10 Items You Can Stop Buying and Start Making for Better Health
Every condiment or body care product can be replaced with a homemade alternative.
Okay, so it takes a little effort to make these products. You may have to combine a few things and find jars or bottles to hold your finished products. But in the end, anything you whip up will be a healthier choice than any product you are likely to find on a store shelf.
If you need a little inspiration to get motivated, just read the labels on your current store bought items or check out their price tags! Why not see if you can make a better, cheaper alternative?
Related: How to Read Food Labels and Avoid Toxic Ingredients
For many of us, the idea of getting back to the basics and only eating real food seems relatively easy. We can toss out packaged muffin mixes, frozen dinners, and canned goods in favor of real, fresh produce, but what about condiments? If you want real, healthy food, the only solution is to make our own.
1. Ketchup
Heinz ketchup has the following ingredients: tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring. Corn syrup is bad for you even if it doesn’t come from genetically modified corn. And what is natural flavoring? The FDA defines natural flavoring as follows:
The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. Natural flavors, include the natural essence or extractives obtained from plants listed in subpart A of part 582 of this chapter, and the substances listed in 172.510 of this chapter.”
That’s real clear, isn’t it? A quick search of the web shows many recipes for ketchup, both slow cooker recipes, and the instant variety. Here is one of our sugar-free favorite ketchup recipes.
Homemade Ketchup by Cupcakes and Kale
Ingredients:
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1/4-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (see Note*)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
See Homemade Ketchup for easy instructions
2. Mayonnaise
Hellman’s brags about their product on their website, saying, “America’s #1 Mayonnaise is made with real*, simple ingredients: eggs, oil, and vinegar.” That statement leads one to believe those are the only ingredients. However, the ingredients list also includes salt, sugar, Calcium Disodium EDTA (a preservative), and natural flavors, (see above).
Healthy Homemade Mayonnaise by Wellness Mama
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tsp regular or Dijon mustard (or ½ Tsp dried mustard)
- Salt and pepper
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 2/3 cup coconut oil (warm) or other healthy oil (macadamia works well)
See Healthy Mayonaise for instructions
3. Salsa
It’s always nice to see a recipe on the Allrecipes site made with fresh vegetables without bad ingredients!
The Best Fresh Tomato Salsa by Allrecipes
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 cup onion, diced
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (including seeds)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
See Best Fresh Tomato Salsa for Instructions
- Stir the tomatoes, green bell pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
- Serve.
4. Salad Dressing
My favorite salad dressing is a recipe created by Michael Edwards, Editor-in Chief of Organic Lifestyle Magazine, aptly named, My Balsamic Salad Dressing Recipe. Don’t make a weak excuse for a salad with 2 to 5 ingredients. Go all the way and include 15-20 veggies and make the most of a daily salad habit.
I make salads with spinach, arugula, collard greens, rainbow chard, beet greens, spring mix and cilantro as the base greens. I also add leeks, red onions, red cabbage, cucumbers, and red bell pepper. Next, we add what we call “the shreds” – though I prefer to spiralize mine – grated beet root, grated carrots, grated zucchini, and grated daikon radish. Then I add more toppings: pomegranate seeds, raisins, sesame seeds, ground papaya seeds, avocado, and fresh chopped garlic. You can add eggs (soft or hard boiled), feta cheese (preferably raw, preferably sheep), extra turmeric, or olives, if so inclined. I also add various other seeds such as flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc. (Walnuts go particularly well with feta cheese.)
Balsamic Salad Dressing Recipe – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
To make my salad dressing, I start with equal parts oil and vinegar (keep in mind that both olive oil and balsamic vinegar have a lot of imitators).
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup of flax seed oil
- 1/4 cup of coconut oil
- 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons turmeric
- 1 table spoon basil
- Two teaspoons unrefined sea salt
- Two teaspoons fresh ground pepper
- Two tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
Mix well in bowl or blender. Keep in the refrigerator. Check out our salad recipe.
5. Cranberry Lemonade
By now we all know that sodas are either full of sugar or full of toxic artificial sweeteners. What is a healthy alternative? We recommend cranberry lemonade.
Sugar-Free Cranberry Lemonade
Ingredients
- Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
- 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
- 3 fresh, organic lemons
- Liquid stevia
- Liquid cayenne
Instructions
If possible, use a glass gallon jar.
- Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water).
- Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water.
- Add cranberry juice.
- Add stevia and add cayenne to taste.
The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.
6. Nutrition Powder
Once again, you can buy nutrition powder from many sources with a wide range of quality and price. Did you know you could make your own? Doc Shillington shares his recipes, including his recipe for Total Nutrition Powder. (Click on the link to get more information about the ingredients.) I like to buy from Rose Mountain Herbs to get the best organic ingredients. I’ve learned from experience to mix this up outside in a big deep pan. If you don’t, your kitchen may end up covered in a layer of fine dust. And you may want to use a dust mask as well. If you don’t want to make your own, you can also purchase Doc’s Total Nutrition Powder through Green Lifestyle Market.
Total Nutrition Formula Recipe
With this recipe, a “part” means a measurement by volume and not weight. What volume you use is up to you. All ingredients should be organic or wildcrafted.
Ingredients
- 1 part Alfalfa Grass Powder
- 1 part Barley Grass Powder
- 1 part Wheat Grass Powder
- 1 part Norwegian Purple Dulse Seaweed Powder
- 1 part Beet Root Powder
- 1 part Spinach Leaf Powder
- 1 part Rosehips Powder
- 1 part Orange Peel Powder
- 1 part Lemon Peel Powder
- 1 part Astragalus Powder
- 1.5 parts Spirulina Green Algae
- 1.5 parts Chlorella Broken Cell Algae
- 5 parts Yeast Flakes
- 5 parts Yeast Powder
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Store in glass jars away from heat and light.
Yeast (both the flakes and the powder) must be non-active saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast fortified with B12, which is safe for people with Candida albicans.
Body Care
Sure, we know that anything we ingest or inhale is taken into the body. But many people do not realize that whatever touches the skin is absorbed into our body as well. Personal care products – lotions, salves, deodorants, shampoos, soaps, and perfumes as well as toothpaste should be organic. Instead, too many of us are blindly trusting the FDA to protect us while we cover our bodies in toxic solutions known to cause cancer and endocrine disruption. Once again, we should make our own organic, toxin-free products.
7. Toothpaste
Remember what we used to do when we ran out of toothpaste? Yes, baking soda and salt is a great alternative to toxic toothpaste! Just make sure the baking soda is aluminum free and organic.
Here’s a simple basic recipe that can be altered in many ways.
Simple Natural Toothpaste Recipe
Ingredients:
- Equal parts of coconut oil and baking soda
- Add essential oil to taste
- Add stevia (if desired) to taste
- Add a pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Conbine ingredients, mix well, dab on the to the bristles and brush your teeth.
If you have some oral health issues that need addressing, we’ve got more recipes and infromation for you, see “related.”
If you’re looking for a great place to buy ingredients, check out Mountain Rose Herbs.
Related:
- Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included
- Three Homemade Toothpaste Recipes – Better Oral Health for Less Cost
- Still Have Candida? How Mercury Fillings Cause Candida Overgrowth
- Mercury Fillings, Root Canals, Cavitations – What You Need to Know
8. Deodorant
All Natural Deodorant Recipe DIY
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
- 5 tablespoons pure cocoa butter (no additives)
- 3 tablespoons of aloe vera juice
- ½ cup baking soda and/or arrowroot
- ¼ cup witch hazel extract
- 4 drops tea tree oil
- 5 drops of lavender essential oil
9. Lotion
The following is only one of the lotion recipes for Wellness Mama. Check out the link below for more alternatives.
Aloe Lotion – Wellness Mama
Ingredients
- 1 cup aloe vera gel
- 1 teaspoons + 1 Tablespoon beeswax pastilles
- 1/2 cup Almond oil or Jojoba oil (or any other liquid oil)
- 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Shea Butter (optional)
- Essential oils of choice – I like 10 drops of Geranium and 5 drops of lime
Instructions
- Melt the beeswax, almond oil (or other liquid oil), and shea butter (if using) in a double boiler or glass bowl over a pan of water.
- Remove from heat and pour into a blender or mason jar (if using an immersion blender).
- Let cool to room temperature. You want it to be room temperature and just barely starting to harden around the edges. This will help make sure that the lotion emulsifies correctly.
- Add the vitamin E (if using) and any essential oils.
- Start blending on low using a blender or immersion blender. Very slowly, start adding the aloe vera gel until incorporated. Use a spatula to wipe down the sides and re-blend a few times until fully incorporated.
- Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to six weeks.
More Aloe Lotion from Wellness Mama
10. Shampoo
You can stop using shampoo altogether. If necessary, you can rinse (wash) your hair with baking soda followed by vinegar. Or you can make many shampoos yourself. Try this one for dry, damaged hair. See the link below for more recipes.
Organic Shea Butter Shampoo Recipe
Ingredients
- Liquid castile soap – 200 ml. (about 7 ounces)
- Organic shea butter – 15 ml. ( ½ ounce)
- Lavender essential oil – 8 to 10 drops
- Sodium bicarbonate – 1(1/2) teaspoons
- Distilled water – 50 ml. (about 2 ounces)
Instructions
- Melt solid shea butter by placing it over boiling water. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Mix water with sodium bicarbonate to make a solution.
- Pour this solution into liquid castile soap. Stir for a few seconds. Avoid forming too much foam.
- Add melted shea butter.
- Add lavender essential oil to the bowl.
- Blend everything together.
Check out our shampoo article for addition shampoo recipes.
When you try out these recipes, please leave a comment and tell us what you think. And don’t hesitate to share your own recipes!
Recommended Reading:
- Sustainable DIY Laundry Solutions: The Secrets Detergent Companies Don’t Want You To Know
- How To Make Natural Body Butters That Actually Moisturize Your Skin
- How to Regrow Your Favorite Herbs and Save Lots of Money
- Make Chocolate Healthy Again: Fast and Easy DIY Homemade Chocolate
- How to Use Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Your Home
Sources:
- Heinz Ketchup
- CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 – FDA
- Hellman’s Products
- Hellmann’s, To Go Real Mayonnaise
- 80% Raw Food Diet – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
- Inexpensive, Easy Detox – The One Gallon Challenge – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
- Total Nutrition – Make Your Own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
- Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally With Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste Recipes Included- Organic Lifestyle Magazine
- Reverse Cavities And Heal Tooth Decay With These 5 Steps – Healthy Life Style
- Luxurious Homemade Lotion Recipe – Wellness Mama
- Five DIY Organic Shampoo Recipes for Beautiful Hair –Organic Lifestyle Magazine