49. Sustainable Building Materials For Healthy Homes
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Release Date: 01/31/2023
E95. How High-Heat Cooking Creates Toxins—and Simple Ways to Avoid Them
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Part of the Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked Thursday series—light, inspiring insights from Sophia’s personal journey in Practical Nontoxic Living™. Did you know that the way you cook can create cancer-causing compounds in your food? In this episode of Practical Nontoxic Living, Sophia Ruan Gushée highlights the hidden dangers of high-heat cooking methods like frying, grilling, and roasting—and how they can lead to the formation of toxic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Whether you're detoxing your home for fertility, cancer...
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E94. Healing Spaces: How Nontoxic Interior Design Can Transform Your Health (with Deborah DiMare)
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Your home can be a powerful catalyst for healing and wellness—when designed thoughtfully and consciously. This engaging episode of the Practical Nontoxic Living™ podcast begins with Sophia Ruan Gushée and her Ruan Living colleague (and niece!), , sharing what they learned and loved most from Deborah DiMare’s illuminating masterclass from Ruan Living's 40-Day Home Detox program. Then, hear firsthand how Deborah creates healing spaces. Named Top 200 Influencers in the Interior Design Industry 2025, Deborah DiMare, founder of DiMare Design and a leader in nontoxic and cruelty-free interior...
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E93. Are Wireless Earbuds Harming Your Health? | Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Think your wireless earbuds are harmless? Think again. In this short Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked episode of the Practical Nontoxic Living™ podcast, Sophia Ruan Gushée reminds us that Bluetooth or wireless earphones blast radiation directly through your brain No fluff, no deep dive—just a powerful wake-up call about an everyday habit that could be undermining your brain health. Listen in. Then decide: Is convenience worth the risk? Part of the Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked Thursday series—light, inspiring insights from Sophia’s personal journey in Practical...
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E92. Clean Eating Hacks for Busy Lives: Detox Foods & Immune Boosting with Nutritionist & Cancer Survivor Elissa Goodman
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Wondering how to realistically eat clean and optimize your health amid a busy life? In this special episode, we're joined by nutritionist, speaker, author, and cancer survivor Elissa Goodman. You'll hear a powerful clip from Elissa’s masterclass featured in the 40-Day Home Detox, where she shares practical tips for cooking nutrient-dense, clean meals even on your busiest days. Discover Elissa's preferred cooking methods for immune support, her practical thoughts on using frozen veggies, and why avoiding toxins is crucial for health and vitality. Also included is a flashback to Episode 35,...
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E91. Raw vs. Steamed Veggies: What’s Healthiest? | Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Curious whether raw or steamed vegetables are better for your health? In this short Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked episode of the Practical Nontoxic Living™ podcast, Sophia Ruan Gushée reminds us what research reveals about how cooking methods impact the nutrient content of your vegetables. This “raindrop” of Practical Nontoxic Living wisdom is part of a new Thursday series designed to help you make small, meaningful changes that support your Ultimate Home Detox™—starting with your plate. Part of the Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked Thursday series—light, inspiring insights...
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E90. Introducing Raindrops of Practical Nontoxic Living™ | Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Welcome to Ultimate Home Detox™ Unpacked—a new Thursday series on the Practical Nontoxic Living podcast by Ruan Living. In these short, weekly episodes, Sophia Ruan Gushée shares gentle, behind-the-scenes insights—like raindrops of Practical Nontoxic Living wisdom—meant to spark your curiosity and support small, meaningful changes in your home and lifestyle. Whether you're starting fresh or deep into your detox journey, these episodes are here to make nontoxic living feel more approachable, inspiring, and personal. Ruan Living offers many paths to help you create your Ultimate Home...
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E89. What 18 Years of Simplifying Nontoxic Living Taught Me — Interviewed by DailyMail’s Health Editor (Part 4)
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
In this special twist, DailyMail's U.S. Deputy Health Editor Alexa Lardieri flips the script and interviews Sophia Ruan Gushée for her upcoming feature on the 40-Day Home Detox. Alexa turns her journalist’s eye on Sophia’s 18-year journey in detoxing her home and life—what’s surprised her most, how her approach has evolved, and the three easiest (and most impactful) baby steps anyone can take today. Sophia also opens up with heartfelt advice for parents—whether you’re raising toddlers or teens—and shares what she wishes regulatory agencies would do to better protect public...
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E88. Beyond Your Home Detox: Expert Guidance for What Comes Next (Part 3)
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
In Part 3 of our series with DailyMail.com’s Deputy Health Editor Alexa Lardieri, Alexa reveals her favorite part of the 40-Day Home Detox: The expert-led masterclasses, which empower participants with practical wisdom on nutrition, hormone health, interior design, mindset, and emotional well-being. After your home detox stage, your final stage of the 40-Day Home Detox program guides you to design your new home and lifestyle with masterclasses. Sophia and her masterclass experts lead this "Design" phase to help you answer, Now what? How do I live? What do I buy? What can I invite into...
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E87. How a Health Editor and Her Husband Tackled Ruan's 40-Day Home Detox (Part 2)
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
DailyMail US Deputy Health Editor Alexa Lardieri continues her 40-Day Home Detox journey, sharing a peek into her experience. She reveals how, even though she had been avoiding fragrance because it triggers her migraines, 40-Day Home Detox taught her the many other household products that contain fragrance. She also discusses how the LOLA POP Detox Method made the home detox process "bite-sized" and manageable, and how she uses the Love Test Detox Stickers to transform their home, habits, and lifestyle. Also helpful for those who live with others, listen to how Alexa engaged her "hesitant"...
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E86. What Surprised a Health Editor During Her 40-Day Detox Adventure — Part 1
Practical Nontoxic Living™ with Sophia Ruan Gushée
Even health journalists get surprised—Alexa Lardieri reveals what she learned while detoxing her own home. Alexa Lardieri, Deputy Health Editor at DailyMail.com, has written countless articles about the dangers of toxic chemicals in our everyday products. But after completing the Ruan Living 40-Day Home Detox, she discovered just how much she didn’t know. In Part 1 of this four-part series, Alexa shares her biggest surprises—like the truth about “unscented” products and how our pets may be more at risk than we think. Resources mentioned in this episode Register for Ruan Living's...
info_outlineAndrew Pace is a Healthy Home Concierge, host of the Non Toxic Environments Podcast, and founder of The Green Design Center, the oldest healthy building supply company in the United States and a leading resource for homeowners and contractors looking to source products that are healthy. A worldwide expert on green and healthy building products and services, Andrew has become one of the single most helpful and educational experts dealing with the day-to-day concerns of those individuals who suffer from allergies, asthma, and chemical sensitivities.
EXAMPLES OF TOPICS DISCUSSED
Sophia and Andrew have a great conversation about what will help you identify healthier building materials for your next space redesign, renovation, or if you're building a home.
- Healthier indoor environments
- Multiple chemical sensitivity, sick building syndrome
- Trends in "green," "sustainable," and healthier building materials
- How to identify practical, nontoxic building materials
- Household Repeat Offenders: wood, paints, vinyl
- How helpful is prop 65 when selecting healthier building supplies?
- Materials for floors and windows
- How to prioritize your budget
For podcast show notes, click here: Ruan Living blog.
RELATED PODCASTS
- Can Your Home Contribute To Your Chronic Symptoms with guest Angela Cummings, who was mentioned in this podcast episode and is author of Organic Lifestyle Made Easy: How To Create A Chemical-Free Household One Step At A Time
- Make Home A Pillar Of Health with Domonique Silva, who has worked at NASA FOR Environmental & Occupational Health
- Home Detox Parts 1-3 in episodes 46-48
RUAN LIVING RESOURCES
- D-Tox Academy
- 40-Day Home Detox
- Amazon curated by Ruan Living
- Free Ruan Living's Nontoxic Cleaning Guide
FOLLOW GREEN DESIGN CENTER
- Green Design Center website
- Non Toxic Environments podcast with Sophia Ruan Gushée, hosted by Andrew Pace
FOLLOW RUAN LIVING