Is your skin cream making you fat?
I pose that question partly in jest but the truth is, yes it can!
In a nutshell, it has to do with chemicals in your environment, that are considered “obesogenic”.
And it has nothing to do with food! (You can read Part I of this article here.)
To recap, remember we have three pathways to consider:
- Ingestion
- Absorption
- Inhalation
I covered Ingestion in Part I, and you can read that article here.
This week, I’ll explore the remaining two pathways – Absorption and Inhalation – plus I’ll leave you with a few tips you can incorporate right away.
So let’s dive in!
ABSORPTION – Toiletries & Cosmetics
Chemicals like BPA and PFOA (which I covered in Part I) aren’t just limited to food containers and cookware.
In fact, many of these same ingredients (i.e. chemicals) can also be found in your toiletries and cosmetics, along with a few other things like parabens and phthalates.
As long as they’re classified as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (and most of them are) they have the ability to contribute to weight gain.
Add to the mix the foods you’re consistently eating (things like gluten) that your body also recognizes as a stressor (aka a foreign substance) and you’re definitely setting yourself up for failure.
Are you feeling angry, yet?
Anger is OK by the way, since it often leads to action!
Whether you ingest chemicals from your food (preservatives, pesticides & the like), or absorb them through your skin your body handles them the exact same way.
That is, your body views said chemicals as toxic, and shuttles them out of the way, pronto – putting them into storage in your fat cells.
It’s exactly what your body is designed to do, particularly when your immune system comes into contact with anything harmful.
And many of these chemicals are, indeed, harmful.
I explore this in more detail here.
INHALATION – Cleaning Supplies & More
This is a super big topic.
In a nutshell, though, here’s what you need to know.
Unlike BPA, which is often ingested or absorbed (since it can leak into products) most soaps, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent and the like contain fragrance, or parfum.
Since fragrance is something we inhale – this addresses the third pathway, which is quite different from ingestion and absorption.
Your sense of smell is truly powerful.
In fact, you and everyone on this planet has developed very strong attachments to scents from a young age.
This attachment includes cleaning products, of course, and it’s no surprise that manufacturers know this!
They also know it typically has nothing to do with how well a product actually works.
So why is this important?
These fragrances typically contain a class of chemicals known as phthalates which are as much of a concern as BPA or PFOA.
Those phthalates act as a sort of glue, holding the fragrance in the product so you hair will still smell nice hours later.
But at what cost to you?
Are phthalates also endocrine-disrupting and obesogenic?
Absolutely!
And upwards of 3000 different chemicals can be used just to make up a single fragrance!
Yet despite many known reactions, including allergies, skin rash, irritation, neurological damage, cognitive dysfunction and breathing difficulties – manufacturers are NOT required to disclose these ingredients to the public.
Aside from phthalates and parabens (another known endocrine-disruptor) your favorite cleaning products also contain a host of other harsh chemicals, which are equal cause for concern.
(As an example, did you know that ammonia is a well-established eye, skin and respiratory irritant that’s also linked to asthma?)
It’s frustrating, indeed.
Even so, there’s still plenty you can do.
As always, I recommend you start small:
- Buy some indoor plants (they’ll help purify the air)
- Replace plastic storage containers with glass
- Replace non-stick with cast-iron
- Avoid air fresheners and scented candles
Not sure where to begin?
Then you might want to consider my Extreme Pantry Makeover – where I walk you through the entire process, step by step.
Contact me at info@designahealthylife.com for details.
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