What’s in your toothpaste?

Blog – What’s in your toothpaste?

Blog - What's in your toothpaste?I was reading in the Daily Mail on Feb 17th how Titanium Dioxide or E171 – a widely used food additive damages cell structures inside our intestines. This weakened state in our intestines then allows more of the harmful bacteria types to enter and simultaneously stops us absorbing all the nutrients such as zinc, iron and fatty acids from our food. Cells are what we are all made of so why would we want to eat food with this nasty toxin in it that destroys them? It sounds like a substance that is more appropriately designed for use in the paint industry!

So where is it appearing? Well according to the Daily Mail article its in chewing gum, toothpaste and bread. It’s also in chocolate, donuts and skimmed milk. Making your own gluten free breads will remove the bread contamination danger. No one needs to eat chewing gum so we can avoid that one too. If you are a regular reader of our website it’s highly likely you are already working on improving your health so you will have ditched all processed foods. And the chocolate, skimmed milk and donuts won’t be in your diet any more either. But toothpaste – We surely all have to clean our teeth at least twice a day if we value our teeth, so we are all exposed! The mouth is one of the most absorbent places in the body and the average person gets through about 20 gallons of toothpaste in the course of their lifetime. The mouth is the the access point or entrance to all our bodily systems.

Some while ago I was concerned about this so I checked out exactly what was in commercially made toothpaste and I found it had several nasty ingredients not just Titanium Dioxide / E171. It also has Triclosan – which is an endocrine disrupter. (Endocrine disrupters promote cancers) Sodium lauryl sulfate which is a foaming agent and an insecticide but which also affects the taste buds (hence why everything tastes bad just after you brush your teeth) It’s also been linked to cancers, skin irritation, canker and mouth sores. Flouride which is in it to protect the enamel is actually a neurotoxin which builds up in the body over time, it disrupts enzymes and produces neurological damage and endocrine dysfunction. I could go on. There are more, but the scary thing is that no one actually knows what long term damage is being done to our health by these industrial chemicals being added into products we are led to believe to be safe for consumption. Long term tests should be done to prove each  chemical is actually “Safe for consumption” before its ever allowed to enter the food chain. Unfortunately such testing doesn’t take place and it’s our health that pays the price.

What can we do to protect ourselves and our families when the food regulators clearly aren’t doing this for us? It’s a toss up between convenience and health risk, but we can take some really easy actions today to avoid these risks and give ourselves the peace of mind to know we aren’t consuming harmful toxins any longer.

1. Avoid all processed foods.

2. Make your own toothpaste by following this type of natural recipe below or

3. Buy an entirely organic toothpaste e.g. 
The Green People Company 50 ml Organic Peppermint Toothpaste – 2-Pack

 

Home Made Toothpaste Recipe

Method

Mix in a small glass until you have formed a paste. Cling wrap until ready to clean your teeth. This small amount will last a few days or a week in your bathroom cupboard. Try and get a little out with a teaspoon to apply to the brush rather than dip a wet brush into the glass.