When I started to think about living clean I was in my 30's. I was a single mom of two children under 3 and had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. So many things in my life had changed already but the most important changes were yet to come. Deciding against pharmaceutical management of my new diagnosis came with both judgement and encouragement.
The judgement centered around choosing to be medication free, even though there was (is) no cure for MS, medications were used to treat symptoms and possibly (at the time no solid evidence) slow the progression. It was a risky decision but I knew the medications offered had risky side effects as well so I was confident I had made the right decision for me and my family.
Encouragement came from those who understood how personal and difficult the decision had been for me. Its all I needed to keep going forward and start to make the changes necessary.
Before I really get into it let me explain, I am now in my 50's and still a work in progress, so I have no judgement of those on a similar journey and finding it is like trying to walk uphill on a slip and slide. A few steps uphill and, BAM, you slip and slide a bit down. I get it and experience it pretty often myself.
I started by finding and taste testing several (by several I mean no less than 10) vegan protein shakes with clean ingredients. Some where "cleaner" than others and finally settled on one. I also read book after book on nutrition and how what we put into our bodies matters but not as much as what we add to our foods before and during the process of preparing the food for consumption. Again, even armed with the information, I continue to refine my nutrition. New studies, new theories, new evidence sometimes completely contradicting prior recommendations.
Fast forward 20 years and I am still perfecting my approach but I keep an open mind and I am always open to discovering different things. I started with adding a healthy, clean shake because it seemed the most obvious and easiest thing to do quickly. That's not saying I loved the taste and/or texture of every shake and there was certainly a time period that I had to convince myself every day to drink it. I did, however, tough it out and still drink the same shake everyday. I also adopted a Mediterranean diet over the years and did my best to cut out processed sugar. I switched out household products after the kids were a little older to include less harmful chemicals but never found anything I was obsessed with. About a year ago I listened to an acquaintance talk about a company that produced clean products in their own facility and shipped directly from the warehouse here in the USA. Sure, why not check it out, I thought. Nothing to lose, after all I had spent all sorts of money and time trying products blindly without any testimonials!
I currently love the products I am using. Skin care, hair care, supplements for weight management, joint health, eye health, digestion, and household products. Yes, all from the same manufacturer. Seems weird that a company would have such a diverse assortment of products but the truth is they have one goal and that is helping people live cleaner lives, reducing the carbon footprint, and yes, rewarding their customers with free product when they refer someone to their website. It's fittingly called "share the love" and I am crazy about the idea that it's nearly a one stop shop for 75% of my needs. I love having my essentials shipped and at my door without ever having to run an errand! During this time (Covid-19) it has been a life saver...no pun intended!
Is it hard to adopt a clean lifestyle? Yes, yes it is. I am over 20 years into the process and am very happy to have finally found a spot to count on for most of my needs. After all, convenience is important. Our most valuable resource is time and most of us have very little of that to spare!