Experiencing chronic health issues has brought to my awareness to how many toxins I have been exposing myself (and my family) to over my lifetime. From the chemicals sprayed on food crops, to the poisonous sugar in every grocery store item, and let's not forget the mercury that's been in my teeth since childhood - I've basically been living in a toxic wonderland!
Going "Clean"
The past few years, I've made it a mission to clean up our home with cleaner and safer ingredients in our food, skin care, garden, yard and cleaning products. It's no easy task, as ingredients are extremely confusing, so I have embraced a few apps to help keep me on track. I'm sharing 2 with you, that my friends have been raving about after I introduced them.
1) Yuka
Yuka will be your best friend (or worst enemy...) while you are shopping for food or skincare products. This is a company that that takes great pride in being a 100% independent from the influence of giant brands in their rating system.
Why Yuka? (Click > to view)
Educational
This app has made learning about harmful ingredients and understanding the terminology so easy. Simply scan the product barcode while shopping, and it pulls up the entire list of ingredients, along with what the ingredients mean to you and your body.
Each additive is rated as Risk-Free, Limited Risk, Moderate Risk, or Hazardous, with a description on why. They base this off of scientific research and the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), which I personally trust before our own FDA Standards...
Rating System
Using Discretion
Bonus Articles
Subscription
I guarantee you that this app will change your view on what you put in or on your body. You may even get a little mad at me when you discover your “health” food isn’t quite as healthy as you thought, (as many of my friends did) and that's okay! I can handle it.
2) Yummly
Yummly is a great go-to for over 2 million crowdsourced e-recipes with user ratings, meal planning and shopping list abilities. This app is my go-to for healthy recipes using my favorite ingredients. It's basically my sous chef!
Why Yummly? (Click > to view)
Customize
The search is easy to customize to your preferences, and even offers searches based on ingredients that you already have on-hand. Customization options include:
ingredients to include or exclude
tastes (salty, sweet, bitter, savory, sour, spicy)
diet (Keto, FODMAP, Paleo, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, Vegan)
10 allergies (dairy, peanut, soy, egg, gluten, etc.)
nutritional needs (fat, fiber, sodium, calories, carbs, sugar)
cook time (from 5 minutes to 2 hours)
number of ingredients (5 or fewer, 8 or fewer, no restrictions)
24 techniques (baked, slow cooked, pressure cooked, roasted, fried, grilled, etc.)
27 cuisine types (American, Cajun, Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Thai, etc.)
For example, I can look for chicken recipes that are gluten and dairy free, that consists of 5 or fewer ingredients and cooked in a slow cooker. (Slow cooker taco chicken!)
Rating System
Meal Planning & Shopping List
Subscription
This has made preparing healthy meals so much easier. And Yummly...if you read this, can we discuss mimicking your algorithm for Skinnly? Same concept, but for DIY skincare and household cleaning recipes? I seriously think I'm onto something here...
I do NOT benefit in any way by recommending these apps. I'm just passionate about them and wanted to share.
Let's Chat
I'd love to hear from you - what are your favorite food-related apps?
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Just downloaded Yuka! 🙈