Shopping List
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Looking to source quality foods, supplements, and nontoxic home products? This shopping list put together by The Healthy Home Economist can help!
I am constantly checking, reviewing, and adjusting the listings on this page as sourcing of raw materials and quality of products can sometimes change over time. I strive to ensure that the recommendations on this page meet the highest standards. Moreover, these products (some are affiliate links) are ones I have researched and chosen to use in my own home and represent reputable companies that I believe in.
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Click on a category below to view Shopping List resources:
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I regularly use coconut products of all kinds in my home for a variety of dishes. Expeller pressed coconut oil is well suited for cooking as it is not easily damaged by heat and has no coconut taste.Virgin coconut oil (especially from Radiant Life) is wonderful for skin care, weight loss and therapeutic uses like oil pulling. Coconut flour is an excellent alternative to grains for baking and there are many recipes on this blog using it. Coconut ghee, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut chips, and coconut butter are other products I find useful for baking.
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Olive Oil: Most of the olive oils on the market are blended with (unlabeled) cheaper vegetable oils so be sure to buy only 100% extra virgin olive oil from a reliable source for making homemade salad dressings and low heat cooking. This extra virgin olive oil by Jovial Foods is the one I use in my home. I have personally toured the facility where it is made in Modena, Italy (see my Instagram for a video I filmed of the celebratory first tasting in 2015). It is delicious on salads with a drizzle of pure balsamic vinegar (I use Williams Sonoma brand).Ghee also called clarified butter is a traditional cooking fat from India and a wonderful option for those with dairy allergies as all the milk proteins have been removed leaving only the nonallergenic butter oil. Different types of ghee are available depending on the culinary need including plain, cultured, spiced or coconut ghee.
Butter is one of the healthiest and most affordable fats to use for cooking – use grass-fed and use it often! Homemade ghee is easily made from grass-fed butter, by the way!
Palm Oil: Not all palm oil including red palm oil is contributing to deforestation. Click here for a sustainably produced palm oil you can feel confident is a green as well as a healthy choice.
Sesame Oil a great oil to use for making mayonnaise as it does not solidify when refrigerated. “Mary’s Blend” named after Dr. Mary Enig, co-author of Nourishing Traditions cookbook, is recommended for cooking or making mayo and is 1/3 sesame oil, 1/3 extra virgin olive oil, and 1/3 coconut oil.
Other healthy fats for cooking include avocado oil, tallow, lard, duck and goose fat. Tallow and lard need to be rendered at home (how-to videos on this blog) but duck fat can be purchased. Walnut oil is a wonderful source of plant-based omega-3 fats for salad dressing.
Fats to avoid include grapeseed oil, rice bran oil, hemp seed oil, canola, peanut oil, safflower oil, pumpkin oil and sunflower oil (unless cold pressed and high oleic).
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Mattresses: The nontoxic bed we use for every person in our home is the Organix line of IntelliBED mattresses made with the patented IntelliGel and organic cotton cover. It is recommended by hundreds of osteopaths and chiropractors as the best, safest, and most nontoxic sleep technology on the market today, better even than organic mattresses.
Click here to learn more.
I like to verify company claims whenever I can, so I took the trouble to visit the IntelliBED headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was thrilled to see the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on the mattress assembly line come back incredibly low to nonexistent. No masks or safety gear is needed for the workers on that line because the bed is so nontoxic! I encourage you to dig in and research this bed for yourself. No greenwashing here. The bed is as it claims: totally nontoxic and hypoallergenic, the best sleep technology available today and 20-30 year durability. We have been nothing short of thrilled with the Organix mattress and all the kids love it too! Best of all it comes with a standard 90-day money back guarantee and boasts the lowest mattress return rate in the industry.
*If you would like to try the IntelliBED for yourself for three months risk-free, use coupon code HealthyHomeEconomist to get 10% off, two free IntelliPillows, and a set of bamboo sheets ($600 value). Free shipping and white glove set-up included.
You can read my intelliBED review here.
Pillows: We use intelliPillows in our home because they give excellent head and neck support and are made out of completely non-toxic and hypoallergenic materials. You can read my intelliPILLOW review here.
Sheets: We use DreamFit bamboo sheets that are totally luxurious, sustainable, and made of all natural materials. They wash and dry with the convenience and wrinkle resistance of a cotton blend, but have the feel of high thread count, 100% Egyptian cotton sheets without the pilling and maintenance issues.
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Near Infrared Sauna: While sauna is a traditional and highly effective way to safely and gently detoxify, be aware that not all sauna technology is safe. I only recommend and personally use the SaunaSpace near infrared (NIR) sauna. This technology is compact, affordable and highly effective even if a person is very sick or frail. Saunaspace doesn’t get too hot (stays comfortably around 100 °F/ 38 °C) or scatter dangerous EMFs inside the sauna while a person is using it like popular far infrared (FIR) sauna technology.
* If you would like to try Saunaspace risk free and see for yourself how gentle detoxification improves health dramatically, use coupon code HEALTHYHOME for 5% off (valid for 1 use per person). You can read my infrared sauna review which compares near, far, and full spectrum sauna models at the provided link.
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Getting started with fermented food and beverages is an important step to incorporating Traditional Diet in one’s home. There are over 20 videos on this blog that teach you how to make various fermented foods and drinks, but in order to get started, you need the proper cultures!
For kombucha and Jun tea cultures, starter liquid, fermentation vessels, and other supplies, I recommend Kombucha Kamp.
For all other starters including dairy and water kefir, yogurt, sourdough, vegetables and cheese, I recommend Cultures for Health.
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Einkorn: I use both plain and sprouted einkorn flour for baking as it is nonhybridized heirloom wheat which is higher in nutrition and more digestible and well-tolerated than any other type of wheat. If you have a grain grinder, you can purchase einkorn berries for the freshest flour or alternatively, high-extraction flour for general baking needs.Sprouted and Gluten Free Flour and Bread: Bread is comfort food for many, but make sure it is quality that is prepared in a traditional and digestible manner so it does not aggravate health woes.
Looking for real sourdough bread with no yeast, sweetener or additives? Try this family-owned bakery that ships fresh to your door! I order every 2-3 weeks and freeze what I won’t use right away.
For gluten-free baking, it is best to mix your own flour, but if this is not possible, this organic, sprouted gluten-free flour blend is available.
Grain Free Flours: I use arrowroot flour as a grain-free thickener and coconut flour for making many of the grain free recipes provided on this blog. Sprouted almonds and other nuts also make great flour for baking when finely ground. Learn more about arrowroot benefits in this article.
Sprouted Pasta and Grains: Sprouted flour is ideal for cookies and quick bread. I used to have to sprout all my grain myself, but thankfully, sprouted grain and sprouted flours can be purchased online eliminating the need for this time-intensive process.
Sprouted pasta is a much healthier and digestible alternative to standard pasta.
Oats and Other Grains: Oats are often heat-treated prior to grinding into flour or rolled for oatmeal which can inactivate heat-sensitive food enzymes while leaving enzyme inhibitors like phytic acid intact. Sprouted oats eliminate this problem as they are untreated. Simply grind them on a coarse setting in a grain grinder, soak and cook as usual.
Other grains for cooking and baking include spelt, quinoa, basmati rice, and barley. We use these other grains soaked and cooked for side dishes, breakfast porridge or as an addition to soups. They can also be ground fresh into whole-grain flours as needed. It is best not to buy grains from bulk bins as grains tend to go rancid quite easily. Best to buy in sealed packages or buckets.
Beans and Other Legumes: My favorite legume is lentils due to their high phosphorus content. You can also buy sprouted lentils to avoid the work of soaking lentils prior to cooking. Lentil soup is a staple during the wintertime in our home. I also use red and white kidney beans for chili, black turtle beans, and black-eyed (peas) beans on a frequent basis. Dried beans are best sourced organic with navy beans the lowest in starch if you are low carb (it’s also GAPS friendly).
If you prefer jarred beans instead of dried, this line of organic chickpeas and beans in glass jars packed in water and sea salt by Jovial Foods is produced on small farms for the best quality. No soaking needed first. You can proceed directly to cooking using these quality legumes. This article explains why soaking beans and other legumes prior to cooking helps with digestion and nutrient absorption.
Pie Crusts: Making your own is always best, but if you don’t have time, this pie crust brand is made with healthy traditional fat and has no questionable ingredients.
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I don’t recommend a lot of supplements – only a few that are whole food based and nutrient dense. Here is a list of the ones I recommend and that my family and I take on a regular basis.
High Vitamin Fish Liver Oils: Fish liver oil extracted using no heat or solvents to preserve delicate nutrients and co-factors is the ideal supplement to supply natural Vitamin A and D and omega-3 fatty acids to the diet. Our family uses raw, Icelandic extra virgin cod liver oil available in both liquid and capsules. Testing results for quality brands can be found here.
Butter Oil: High-vitamin butter oil is the perfect synergistic companion to high vitamin cod liver oil based on the research of Dr. Weston A. Price for maintaining optimal dental health. Find it here. If you have a dairy allergy, emu oil is recommended instead of butter oil. Emu oil is actually higher in the X-Factor (Vitamin K2) than even butter oil for the perfect synergy with the Vitamin A and D in cod liver oil. Find it here in capsules or liquid. See this article on the benefits of butter oil for more information.Raw, Desiccated Liver: Liver is a traditional superfood, and extraordinarily rich in B vitamins, folate, and vitamin A. Liver capsules are great for traveling and for those who have trouble consuming liver once or twice a week. Beware of some brands that denature the liver powder into a fractionated food by defatting it! Where to find whole food based liver powder and capsules.Probiotics: In addition to consuming a wide range of fermented foods, my family and I also consume a therapeutic-grade probiotic to help support ongoing gut health.
Oral probiotics are helpful to reduce the frequency of ear, nose, and throat infections and to improve the health of the teeth and gums. This brand has the best ingredients I’ve found, and it is a chewable, great tasting tablet good for both kids and adults.
Vitamin C: Most vitamin C on the market is synthetically derived as ascorbic acid from GMO corn. Make sure you source only whole food based vitamin C. Here is where I buy mine.
Gelatin: Gelatin greatly supports skin and digestive system health. Powdered gelatin is a healthier choice than protein powder and can be added to smoothies for a natural protein boost. It can also be used in soups and desserts or as a thickener for sauces. We use high-quality grass-fed beef gelatin in our home.
Collagen Hydrolysate (peptides): Collagen hydrolysate (also called hydrolyzed collagen) is great to use instead of gelatin when you need a whole foods protein supplement to add to cold foods like a smoothie. I use wild, sustainably sourced marine collagen and pasture-raised collagen peptides which blend nicely in hot or cold foods, have a similar amino acid nutritional profile to gelatin and digest very well. Convenient collagen capsules are also available, both of which are great for traveling.
These articles on collagen hydrolysate and hydrolyzed collagen explain the differences between brands.
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Baby & Child
Homemade Baby Formula: Breastfeeding is best for Mom and baby, but when logistical or medical challenges make this goal impossible, a nourishing homemade baby formula fills the gap much better than any commercial formulas – even organic! Piecing together the ingredients for the homemade formula can be tricky, but fortunately, there is a one-stop shop for purchasing the homemade formula kit to get started quickly as babies don’t wait! Please note that once your ingredients arrive, there are videos on this blog to show you exactly how to make homemade formula yourself (one 36 oz. batch takes about 10 minutes). Cow milk homemade baby formula, goat milk homemade formula, non-dairy baby formula, and camel milk infant formula recipes are all provided.Magnesium Oil: Great for calming, headaches, or sleep, this roll-on magnesium oil with aloe vera won’t burn or itch. Great for adults with sensitive skin too. Designed by a physician.
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Bone Broth: Homemade bone broth simmered properly for 24-48 hours with organic vegetables and loaded with colloidal minerals and gelatin is a superfood essential to good health and maintenance of a healthy digestive system.
Wouldn’t it be great if a company made organic, grass-fed bone broth the way you would at home and could ship it to you in shelf stable, glass jars that only need to be refrigerated after opening? It’s now possible, and the company Epic has it with bone broth made from chicken, beef, turkey, and bison. No frozen bone broth shipped in wasteful styrofoam coolers and packaged in plastic or tetra pack cartons lined with plastic. This safe, nourishing bone broth can be taken with you on vacation or stored in your pantry for up to 2 years. This broth is also a great option for college dorm rooms.
*Note, buying from the Epic website is much cheaper than Amazon even if you are a Prime member. Ship using the subscribe program and save an additional 10%.
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Snacks
Decent snacks are a must for lunchboxes and on the go in the car. Here are a few of my favorites that never equal homemade but are high enough quality that I feel good enough about to purchase.
Nuts: These sprouted nuts of all kinds make for filling and highly digestible snacks.
Snack Bars: I purchase 3 types of jerky – buffalo jerky, grass-fed beef jerky, and free-range turkey jerky. We’ve tried many brands and these are my children’s favorites as well as ones that are free of MSG, chemicals, and additives.
Another super delicious snack idea is the PaleoValley grass-fed beef sticks (turkey sticks too). They are so tasty and the ingredients are perfect! I even sliced one up very thin and it made an excellent pepperoni on a homemade pizza! My son eats one or two for a quick breakfast in his college dorm room.
Crackers: These 3 flavors of Jovial Foods’ sourdough crackers literally have perfect ingredients. There isn’t another cracker on the market that is as delicious or healthy, and I’ve examined dozens of brands. It is the only commercially made cracker we use in our home.
Cookies: I am very picky about the cookies I will purchase for my children, preferring homemade if possible. If I must purchase, here are my three current favorites: this brand which offers a good selection of mini cookies, this brand of butter shortbreads and these delicious quinoa cookies.
Chips: Most brands of chips even if organic are unacceptable due to the inappropriate and unhealthy frying oils involved. I do purchase these potato chips made with avocado oil for my children’s lunchboxes on occasion. I also purchase these sprouted pretzels and sprouted pretzel puffs. Another option is Sea Snax which is a crunchy, tasty alternative made with kelp.
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Raw Honey: Local raw honey is the healthiest of all sweeteners and most preferred in my home. If finding a local source proves difficult, quality raw honey is available online. For medicinal purposes, choose manuka honey
that is UMF certified 15+ for maximum potency.Jaggery: Jaggery is a traditional sweetener from India and South America made by evaporating raw sugarcane or coconut nectar juice without separating any minerals from the crystals. Jaggery is a truly delicious and healthy alternative sweetener! Source palm jaggery here and cane jaggery here.
Unrefined Cane Sugar: Unrefined cane sugar is a better choice than white sugar because it has not had all the beneficial minerals stripped away. Unrefined cane sugar can be substituted in most recipes 1:1 for white sugar and will add an additional level of complexity to the flavor that is very enjoyable. I purchase it in bulk from a local co-op but if this isn’t an option, unrefined cane sugar is available online.
Organic White Sugar: I recommend using organic white sugar for making kombucha. The sweetener feeds the culture during the fermentation process and is almost entirely used up in the process. I don’t recommend nonorganic white sugar as this is many times from genetically modified (GMO) sources unless it specifically states that it is 100% cane sugar.
Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar is an all natural, mild tasting and low glycemic sweetener produced by dehydrating the nectar produced from coconut buds. It can be used at a 1:1 ratio for regular cane sugar. It can also be used in liquid form as coconut nectar instead of maple syrup.
Other Healthy Sweeteners: Other whole, natural sweeteners I use in our home are liquid stevia, blackstrap molasses, date sugar, and grade B maple syrup.
Healthy Chewing Gum: My family’s favorite all natural chewing gum is Simply-Gum which contains no synthetic or artificial anything. It comes in six flavors to choose from: maple, cinnamon, mint, ginger, licorice, and coffee. Our family enjoys the cinnamon, mint, and licorice flavors the best.
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Fresh Cinnamon: I have recently discovered fresh, real cinnamon and I love it. The only place to get it (all varieties) is the company Cinnamon Hill, and it comes with a special cinnamon grater that you won’t cut your fingers using! If you’re wondering about the various types of cinnamon and which is best for health, this article on cassia vs Ceylon cinnamon can help.
Sea Salt: It is important to use only unrefined sea salt for cooking. Many different types of sea salt are available and I tend to have several on hand at any given time in my kitchen as I have my favorites for cooking versus a shaker on the table for dinnertime.Turmeric: This traditional spice from India is quite possibly the most beneficial of all herbs. Used to treat a variety of disorders as well as to maintain general wellness, turmeric can be taken as a supplement or used for cooking. Source quality organic turmeric here. -
It is important to prepare raw nuts and seeds by briefly soaking in brinewater and then low temperature drying as practiced by Traditional Societies in order to eliminate anti-nutrients that can cause digestive distress and gastrointestinal discomfort. There is a video on this blog on how to prepare nuts properly, but if time is a factor in your kitchen routine, presoaked and dehydrated nuts, nut butters and seeds can be purchased online. For another line of quality soaked nut butters, click here. Unfortunately, peanut butter cannot be purchased soaked as far as I know – at least not yet! As a result, organic is the best that you can buy. Here’s the brand of peanut butter I purchase.
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Meat & Seafood
Grassfed Meats: If a reliable producer for pastured meats is not available in your area, try shopping online at US Wellness Meats offering quality products from vetted family farms.
Safe, Wild Seafood: It’s important to source low mercury seafood that comes from as clean water as possible. In our home, we use sustainably caught, skipjack tuna from Portugal (packed in BPA free tins) as well as sardines, mussels, anchovies, and mackerel packed in pure olive oil and wild salmon for our emergency food pantry.
Jerky: I purchase 3 types of jerky – buffalo jerky, grass-fed beef jerky, and free-range turkey jerky. We’ve tried many brands and these are my children’s favorites as well as ones that are free of MSG, chemicals, and additives.
Tomato products: Next to making yourself with fresh, local, heirloom tomatoes, this line of organic tomato products from Jovial Foods is the best quality on the market. They are packed in glass and produced on small farms.
Condiments: There are numerous recipes and how-to videos on this blog for making healthy condiments yourself. However, if time is an issue, many can be purchased for reasonable cost such as organic ketchup and mustard. For ethnic cooking, I recommend an additive-free fish sauce and a traditionally brewed, unpasteurized soy sauce (source).
For those allergic to soy or avoiding grains, coconut aminos are the best alternative. Fermented coconut aminos (source) and unfermented coconut aminos (source) are available both with excellent ingredients.
For making homemade ketchup, I recommend organic tomato paste in glass jars.
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Grass-fed Dairy & Beverages
Click here to find a local, grass-based farm near you.
Hydration drinks: For lunchboxes or after sporting events, my family enjoys this brand of coconut water instead of sodas or additive and chemically laced sports drinks which have been shown to damage children’s tooth enamel and are loaded with sugar.
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Tea & Herbs
White, Green and Black Teas: I make my homemade kombucha with 50% organic white tea, 25% organic green tea and 25% organic black tea. This produces the optimal flavor according to my family’s tastebuds!
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Hair Care: Using organic oils is a natural, chemical-free way to repair hair and infuse moisture to locks that are dry or damaged. This brand is excellent.
Deodorant: The most important personal care item you choose is underarm deodorant due to the close proximity to delicate breast and glandular tissue. This is the one my family uses – completely nontoxic and it actually works!
Makeup: Most ladies wear makeup frequently and it sits on your face all day long, so choosing a nontoxic brand is important. I use Zuzu foundation and have for years. It’s lightweight and the coverage is excellent.
Feminine Products: The data is ominous regarding the health and safety of repeated exposure to commercial feminine hygiene products due to pesticide and dioxin residues that come into direct contact with very thin reproductive tissues. Safe alternatives include a natural gum rubber cup or organic cotton pads and tampons.
Nontoxic Birth Control: Methods of natural birth control are always preferable to chemically based agents such as spermicides, contraceptive patches, and IUDs that emit synthetic hormones, or the contraceptive pill which decimates the balance of gut flora. Even IUDs that emit only copper instead of hormones to prevent pregnancy should be avoided as copper toxicity is a very real and dangerous side effect of using these devices. One safe option is nontoxic condoms made without the use of carcinogenic parabens, petrochemicals, spermicides or glycerin and made with natural rubber latex instead of synthetic materials.
Tooth Whitening: Avoid toxic tooth whitening strips, gels, and trays that can damage enamel. Use safe, natural activated charcoal instead. Simply swish or lightly brush with it (hold it in your mouth for several minutes) a few times a week (every day if the staining is severe).
Oral Care: I recommend the toothbrushes, tooth gel, and other oral care items from my trusted friends at Orawellness.
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Water Filtration: Everything you need for the safest and best water in your home from water testing to whole house water filtration systems and everything in between can be found from Radiant Life with free phone consultations available. This article on the best water filters outlines your options. For more comprehensive solutions, this article reviews the top 5 whole house water filter options.
Air Purification: We’ve used HEPA filters in our home for over a decade. The model I recommend and use is the Air Doctor. One or more of these units is essential to health especially if you live in new construction, have new furniture or recently had carpeting installed. This type of filter removes off-gassing VOCs as well as all other airborne toxins, pollen, and dust.
Vita-Clay: I use the Vita-Clay as my safe, slow, organic cooker of choice verified by independent third-party testing to be toxin and lead-free. It cooks in half the time as a crockpot, is safer than a stainless steel Instapot for cooking broth and other acidic foods, and the food is much more flavorful. The slow, steady evaporation of steam from within the clay pot’s unglazed pores and the double sealed lid is what makes this possible. It cleans up without scrubbing too! You can even make yogurt, rice, quinoa, and oatmeal using a Vita-Clay in addition to soups, stews, and other one-pot meals.Click here to use coupon code WISE25 to get 10% off the Vita-Clay model of your choice. I have the two models shown in the pictures above and below because I use them so much! The large cooker above which I use primarily for making bone broth and soups holds 6.5 quarts by volume. The multi-cooker in the picture below holds 4 quarts by volume. If you need more info, this article on clay pot cooking is my detailed review of the product plus my favorite soup recipe. This article on stainless steel cookware explains the scientific research on why clay is safer than stainless steel for cooking acidic foods like broth and tomato sauces.
Wondering whether the stoneware or clay model is best? See my Vitaclay review at the provided link.
Laundry and Cleaning: I use Eco-Nuts nontoxic, 100% natural organic laundry detergent and wool dryer balls. All Eco-Nuts laundry products are free of parabens and harsh chemicals. They are also free of hormone-disrupting synthetic fragrances, dyes, or allergenic additives of any kind. Yes, it is possible to get all of the effectiveness of commercial laundry products with none of the toxicity!
For non-toxic, all-purpose cleaning around the home, I recommend castile soap, bulk baking soda, and apple cider vinegar.
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Gardening Supplies
Using sustainable products in a home garden is very important to avoid exposure to dangerous chemicals while growing healthy food! Click here for a listing of supplies I have found helpful at our home.
Natural Pesticides: I have found the botanical neem to be especially helpful. Find it here.
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Pet Care
Feeding our furry friends their natural diet is very important, but if you are not able to prepare a raw diet for your cat or dog for a period of time, at least source pet food that is grain free and does not contain dangerous chemicals and additives.
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