Well, almost.

Food Products

If you aren’t already aware, European food laws are much more stringent than those in America. The best way to summarize the difference is to say that in Europe, food additives are guilty until proven innocent, whereas in the USA, food additives are innocent until proven guilty. While our approach works when it comes to people, where food is concerned, it can be quite dangerous. Basically, American food companies can add chemicals to food they sell until someone proves those substances seriously harm us. What this means is that the American food supply contains thousands of additives that have been banned in Europe for decades. It’s a pretty shocking truth, especially because food is obviously necessary to sustain life.

Even if you didn’t know about the difference in our food laws and practices, a meal overseas in any country in Europe will tell your tastebuds that something is seriously lacking when it comes to what we eat here in the States. European food simply tastes better. Moreover, good food is more readily available in Europe. For instance, in Ireland, you can go to almost any gas station and get freshly baked bread, healthy sandwiches and fresh fruit. At a gas station!

So, what can we as Americans do? Most of us can’t simply pack up our families and relocate to Europe. Moreover, even if we could, we may not want to. America is our home. We are proud to be American! It would be great if American food companies would align their standards with the standards upheld in Europe, but that might take a long time, if it ever happens (I’m not holding my breath). Until then, there is one way we can sort of eat like we live in Europe: Shop for products in our supermarkets that are made abroad or from American companies which adhere to European-style standards.

In many “higher end” grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s you can find many products made in Europe which have been shipped here. I buy bread made in Spain and mustard produced in France (which is labeled “365 Whole Foods Brand” and is packaged in glass jars) at Whole Foods and non-alcoholic wine made in Germany at Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s also carries candy that is made in Europe where many artificial color additives are banned.

Does shopping for these products take more time? Yes, as you have to read labels. Is it worth it? Absolutely! I feel better eating and serving my family products which I know have been held to much stricter standards than their American made counterparts. The taste of these products is often superior as well.

Beauty Products

Shopping for better quality products doesn’t have to stop at food either. Beauty products made in Europe are also held to much stricter, higher standards than those made in the US and there are a few American beauty product companies which are adhering to European standards on their own volition. The key is to do your research. You must read labels. There is simply no way around it.

Recently, through research I was doing on hair products, I learned that artificial fragrance and perfumes added to our beauty products can disrupt the hormones of growing boys in such a way that they may develop breasts due to the chemicals’ ability to mimic estrogen, the hormone women naturally produce more abundantly. I already knew that synthetic fragrances were hormone disrupting, but causing breasts to develop on young boys? What the heck?!

I was already pretty strict about avoiding products containing artificial fragrances in my home, but after learning that disturbing tidbit, I went into full research mode and learned that even natural fragrances derived from lavender or tea tree oil can also mimic estrogen – Goodbye lavender and tea tree soaps for my boys! Pet owners should note that tea-tree oil is dangerous to animals as well.

My point is, no one is going to do the work for us. We need to educate ourselves and shop accordingly. If you want to live clean, eat clean and groom yourself with clean products you need to be choosy about where you shop and what you buy. You need to read labels and conduct research (though even with all of that, sometimes it’s a challenge to obtain clear answers. See this link for some food-related controversy). Lastly, you need to have the money to do so. Living cleaner costs more money (unfortunately) so be ready to open your wallet a bit wider next time you’re at the grocery store. I know it hurts, but your health and the health of your family is worth every penny!

Start Shopping

To get you started and save you some time at the grocery store, I’ve put together a list of some of the European products (or products that are made adhering to similar standards) that I have in my fridge, pantry and bathroom. Perhaps some of them will work for you as well. Happy shopping!

Food Products:

Specialty Stores/Online:

Beta Loose Tea Varieties (Turkey)

Caykur Filiz Loose Black Tea (Turkey)

Marmarabilmik Dried Black Olives (Turkey)

Trader Joe’s

Oddbird GSM Non-Alcoholic Wine (Germany)

Trader Joe’s Gourmet Jelly Beans Gluten free! (Ireland)

Wolffer Estate Blanc de Blancs and Rosé Non-Alcoholic Wines American Company, but their non-alcoholic line is processed in Germany with grapes from Spain

Whole Foods:

Alexandre Family Farm A2 dairy products produced using regenerative farming practices (America)

Bionaturae Organic Crushed Tomatoes (Italy)

365 Whole Foods Traditional Dijon Mustard (France)

365 Organic Galaxy Marshmallow Cereal A “Lucky Charms” type cereal dupe. (Italy)

Cento Foods Organic Double Concentrated Tomato Paste (Italy)

Cristal Ciabata Buns (Spain)

EuroClassic Imports Take and Bake Rolls (France)

Kerrygold Butter (Ireland) This item can also be found at Costco for a lower price.

Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese (Ireland) This item can also be found at Costco in bulk for a lower price.

Pomi Crushed Tomatoes (Italy)

Beauty Products:

Bee-Och Organics Make-up Free of synthetic chemicals. (America)

Dr. Bronner’s Soaps and Hair Cremes For body wash, pet wash, shampoo and conditioner and home cleaning products. Simply dilute with distilled water according to instructions. (Artificial fragrance free pure castile soap. (America)

JessiCurl Hair Care and Styling Products Fragrance free options. (America)

Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant Free of aluminum salts, parabens, and artificial fragrances and it WORKS! (America)