We often talk about how as kids growing up we were always… we mean ALWAYS, encouraged to ask questions, especially in school because that’s how you learn, and then the same in adulthood when starting a new job and learning the ropes… ask questions!
For us, this led to a healthy curiosity for everything in life.
Yet outside of these areas, we were discouraged to ask questions and just believe the mainstream narrative, whatever that may be.
Both of us strongly believe that we should always stay curious because that’s how you grow and learn. You don’t know what you don’t know, and without a healthy dose of curiosity, you won’t learn new things.
We continue to always ask questions, no matter how hard they are and no matter the response. This helps to get to the root cause of things, especially when it comes to your health.
So, here’s your permission to go against the grain if need be and continue to be curious, even if it means you are ruffling some feathers.
Believe us when we say we have copped a lot of flak for diving deeper into things, especially if it has meant going against medical professionals. But it has never been about anything other than finding the truth and root causes so that we can make our own informed decisions.
Are there instances where we don’t question things?
Yes… definitely!
There are, of course, times when we don’t question things… for example, when our Mum got cancer back in 2018.
Did we question the chemo she was recommended to have and underwent? Of course not. That’s not to say we liked her having it, because we all know how much it ravages the body, but she had cancer and she, like us, wanted it gone.
However, we did question a lot of things that were involved with that traumatic experience within the health system, one of the main ones being the food she was being fed in hospitals. Food that we know was laden with additives and not good for a body dealing with cancer. But that’s a post for another time! haha
There will always be times in life when you won’t question something and that’s ok, but there are also times in your life when questioning things is really important.
Being curious is how Additive-Free Lifestyle was born!
There seems to be a perception these days that being curious and asking questions is a negative personality trait… it leads to being categorised as difficult, among others.
We challenge this because had it not been for Jo being curious way back in 2013 when she heard a lady say ‘oh I don’t like to give my kids additive 102 because it can be linked to behavioural issues’, she never would have discovered that her daughter was having severe reactions to additives in the foods she was eating. She would never have found that root cause. But from that one line, she went down a research rabbit hole and discovered a whole underbelly of what additives can actually do to our bodies.
So, from there Jo set about removing a lot of additives and preservatives from her family’s diets and seeing great improvements in overall health and behaviour.
But of course, along with this came the judgment from family and friends saying that Jo had gone all hippy woo woo or that one’s not going to hurt, just let her live a little. But there was no way Jo was going to cave into this pressure. She backed her decision as being the right one for her and her family… and it was!
Because at the end of the day ‘a little bit’ does actually hurt and her daughter was a testament to that.
Jo still remembers the first time she asked her local butcher if their sausages had preservatives in them, and all the thoughts ran through her head…
👉🏻 What are they going to think?
👉🏻 Are going to judge me?
👉🏻 Will they think I’m crazy?
And so many more!
In reality, it was just a simple question. From the Butcher’s perspective, it was a yes or no answer which could be met with more questions, and if it was… so what? How else are you going to find out the information without asking? Yet, we are scared we will be judged for it.
If one of our kids was allergic to nuts, we would not even hesitate to ask if a product had nuts in it, yet here Jo was being scared to ask a butcher if there were preservatives in their sausages, a substance that Jo knew caused harm to her kids’ health.
It’s time to flip the switch
These are the simple things we can do that will help our additive-free lifestyle that we should never be worried to question… EVER!
Tracey was at the dentist recently and they handed over this little cup full of some pink liquid that they wanted her to gargle. Tracey politely asked them what was in the ingredients of the pink liquid because there are some things she won’t consume. Mind you, she questioned it with fear because again, she was afraid of judgment.
Thankfully the woman was lovely and asked Tracey what she didn’t want to consume. Tracey’s response was mostly the colours because as Jo said every little bit counts and can detrimentally affect our health.
You wouldn’t hand someone a cigarette and say ‘have just one puff… one puff won’t hurt’, because we know that one puff does matter and does hurt and in Tracey’s case she has a thyroid issue that she needs to be mindful of and keep under control so every little bit counts. In the end, the dental staff told Tracey not to worry about it, and that she didn’t have to gargle it.
It’s so empowering when you can question things, worry-free! Because at the end of the day if anyone does cast judgment about you, then that’s on them and not you!
There’s a quote from Rachel Hollis that Jo loves, which is:
“Someone else’s opinion of me is none of my business.”
Which is so true! It’s not our business what other people think of us.
Recently Jo was at her kid’s netball match and her son was making a fuss wanting a bottle of Sprite from the canteen. Now, for context, Sprite has recently added the additive aspartame to their lemonade. This is an additive that is linked to leukaemia and not something Jo wants her son to consume at all!
So, Jo asked the young teenage girl at the canteen counter if she could see the bottle of Sprite as she needed to check the ingredients, with an eye roll the girl got the bottle from the fridge for her (Jo could feel the judgment but didn’t care).
Jo checked the ingredients and found aspartame in them. She then told her son that he couldn’t have it because it contained aspartame. It’s safe to say that Jo’s son wasn’t happy with this and made his feelings well and truly known. But at the end of the day, who cares that she asked to see the bottle to read the ingredients. In that moment, whilst everyone was watching, she made a decision as a parent to keep her child safe from a horrible additive, which then became a moment to further educate her son as well. How can that be bad?!
So… what do you do if you want to start getting curious about living additive-free?
Start slow! Because let’s be real, there are a lot of rabbit holes you can go down, like Jo did when she first started this journey 10 years ago and like both Jo and Tracey have done over the years since.
But start asking a question here or there as you encounter it in your everyday life. Some will resonate and you will care about and others you won’t. But never stop being curious and questioning why – we are here to learn and grow and not just accept what is being told to us. Find the answers yourself because with knowledge comes power.
Great things to be curious about are:
- The food you eat:
- What additives and preservatives are in it?
- How is it made?
- The sheets you sleep on:
- How are they made?
- What do they consist of?
- The clothing you wear:
- Are they good ethical brands?
- What fabrics do they use?
- How are they made?
- Are they made in sweatshops?
- The products you clean your house with:
- What ingredients are in them?
- Do they even disclose the ingredients in them?
- Are they good for the environment?
- Are they non-toxic?
The list can go on and on!
The biggest takeaway is that where we spend our money can have a real impact and ripple effect. Never forget that it doesn’t matter how small the spend is, it all adds up to make a massive impact. So, spend consciously and be mindful of where your money is spent so that you can ensure it goes to places that align with your own values.
Vote with your dollar!
Does it get easier to question things?
Absolutely YES! The more you do it, the easier it gets. It’s like any skill you develop when you first start out it’s hard, but the more you do it and the more practice you get, the easier it becomes
What if I can’t find the answer?
Go with your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, then listen to that! Trust that your intuition is going to steer you in the direction that best aligns with your core values and what you want in life, whatever that may be.
We hope this has given you the tools and permission (not that you need it of course) to get curious and ask those questions!
If you have found this episode (or any of our previous 190 episodes) helpful, then we would love it if you could leave us a review via your fave podcast app. Reviews really help us to know if our podcast content is resonating with you as well as getting our podcast out through the algorithm.
Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
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