HelloWellness hosted a ‘Non-Toxic Living’ panel in NYC last week with registered dieticians Abby Canon, Nathalie Rhone and author Sophia Ruan Gushee to educate attendees about the importance of living a low-waste lifestyle for better health and a cleaner environment.

According to the HelloWellness website, founders Sarah Casden and Jenna Sands, “...co-founded HelloWellness as a way to foster in-person connections between like-minded health enthusiasts, wellness professionals, brands, and bloggers, alike! In today’s thriving world of social media, it is all too common to know what someone ate for breakfast, or where they like to workout, without ever having met in real life.”

HelloWellness is a company whose roots go all the way back to 1999 at a sleepaway camp where Casden and Sands met over their treasured peanut-butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches. Fast-forward to 2017, the two joined back together, bonded by their passion for living well, and launched HelloWellness.

Casden and Sands now travel across the country between Chicago, Los Angeles, NYC, Boston and Miami to host their events with well-known influencers in the wellness space who can be found on platforms like Instagram.

During the non-toxic living event, Rhone, Canon and Gushee shared all of their tips and tricks for transitioning from a normal, American lifestyle to a low-waste, non-toxic lifestyle with the event attendees.

The women agreed that when it comes to transitioning lifestyles, it is better to start small otherwise the switch can seem overwhelming.

“Stress is the most harmful toxin of all. Swap the things in your routine that you find yourself doing most or using most because that’ll make the biggest difference,” Gushee said.

The panel also covered lifestyle topics such as cutting out non-reusables, allowing your body to detox naturally and getting enough sleep.

“Sweat is the way your body naturally detoxifies. You don’t even need to go on a juice cleanse when your body does the same thing for you every day,” Gushee said.

This event's swag-bag included this layout of items. || Photo Credit to sayhellowellness.com

Canon went into detail on the harmfulness of plastics to the body, especially for women. When eating or drinking from plastics, the chemicals can leak out, especially when heated up. The more flexible the plastic, the more dangerous it is to use for food.

“Not only are plastics bad for your body, but the environment as well. Nothing is done with recyclables anymore. They get sent to a landfill where they sit and wait for someone to take care of them,” Gushee said.

They advised everyone to keep their home clean, get fresh air as often as possible, move their body at least once a day and keep their phone on airplane mode when sleeping.

“Indoor air is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air,” Gushee said. “Americans spend most of their time indoors, so by making a point to open up your windows, take small walks throughout the day, and turn on the venting system in your kitchen when you cook, you’ll be getting your lungs the fresh air they need.”

In regards to diet, Rhone suggested everyone do their best to add spices and healthy omega-3 fatty acids into their daily routine while cutting out trans-fats and sugars. She also stressed the importance of packing in as many vegetables and fruits into meals as possible.

“Every morning I start my day off with green juice. My go-to is celery, cilantro, lemon, ginger, and tumeric,” Rhone said.

Attendees enjoyed chicken and vegetables from Good Fields Chicken on Tuesday evening. || Photo Credit to sayhellowellness.com

Rhone also said she recommends to every one of her clients that they take a probiotic every day despite why they show up to her office in the first place.

The event ended with a question and answer segment, giving the attendees the chance to ask the women any questions about themselves and non-toxic living.

Rhone, Canon, and Gushee were asked whether they had a toxic habit they can’t seem to break–immediately they all laughed and nodded. Rhone said her toxic pleasure is getting her hair dyed every eight weeks, Canon loves getting her hair blown-out, and Gushee enjoys drinking wine with her husband on occasion.

Every event held by HelloWellness includes a meal or treat and bag packed full of wellness products such as full-sized bottles of avocado oil and cocoa powder that guests take home with them after the event is over.

In the past, HelloWellness has held exercise classes, baking classes, panels, workshops, meals and more with experts such as Sophie Jaffe, Stephen Pasterino and Rachel Mansfield.

In the future, HelloWellness will host an “All You Need Is (Self) Love” panel in NYC, a “Meatless Monday” cooking night in LA and a “Food and Fitness” panel in Chicago.

Say Hello to Living Well