I have been on a bit of a whirlwind experience these passed few months with education overload and reality checks galore!  My latest decision has been one of the hardest changes I have chosen to make, not the change itself...but dealing with everything that goes with it.  I don't know how well it will go overall, but I felt inside that I had to try to become a vegetarian.  Partly because I am pondering the need for meat in my diet based on research that shows it is not actually beneficial to my system (I won't get into all those details tonight...I want to stay on track) and partly because I'm finding it harder to eat meat these days because I keep seeing playbacks in my mind of all the videos I've seen lately showing such horrid animal cruelty in so many areas. This may sound a bit fanatical to some but, like I said, I'm on a journey and I'm letting it take me where it takes me.  If I end up back on the meat side of things, then so be it!  I am not going to feel bad for making decisions based on what I feel is right for me or that works for my life.  And at this early stage....I'm feeling better than ever and glad I've made this change.

Mostly, people are supportive and some have told me they had been a vegetarian for a while or that they had considered it for themselves.  However I guess it was naive of me not to expect some people to react strongly to a decision that they would not choose for themselves.   The eye rolls and the remarks, I was amazed at how this decision made some people so uncomfortable when it in no way affects them directly.  But, whatever.

I emphasize all the time that I lived in a bubble of ignorance in many areas that I am no longer allowing myself to use as a safeguard...so, yes, I used to do things that I now would never dream of doing again, but everything starts somewhere.   So, in turn,  I do not point in disgust or shake my head at the choices of others (although, admittedly, am surprise at how often people don't want information because they like their bubble).  I simply do what I can to research the products I feel truly make a difference and put them, along with resources, out there for others to consider for their own journey.  I may sound fanatical, but I am just truly passionate about things when I do them.  Otherwise, what's the point?

If you are interested in making changes, but simply can't afford the time to do the research, trust in my fanatical passion and check it out www.whatsinstore.ca.  Perhaps you will be able to make changes you had considered too.

So, how dissatisfied are you presently with your cleaning supplies, or hair care or whatever?  Year after year companies seem to "improve" their products to keep us coming back to their brand.  I get the whole idea of loyalty to a brand, I do have a store.  However, if we put into perspective what these new and improved products mean in the long run....we might want to stick to tried and true instead. 

I read an article recently that was a photocopied scan from either a magazine or a newspaper (sorry I couldn't see the name of the publisher to tell you, but I can forward the article to anyone who wants it), anyway it said that in the 1930s there was a one in thirty chance of getting cancer.  Now, with more and more chemicals being added to the things we use every day our odds have increased to one in three!  That is scary!  No wonder there is such a movement to go green!!!  We are really letting convenience get in the way of healthy choices when we jump onto that New and Improved band wagon!

Companies make millions by giving the consumer an easier, faster, brighter option...what are we giving up in return?  Well, did you know that natural choices can equal easy, fast and fantastic too...without jeopardy to your health?  Take a look at the ingredients on your favourite cleaning product or personal care product.  Ask yourself what your trade off is. 

I have spent a great deal of time and energy sourcing products that are healthy and effective so that people can make better choices for themselves and the planet.  My goal is obviously not "get rich quick" but "get the word out there".  I understand that people still need conveniences based on our basic conditioning over the years, so I am trying to put them all in one place.

Take a look www.whatsinstore.ca.  Then let me know if you want to read any of the eyeopening resource materials that I have received from like minded people in search of better choices.

Okay, so recently I met someone who believes in animal testing (kind of holds the view of it's better them than us).  This, of course, sparked my desire to research this topic.  I have found countless articles in wonderful resources from Encyclopedia Britannica to a blog by a microbiologist/vegetarian.  There is certainly evidence provided by those who are in favour of the testing that states that the diseases that have been cured by animal testing warrants the continued use.  But, what about all the tests conducted that do not relate to disease prevention? And what about the alternatives and progress that is always raved about in the science world?

So, then I read that 92% of the tests done on animals for new drugs result in needless deaths because the drugs don't make it to the market.  This was disputed by an individual under the pen name of GeorginaTheGiraffe on the RDS/Blog (Understanding Animal Research in Medicine) who states that 44.4% of drugs on the market are thanks to animal testing and keeping a lot of dangerous ones off the shelves is a result too.  She further quotes an anti-animal testing group as having said that not 100% accuracy can be gained from the alternatives either...but, let's just remember that with the alternatives there is no suffering or death....so isn't it still better to have those kinds of inaccuracies?  Feel free to be fair to her and read everything she wrote before developing your own opinion (which everyone is entitled too, I might add - even though when I asked questions I was not permitted to register - I guess they don't accept alternate opinions.)

Further, in my research on this topic I discovered Dr. Hadwen trust.  This is a fantastic registered medical research charity that funds the development of methods to replace animal experiments. All the work that has been funded has undergone rigorous peer-review by independent experts and the findings are published in leading scientific journals. If you are interested in more information about the work, including scientific references, please visit the Science Room (www.scienceroom.org) which is aimed at a more technical reader.  Why aren't more people aware of these options?  If you want to donate, I believe you can there too.

But my biggest question has to be why?  Why, if tests have been done for such a long period of time, do we need more tests?  Do we not already have sufficient information?  I have read that companies do not share their test results to keep an economic edge.  If that is true...wow!  Perhaps the tests that are used to check if new chemicals would have an adverse effect on us could be done away with!  Why do we need to be exposed to more chemicals in our products and makeup?  It seems a crazy cycle really (test on animals - see that no major harm comes to them....put the product on the market - oops it does seem to hurt people several years later...test on animals to try to fix the new disease these chemicals have caused).  Doesn't it seem that it would make more sense to stop introducing the new chemicals altogether? 

Overall, I'm really glad that I have found so many fantastic and effective products that do not get tested on animals...because they don't have to test things that we already know about.  Many of these products contain foods and minerals and are ultimately safe, effective and affordable....and other than the thoughts generated by things like the fact that animal testing still happens...I sleep well at night!

Check out what I've already found in my journey www.whatsinstore.ca