grocery bags to the store. Learn to belly breathe. Go to bed earlier. Choose joy.

But as a consumer, be careful about who you follow and the message they are sending. If anyone tells you your health and happiness hinge on obtaining a certain product, be wary.

What I’m trying to say is, the journey to living a more holistic, crunchy life is often a journey to simplicity.

Scented goods drastically add to indoor air pollution. We are talking about thousands of chemicals, some of which contain phthalates, some of which are endocrine disruptors, which can cause reproductive and developmental toxicity, respiratory issues such as asthma, or even cancer.

Dose makes the toxin

If you do only one thing to step into the crunchy-verse, I’d implore you to give up fragrances.

if you don’t have the means to throw away everything and start fresh, don’t. Everything (crunchy or not) is so expensive, and it’s not worth putting a financial strain on your family. That is, unless you’re experiencing respiratory symptoms; then maybe go ahead and ditch all the fragranced things.

most natural version

Naturalism fallacy

The longer you are away from artificial fragrances, the more your sense of smell will acclimate to the versions nature has provided.

Just because something says “plant based,” “made with essential oils,” or “all natural” doesn’t make it healthy.

You don’t have to invest in fancy cleaning systems. You can keep your home clean using vinegar, baking soda, and Bon Ami. That’s all you need, and you can buy all three for under five dollars each.

Sometimes I’m tempted to take the quick and easy route, but the crunchy way generally isn’t the easiest or most convenient.

In my opinion, the ease and convenience of these foods aren’t worth the risks and the degradation of your health.

Sometimes this takes planning; cooking in bulk and freezing the extra meals to make when you don’t have time to cook is super helpful. Do the best you can with the resources you have.

Food is expensive, and I know it can be discouraging when you can’t afford to buy the quality of food you want.

The further your food is from its natural state, the less healthy it is for you.

I have never met a farmer who couldn’t use more hands, so although it takes a little courage to call and ask, don’t be afraid to see if you can exchange work for products. You can check wwoofusa.org (wwoof.net for the rest of the world) to find an organic farm that you can contact.

I’ll be honest, it sort of does feel nightmarish anytime we’re invited to such events; I don’t want to be a controlling mom who “deprives” her children of all the junk food when other kids get to partake so freely. But I also don’t want to encourage my kids to consume the very foods I work to keep out of our home.

I think anxiety is far more damaging than a little bit of soybean oil and food dye (unless there’s a true allergy, obviously).

Sometimes I wish I lived in the caveman days because at least back then you knew what was dangerous.

The key to successful thrifting is consistency and patience. It also doesn’t hurt to make friends with the workers so you can tell them what you’re looking for and ask that they set it aside for you whenever it comes in.

Some thrift stores accept volunteers and give a discount in exchange for your time. My mom works at a small thrift shop for two hours on Mondays, and in exchange for her time, they allow her to fill a tote bag for five dollars.

Getting good sleep is a huge part of your overall well-being. Want the short answer on how to remove toxins from your life without adding them to your personality? Go to sleep.

So if you want to sleep well, get outside in the morning.

try to choose products that have third-party certifications for being nontoxic, like OEKO-TEX, UL GREENGUARD, FSC, GOTS, and GOLS.

Try your best where you can; don’t allow the stress of trying to live a toxin-free life become more harmful than the toxins you are trying to avoid.

The most important thing for you to remember is to talk to others the way you would want to be talked to.

A healthy lifestyle goal to adhere to is the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time you follow your strict convictions, and 20 percent of the time you let them slide.

Was the food dye in the frozen yogurt a big deal to me? Yes. But was it worth making my parents feel shame over it? No. In my opinion, showing love and kindness to someone who was not trying to hurt my child was more important than raising a stink about it.

It made me feel small. As though every time we hung out, I was going to be told by my friend that I was doing something wrong and that I was a bad mom for continuing to do it.

It’s not our job to convert them. Crunchiness is about you trying to make healthier choices for your life, not someone else’s.

And when you recognize that the path you have chosen is harder than a lot of other people’s, jealousy can creep into your mind and make a home. That’s when the air of superiority comes in and you feel the need to convert others to the way you’re doing things, especially when they are already your friends. Don’t do it.

Unless someone asks me for tips or suggestions on ways to improve their life or their health, I try not to mention my crunchy approach to life except to share about me or my family, and only if it’s a natural part of the conversation.

It’s difficult not to come across as judgy when you are in social situations that require you to take a stand for your lifestyle.

I try to make sure I’m not scaring my kids away from food. I don’t want them to be afraid of eating something just because I don’t think it’s a healthy choice. That’s a recipe for an eating disorder. It is not a child’s job to worry about food. I want my kids to be thinking about having fun, not about the dangers lurking in sheet cake. And I certainly don’t want to make them feel excluded.

I drop a lot of little health ideas here and there in my videos. I try to make informed decisions to care for my family, but please don’t do something I mention in a video just because I’m doing it. Every individual needs to seek counsel from a qualified source and not some random person on Instagram or social media—that needs to be the very last place anyone would go for medical advice. Never take serious health advice from anyone other than a professional you trust.

We aren’t supposed to be completely comfortable surrounded by agreeable people who support everything we do. People who see things differently than you can sometimes open your eyes to what really matters: showing love, being kind, having respect for others’ life experiences that brought them where they are. What is the point of trying to live a healthier life if all it does is isolate you? Don’t allow the desire to be toxin-free consume you so much it cuts you off from the rest of the world.

I would hate living in a world where there was only one right way to do things. But I think we can all agree that some ways of interacting with our world are healthier than others.

I believe that a lot of anxiety is much worse for you than the things you are anxious about.

The best approach is to look at the world around you and make small improvements where you can while not believing everything you read. Just because an article states that a study found a carcinogenic compound in America’s drinking water doesn’t mean you should keep yourself up at night because you let your child drink from the water fountain.