What is holistic living?
Holistic living is going back to the basics. It’s living like our ancestors did before we “messed it up.” Essentially, it’s living in a way that nourishes our mind, body, and soul. It’s making sure that none of those three go out of balance. Practically, this looks like lessening our toxic load and investing in products that are toxin free to help our bodies rather than to load them down with stress. It also includes eating whole foods and enough food. There is a huge diet culture today that tells us to eat a minimal amount of calories because that is what will make us skinny and healthier, but that’s actually the opposite.
We are called to nourish our body with things God gave us at the beginning of time: raw milk, non-gmo vegetables, seasonal fruits, meat, etc. Try to stay away from processed food, artificial dyes and flavors, etc. This is how we can live in a way that God really intended for our bodies and how he designed our bodies.
What is God's design for our bodies?
God designed our bodies as templates of the Holy Spirit. Whenever we receive the Eucharist, we are a living tabernacle and are called to go out and share Jesus to the world. We will be able to do that best when we feel good & are nourishing our bodies. God wants us to feel whole and He wants us to thrive and not just survive.
Why should we take care of ourselves?
God has put us on this Earth for a specific vocation–spouse, priest, consecrated single, etc. We can only do that to the best of our ability if we are healthy. If we are healthy, we can really strive for holiness & happiness. All of those things go hand in hand with one another. Our vocation is not something to be taken lightly and neither is our health.
What are some good brands of clean living products?
Deodorant-Primally Pure
Skin Care & Makeup-Crunchi
Cleaning & Laundry-Truly Free
Cleaning, Supplements, Essential Oils-Young Living
Perfume-Skylar
How can someone get started on their holistic health journey?
Learn how to read labels, but don’t get so obsessed that you are scared to eat some Doritos. Yes, Doritos are not the best food choice, but it is toxic to ourselves if we are so stressed out about only eating healthy, we forget we can also live.
There are 30 chemicals banned in the United States in beauty products and 1,300 chemicals banned in Europe. Knowing what is in your product is key to actually being healthy because we are blinding putting things on all the time.
As for eating healthy, 80/20 is a good rule. If you choose to eat processed foods, try to remove all artificial dyes and flavors. It’s actually really easy to do. Thrive Marketplace is an online market that you can get groceries with no artificial dyes in any of the products.
Rid fragrance from your life–toxic candles, plug-ins, perfumes, etc. Fragrance can hold up to 3,000 chemicals that they don’t actually have to list.
“My #1 tip to get into toxin-free holistic living is to not stress yourself out with trying to do it all at once. For example, if you run out of foundation, then switch your foundation. Don’t try to switch everything at once because it will be super expensive and you’re going to get stressed out.” -Sami
What is one piece of advice that you want every young Catholic woman to know?
“Go out of your way to be kind to everyone. Make sure you are a welcoming, warm presence to every single person you meet.” -Sami