The “crunchy” world of non-toxic living is a journey. It’s not an all or nothing nor is it a one and done journey. You’ll learn new things along the way. In this post, I’ll share the 7 non-toxic swaps I’d make again if I had to start over in my non-toxic journey. Most healthy swaps are affordable and one even pays you back! Read on for healthier and natural alternatives to reduce the toxin load in your home.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Always shop small, local, and/or direct when you can, though!
7 non-toxic swaps I’d make again
Similarly to your daily macro count, trying to go “non-toxic” can be overwhelming and all consuming. This is not good for your mental and emotional health.
Trying to scrub clean your physical health with environmental changes can make you sick in the mind and heart if you’re not careful.
There’s so much information out there on how to become a non-toxic home. Ask me how I know… but at the end of the day, we have to just do the best we can where we are.
Perfection should not be the goal but progress instead.
If I were coming into the non-toxic, crunchy world again as a newbie, here are the 7 swaps I’d make without being overwhelmed by all the choices:
1. replace plastic and Teflon with glass and stainless steel
Non-stick Teflon coating on pots and pans is a hard no for us. We even travel with our own stainless or cast iron pan because it seems most TJ Maxxes offer a BOGO on Teflon-coated cookware for the local AirBNB hosts. (I’m being sarcastic…)
Minimize exposure to toxic chemicals that leach into your food from non-stick coatings by using cast iron, stainless steel, and glass.
How to do this:
- replace plastic drinking cups and straws with stainless steel or glass depending on age of children
- consider replacing one pot/pan at a time until all Teflon coated cookware is gone (if Teflon coating scratched, it needs to go first!)
- swap plastic food storage containers with glass ones
- at the minimum, commit to NOT heating plastic containers in the microwave!
- have a non-plastic “work plate” to put food on to before reheating then wash it and reuse it tomorrow ($1.25 at the Dollar Tree for said plate, even cheaper if thrifted.)
- Swap Shopping Secret: every time I thrift, I find stainless steel cookware! So many people chose to get rid of their good stuff because the marketers won them over with the non-stick coating gimmick. Grab your non-toxic kitchen swaps for cheap when you thrift them!
- Find PYREX in capital letters and you’ve struck GOLD!
HOT TAKE: saying you don’t like food that sticks to your pans and pots is an easy excuse to bust!
Excuse Busters: 1- make sure the pot or pan is VERY HOT before adding butter/oil/grease then the meat. 2- add water, put on the stove’s eye and let pan boil for a minute. Rinse stuck on foods right off. 3- get steel wool for scrubbing.
Suggested Swaps:
- Pint sized mason jars for drinking glasses
2. buy organic from the Dirty Dozen list and organic flour
With our current 2026 food system, I’m not sure what to believe. Is organic really organic? Is the Non-GMO Verified Project a scam? What is greenwash labeling? Who can I trust?!?
Here’s where you can start:
- if buying produce on the Dirty Dozen list, get those organically, grow them yourself, or purchase from a local farmer.
- eating seasonally will help tremendously with this and seasonal eating is generally more affordable
- if freshly milled flour isn’t on your radar yet, buy organic flour for bread making or any baking.
- glyphosate is heavily used as a desiccant (drying agent) on wheat that is harvested, milled, and bagged for your consumption.
3. saturated fats aren’t the enemy
Hydrogenated seed oils are. Take a look at the Hateful Eight by Dr. Cate then make these swaps:
- avocado oil
- olive oil
- ghee
- butter
- lard
- tallow
In fact, throw the entire bottle of “vegetable oil” in the garbage. Right now. Crisco? CrisNO. Goodbye.
Suggested Non-Toxic Swaps:
Azure Standard’s Avocado oil for frying, baking, and making your own mayonnaise
4. filtered water over bottled water
Bottled water over municipal tap water, yes.
Filtered water over all of it.
Whole house filters aren’t exactly cheap but are a wise investment when it’s the only beverage your family drinks (coffee and sweet tea are made with water, ya know!).
To start:
- begin with purchasing a simple water filter with carbon cartridges
- then advance to a kitchen counter top filter like a Berkey or a more affordable PureWell
Suggested Swaps:
Simple water filtration (do your own review-reading and make an informed decision)
Purewell (no personal experience yet but looking to get this one soon based on reviews. Removes most chlorine found in municipal tap water. Will be great for traveling to reduce bottled water and tap water consumption.)
Homemade Flavored Water (not a single fake ingredient!)
5. swap cleaning agents and soaps
If you’re trying to become a chemical-free cleaning products home, one place to start is to learn a new skill: soap making.
Then you can swap your bathing and hand washing soaps as well as dish washing soaps. One loaf of homemade soap can last 6-9 months for a family of 4 and cost about $20 to make for a natural alternative to body care and cleaning.
House cleaner swaps:
- hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach (still wear gloves and a mask when using)
- Castile soap with essential oils (tea tree is a solid choice) instead of “all-purpose cleaners”
- warm water, soap, friction washes away dirt and germs
- the powerhouse that is lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar for cleaning and laundry
- (do a little research on what you shouldn’t mix together and what kinds of surfaces not to clean with these above)
- make your own non-toxic dish soap, laundry detergent, dishwasher tablets
6. mind-poison swaps
Turn off the television. Stop the Netflix binge. Slow the scroll. Literally trash the “news”. This will probably be the BEST non-toxic swap you can make.
Bonus: it’s super affordable and likely will pay you back when you cancel those subscriptions to streaming services.
Instead, try this in the evenings:
- Bible study or readings with the family (new to it? Just start. Pray then open your Bible and read. The Lord will guide you.)
- reading REAL books (like ones you can put your hands on and turn the actual page)
- puzzles
- go on a walk after dinner
- board games or card games with your family
- try your hand at a new skill (like soap making above or any of these)
“Vegging out” is okay sometimes but every single night? We have access to screens all day long. They are addicting and mind-numbing! Technology is quite literally stealing our God-given creativity and talents. Social media is public enemy number one. Control it, don’t let it control you.
Choose something else over the screen or device in your family’s downtime. They are learning behaviors from us parents. We need to model a better way, be Spiritual leaders for our children!
Go ahead, be BORING. Be the strange family that doesn’t own a television or only turns it on the weekend. Be weird. Not many others are doing it.
7. replace ultra-processed foods for real food
I love a good crunch too. Chips are my favorite. However, because most are made of trash ingredients and the ones that aren’t are very pricey, we just don’t buy them often.
How to replace ultra-processed foods:
- don’t buy it. Simple and cost effective. If you don’t have it in the house, you can’t eat it. (And neither can your children.)
- buy real food instead (bananas, eggs, even a pound of beef is cheaper by the pound than Lays and Chips Ahoy)
- be careful of the new “trend” with PROTEIN written on every box and bag. Read the ingredients and nutrition facts. If it has added protein but still has 37g sugar and 87g carbohydrates made with seed oil and high fructose corn syrup, then they’ve only added lipstick to a pig.
- make what you can
- time is always the excuse.
- So make bigger batches! Double the homemade cookie recipe and freeze the rest.
- bake two loaves of bread at once.
- homemade fudge takes less than 10 minutes to melt, 30 minutes to freeze. Double the batch.
- time is always the excuse.
Suggested Lesson:
double the recipe and freeze the rest
It’s not all or nothing
In summary, these are the non-toxic swaps I remain consistent with even when I learn of the next newest toxic threat.
If I had to start my non-toxic journey all over again, these are the 7 swaps I’d make with no question. These are the ones we have been able to remain the most consistent with over the last 6 years.
Do what you can where you are with what you’ve got and know if it’s heavily marketed to you, it might not be the best for you.
Their wealth over your health is the name of the game.
Last piece of non-toxic swap advice and really it should be the FIRST PIECE OF ADVICE:
Pray and ask God for discernment in all you eat, drink, and consume. He WILL show you what He wants you to know when He wants you to know it.
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