Ditch the Chemicals: Your Guide to Non-Toxic Living
- Piece of Cake Staff
- Jan 28
- 6 min read
Written by Lindsay Grohs
How many times do we eat something without looking at the ingredient label? Most of the time, it goes something like this:
Mind: “Ooh, Oreos sound good!”
Hands: place them in the grocery cart.
The food industry has made it that easy, designing products that appeal to your senses before nutritional value even comes into the picture.
However, it is not just the food industry that is guilty of this. The same idea appeals to other products. Products we use to cook, clean, and care for ourselves. Honestly, sometimes flipping the bottle of spray cleaner around to see its label is scarier than the box of cookies. Many of these products contain chemicals and toxins that your body doesn’t exactly love. This article serves as a guide to help you identify and avoid (some) toxic foods and products.
Artificial Sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners may sound good in theory with their zero/low-calorie options, but don’t let that hide the symptoms behind the mask. Artificial sweeteners contribute to three major side effects: neurological problems, taste perception changes, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Artificial sweeteners affect gastrointestinal motility. (I know. It's a big, confusing word.) Gastrointestinal (GI) motility is basically the gut’s built-in conveyor belt. It helps move food and liquid through the digestive tract. When artificial sweeteners enter the mix, many of the GI motility processes are negatively affected. Stomach emptying slows, which can lead to bloating, nausea, or discomfort. The danger in overconsuming these lies in the potential long-term consequences. Frequent disruptions can lead to digestive issues and irregularities. Artificial sweeteners are also linked to neurological changes. Aspartame, for example, poses “neuropsychological symptoms associated with aspartame [that] include seizures, anxiety, depression, and insomnia” (Ghusn et al., 2023). Taste alteration also takes a hit with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), or artificial sweeteners, reducing brain responses in areas involved in both taste and emotion (amygdala and insula). The brain starts to experience sweet tastes as less intense than before.
Instead, try monk fruit extract & stevia (without fillers such as maltodextrin, dextrose, inulin, and silica). Monk fruit, known as lo han guo, “is a small round fruit native to southern China” (International Food Information Council, 2021). Monk fruit is a natural “sugar” substitute, as it comes directly from the fruit (as long as it doesn’t have fillers). It’s also significantly sweeter than sugar. Crazy (& worth a try)! Stevia is another natural sweetener that comes from the Stevia rebaudiana plant.
Seed Oils
The process to produce seed oils uses and creates toxic solvents and byproducts. Toxic byproducts called hydroperoxides and aldehydes are created in the oxidation process. Hydroperoxide compounds inhibit enzymes, leading to disruptions in digestion, metabolism, detoxification, and immune function. Aldehyde chemicals can impair cellular functions and damage both proteins and DNA. Next, toxic solvents, like hexane, are used in the heating process of these oils. Hexane causes “short- and long-term effects on the nervous system and respiratory system, as well as the skin and eyes” (Grohs, 2025). In addition to this, synthetic antioxidants, colorants, and preservatives are added to these oils in attempts to control shelf life, texture, and color. Does any of this sound like something you want to put in your body on the regular?
Instead, try olive, avocado, or coconut oil. Natural fats! Olive oil contains healthy monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), antioxidants, and antibacterial properties (Leech, 2024). Just make sure it's extra virgin, the highest grade of olive oil (and best for you). Avocado oil contains polyunsaturated fats, carotenoids, and other nutrients that aid skin, heart, and eye health. Coconut oil provides antioxidants and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which contribute to boosted energy, along with skin, hair, oral, and mental health.
Artificial Dyes
I could sum up this paragraph in one sentence: artificial dyes offer no nutritional benefits. They exist purely to keep you going back for more. Their bright colors, flashy packaging, and funky mascots are like a war on the senses, attacking both appetite and interest. These dyes have also been linked to hyperactivity in children when consumed excessively. I’m not telling you to cut any of these foods/products out completely, just giving you some information so you can make more informed choices.
Instead, try natural pigments. You can find these in fruits, vegetables, and spices. Beets, sweet potatoes, spinach, and blueberries, to name a few. These natural alternatives can add color to your foods without the unnecessary chemicals.
Non-Stick Pans
Non-stick pans are, unfortunately, not all that they’re hyped up to be. These pans contain coatings that produce harmful chemicals when heated at certain temperatures. One of these chemical coatings is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), also known as Teflon. Teflon “falls under a larger category of chemicals called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as ‘forever chemicals’” (Klahre & Wawrzyn, 2024). These “forever chemicals” have been linked to “abnormal thyroid and hormone function, reduced immune system response, and cancer” (San Francisco Environment Department, n.d.). If you have ever seen a non-stick pan peeling, that is the coating coming off and releasing harmful chemicals, oftentimes due to overheating.
Instead, try stainless steel pans. To avoid these toxic chemicals from even having a chance to enter your system, I recommend using stainless steel or cast-iron pans instead. Because stainless steel pans are made entirely of metal, there’s no risk of PFAS or PTFE coatings harming your food. And, as an added bonus, these pans are very durable and long-lasting when taken good care of.
Food Gums/Thickeners
What the heck is a food gum? Unlike chewing gum, these gums are plant-derived additives used to thicken, stabilize, and/or improve texture in processed foods. However, don’t let “plant-derived” fool you; they are still ultra-processed. Gums such as xanthan, guar, gellan, and cellulose gum fall under this category. These gums are sneaky little things, often tucked away at the bottom of ingredient lists and easily going unnoticed. The concern with these gums is that they may disrupt digestive health, increase bacterial growth, and contribute to infections. While each gum has its own individual risks, they generally fall into these three categories.
Let’s meet some of our contenders and their potential side effects.
Xanthan gum acts as a laxative that increases bacterial infection and intestinal inflammation.
Carrageenan has been used to induce tumors in animal models and can lead to erosions of the intestinal lining.
Guar gum can cause intestinal discomfort and increase the survival of certain bacteria. It’s also “commonly used in the hydrofracking of natural gas,” (Elmhurst 1925, 2020).
Gellan gum may cause disruptions in the lining of the digestive tract
Consuming these gums regularly, especially through processed foods, can have larger effects on gut health that may eventually become hard to ignore. Understanding what these gums are and how they interact with the body is important in making more informed choices about what we eat on a daily basis.
Instead, try naturally fermented foods. These foods include Greek yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, among others. The probiotics in these foods offer various health benefits, including “better digestion, improved immunity, and weight loss” (Johnson & The Healthline Editorial Team, 2025). While these foods are not direct substitutes for food gums and thickeners, they offer a more gut-supportive alternative to highly processed products that rely on these additives for texture and stability.
Conclusion
The goal here isn’t to make you eliminate everything you enjoy, but rather encourage mindfulness when selecting foods and/or products. Knowledge is your strongest tool: the more you understand the ingredients and chemicals around you, the better equipped you are to decide what belongs in your body and your home. Small swaps, like opting for natural sweeteners and pigments, healthier oils, and stainless steel cookware, can make a big difference over time. I hope this article can act as a helpful guide to help you navigate the world of non-toxic living.
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