The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to You

I lived blissfully unaware of just how bad so many of our products are until my youngest was born and we discovered he had vicious allergies and asthma right from the start. It took going through a lot of doctors to find anyone even remotely interested in finding the problem instead of just masking symptoms with chemical creams and steroids. And this was back before allergens had to be clearly listed on labels. I spent countless sleepless nights on research and turning my house and our lives upside down trying to rid our house of as much crap as I could. My friends and family thought I was going nuts and OCD -I probably was!- but I was really just a mom looking to give my baby boy some relief and had virtually no one to help me. As I read The Honest Life, all I keep thinking was "If only this book and brand existed 10 years ago!!" The sanity, sleep, frustration, and tears it would have saved me!!Whether you're invested in doing a whole lifestyle change or just looking for some clean products and tips on how to cut chemical and toxin exposure from your life a little bit, definitely read this book. Even if you already know most of the information, it's filled with Jessica's personal tips, tricks, and suggestions, which can be helpful for anyone.You also don't have to join a hippie commune in order to make substantial changes. Jessica herself admits on page one - she eats meat, doesn't have time for cloth diapers, and doesn't grow her own food. She and her husband even eat and love bacon. You'll be amazed how simple most changes are. She does admit that she has the money to eat completely organic and buy the crazy expensive Eco-friendly chemical free crib mattresses, but understands that most people don't. (Thank you!!)Jessica explains that this is her way of natural living. It may not be for everyone. But everyone CAN get some very useful information from this book. It's up to you what you choose to do with it. "No judgement! No guilt!"The breakdown of book:Introduction - Jessica explains how it all started for her - even though signs had been there all along (allergies, always getting sick and serial bouts of pneumonia, etc), all it took was a reaction to the fragrance in laundry detergent to open up the floodgates for her. Fans of Alba will find this interesting, too, as she discusses some of her early years. She also debunks the ever-frustrating rebuttal of "But we used that when we were kids and we're fine!" (Again, thank you!)Chapter 1 - Food: The basics of what eating "honest" is, what her diet entails, eating as local as possible (with some very useful links on how to), foods that are the highest in pesticide absorption, foods that resist pesticides the best, the basic lowdown about GMO's, tips on how to eat certain foods and what eating seasonally entails, cooking tips, snack ideas (especially for kids!), and the bads of plastics. She also touches on party ideas and even the subject of weight loss. Newcomers will gain a lot of helpful information and tips from this chapter, making it feel much less overwhelming. Just remember, this is Jessica's way of living. My family doesn't eat nuts or tofu (soy), but she does and so do millions of others. It's okay to pick what doesn't work for you.Chapter 2 - Personal Clean Care: Jessica states, "One hundred percent of women of childbearing age have detectable levels of phthalates in their system probably due to cosmetic use." Don't buy into "hypoallergenic", "fragrance free" and "green" claims - they're still too often loaded with chemicals. And you don't have to have allergies, rashes, or rashes to be effected. These chemicals are linked to all sorts of things from hormone imbalances to cancer. Jessica helps break down how to find the safe products. Yes, she has her own product line. But she's not pushing it on you. She clearly states there are other brands and all-natural products at your disposal. This chapter was incredibly helpful for me because, even after years of research, food has become easy, but hygiene products are still a challenge.Chapter 3 - Make up & Beauty: Even more helpful for me than chapter 2 because safe makeup is even harder to come by and even more difficult for women to give up. Jessica breaks down the good, the bad, the ugly, and what your safe options are.Chapter 4 - Personal Style: This chapter is less on chemicals and toxins and more on Jessica's personal style and how she picks what makes her feel happy and comfortable in her own skin. It's a fun, light chapter and will appeal to Jessica's fans much more than those reading just for clean living tips. It does touch on dry cleaning.Chapter 5 - Your Home's Style: It's about finding a style for your home that is both minimalist and stylish, which can often be tricky. But, it offers information on safer products like carpets and paint, too. Go for real wood (vintage is even better) over fiberboard because of the difference in off gassing... It's impossible to keep everything in your home completely free of gasses. But simple tips like this can make a big difference. She breaks down the basics on how to get the toxins out and keep them out. She also offers basic DIY cleaner recipes that anyone can do. You'd be amazed at what you can do with some vinegar, baking soda, and lemons. And, surprise! They actually work!Chapter 6 - The Baby Chapter: prepare for parenthood without losing yourself. How to take care of yourself mentally and physically, and how to gently prepare your home and nursery for your expanding family. She offers her own parenting tips and advice. It also goes into diaper options and what to do if breast feeding isn't working. And then we have the dreaded lead-in-toys issue. She even touches on how to pack and travel with kids! Very helpful, especially for new parents.Chapter 7 - Inspiration: Who doesn't need a little inspiration from time to time?! This chapter reminds you that life can get heavy and weigh you down if you don't remember to have a little fun and take time to enjoy life. How to find balance, dinner parties, make your own pizza nights, recipes for sweet treats, nontoxic art supplies, make a fun outdoor playhouse or a wall garden... She also offers a list of her top "10 Essentials for An Honest Life" which I think are simple, but absolutely brilliant and spot on.Chapter 8 - Details!: Resources!!! There's nothing worse than people who preach, preach, preach, but offer no verbs on HOW to do what they're preaching. This chapter is full of pages and PAGES of links to helpful information, products, and some just light-hearted and fun. More pages of links for where to shop and brands that offer safe alternatives. It breaks down chapter by chapter what was covered, what to do, and where you can find help, information, and safe products. Honestly, if this book could only be one chapter, it would have to be this one. Worth it just for this list of resources alone!This book is so much more than just information on ridding toxins, it's about simplifying all aspects of your life to create a peaceful, happy, healthy, and inspired environment for you and your family. If you're starting a whole life overhaul, this won't be the only book you'll ever use, but it's a great start full of all the basics. If you're just looking for a few tips on natural living, you'll find more than enough to pick through here. Ad if you're just a fan of Jessica, you'll like it, too, as it's got personal pictures and some details and stories from her personal life.I'm so happy to see Jessica using her celebrity to do something so helpful for people and so positive. Read her blog or use her products if you want or don't, but I highly recommend reading The Honest Life to everyone.

I will keep this book until my dying day. It is a handy reference and gives some amazing tips. I was never a huge fan of Alba until opening this book and taking a small peek into her life. Wow! What a wonderful little guide. None of the arrogance of Gwyneth Paltrow or the stupidity of... well... pretty much every celebrity how-to book. Jessica comes across as your best friend and her chit chatty way of talking makes me feel like I have known her for years.Now, I don't want you to think that I am one of those people on here who gushes about everything. I don't (refer to my other Amazon reviews) and I pride myself on being honest. That being said, this book truly is great and a wonderful how to for the beginner. Everything can be fact checked (sources would be greatly appreciated but how much awesomeness can you fit in?) which is wonderfully refreshing and everything is actually doable. I've read a few of the low star reviews on here and let me tell you, I don't know what some of them are reading. Yes, Alba did refer to Dolce and Gabbana on buying a little black dress but she also recommended H&M on the next line if you can't afford her celebrity wardrobe (God knows I can't) and what to look for with decent clothing. She also makes some great points about restuffing and (if you purchased it in the last 5 years) reupholstering your couch but she doesn't demand you go and do it. She just tells you why she did and how you can too.She DOES plug the Honest Co. (she has made me a loyal convert) but, it's her book and her company. You kind of expect that. If she wasn't saying her products were great (don't worry, she gives you other suggestions) I would be skeptical about them. There's a reviewer who said that Alba tells you to get a wood-burning pizza oven in your backyard. Absolute rubbish. She goes on to say (I swear, some of these people read about her references to her lifestyle and just stopped there) how you can easily make these yummy little clean pizzas in your oven. As in, the one we all have in our kitchen. How upscale and snobbish of her to recommend an oven!Now, I do wish she had some more recipes in her book. That would have made it ideal (although I have a feeling we may release a cookbook) instead of the 4 or so she shares. I also wish she would just cut sugar out completely but I get having to appeal to the masses. I can easily substitute maple syrup or honey.So, what have I hoped that you learned from reading my awesomely long review? That her book is great. It's worth it for just the resource list in the back. It does have a few flaws that you can easily overlook. It will make you love Jessica Alba. Most importantly, it will make you live an honest life.

I absolutely love this book. I thought I was just going to read the intro to get an idea but I ended up reading 150 pages without noticing in a few hours on a weekend day, I couldn't believe it. The way she speaks, you get to know her and the specialists she used to compose this are far beyond expected and they couldn't have possibly done more research with all the combined forces. I adore her now and all she does and this book is great, and you even get make-up tips and everything else. I don't even have kids and this book was so great. It's the best eatting book I've ever bought too, and I've bought many. All the other books out there go into so much detail about what you should not do, and then give you near impossible to follow things you can do, but after you are bored to tears with the info you already know if you are on this planet and know about all the issues already with the food. She instead does give overviews that are simple, with pictures and just perfect perfect, but most importantly get's right down to what you need to know, what in the world can I eat. Her recipes are far from recipes, they are super simple and for a busy person, which everyone is, this nails it. I truthfully thought I had to write a book because I was so fed up with all the lousy info out there, but now after reading this book, I couldn't be happier, it's exactly what I needed.

She has really good insights.I would recommend It to anyone Who wants to have a better and healthier Life.

Good condition of the book minus a marker mark on the edge. But I really enjoyed it!

come da descrizione

The Honest life. Actress Jessica inspires readersto make healthy nontoxic choices for family

Si quieres empezar a vivir de una forma más sana, evitar artículos y alimentos que contengan químicos dañinos, aprender como comprar en mercados de segunda mano, reciclar y combinar ropa que ya no usabas, cómo organizar tu clóset, etc., éste es tu libro. Tiene información muy clara, habla de muchos temas que toda mujer necesita saber. Desde cómo redecorar tus muebles hasta temas de maternidad o moda.Vivimos en un mundo en el que nuestros alimentos, maquillaje, muebles, artículos de limpieza contienen químicos dañinos (lo cual a mí me interesaba mucho) y aquí te informa qué buscar en las etiquetas de los mismos, cómo afectan a tu organismo y cómo evitarlos. Es información muy útil y completa.Por otro lado el diseño del libro es muy bonito, de fácil lectura y muy agradable a la vista. Es bello! Y tiene muchas fotos!!! Eso siempre es un plus.