Must-Read books about natural, eco-friendly ways to protect your health and money

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Do you know what is really in your toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel and other essentials? Do you know how many chemical substance do you use daily? Do you know how toxic those chemical substance are both to humans, pets and environment?

I don’t. And to be very frank, I had never given much thought to those chemical substance until a few months ago when I found out that I am in fact very sensitive to everything that contains aspartame. I am afraid that I still don’t know the right answer to above questions. However, I have been more aware of those chemical substance and have been learning to use natural, eco-friendly alternatives in stead.

To my delight and surprise, those natural alternatives have been staring at me right from my own kitchen cabinets all along. They include Coconut Oil, White Vinegar, Baking Soda, Essential Oils, Petroleum Jelly, Aloë Vera and Apple Cider Vinegar.

As you have probably known that the benefits and other uses of those natural alternatives are endless. I am very glad that I have come across these must-read books about natural, eco-friendly ways to protect my health and money. I hope that they will be useful to you as well:

1. Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things: 2,317 Ways to Save Money and Time by Editors of Reader’s Digest

When you have a problem, don’t run to the store and waste good money, just open your pantry door—and EXTRAORDINARY USES FOR ORDINARY THINGS. You’d be amazed at what you can do with baby oil, bleach, duct tape, tea, rubbing alcohol, and dozens of other handy items.

This book will open your eyes to over 2,300 creative and helpful uses you can make of familiar household products. You will discover how to save time and money with items in your pantry, medicine cabinet, wastebasket, and recycling bin that you can use to …

2. Homemade: How-to Make Hundreds of Everyday Products Fast, Fresh, and More Naturally by Editors of Reader’s Digest

For the first time in one book, here are low-cost, all-natural replacement recipes for 713 name-brand products that you buy week in and week out at the supermarket, pharmacy, or discount store. Save a fortune making your own everyday cooking, cleaning, and toiletry products!

At the same time, you’ll fill your cabinets with fresh, super high-quality products at work or taste great—without all the chemicals and preservatives of store-bought versions. Plus, ‘think green”—you will greatly reduce the amount of useless, environment-damaging waste and …

3. 99 Cent Solutions (Save Time, Save Money) by Editors of Reader’s Digest

You don’t have to be rich to live well; now you can outfox the high cost of living the old-fashioned five-and-dime way. Don’t be tempted by all of those “new” products on the shelves; instead, rediscover the power of those time-honored, thrifty household items your grandparents and parents used.

You’ll save a bundle with over 1,300 of these clever hints and tips such as a frisbee is a handy item to keep around the house and can be used as a portable pet dish, paint palette, and paper plate holder. Hair spray is an inexpensive way to preserve flowers, remove pet …

4. Foods that Harm and Foods that Heal Cookbook: 250 Delicious Recipes to Beat Disease and Live Longer by Editors of Reader’s Digest

Foods That Harm Foods That Heal&gt was a pioneering book that changed the way we view food and its impact on our bodies. Many of the more than 7 million readers worldwide have been asking for a cookbook companion to help them put their newfound knowledge to use.

In this all-new companion to Foods That Harm Foods That Heal, you’ll find an A-Z summary of the almost 100 healing foods from the main book, complete with buying, storing, and cooking tips. 300 scrumptious recipes, each featuring at least 3 healing …

5. Keep This Toss That: Unclutter Your Life to Save TIme, Money, Space, and Sanity by Editors of Reader’s Digest

Are you afraid to open your kitchen cabinet because you know food storage containers are going to come pouring out like an erupting volcano? Do you spend hours searching for the email you need? Will you regret it tomorrow if you give away all your old concert T-shirts? And how many tote bags will you really use?

Keep This, Toss That answers all of these questions and much more. Featuring dozens of illustrated Keep/Toss Checklists, the book shows you exactly what you need—and what you can safely toss, regret-free (even if you’re a sentimentalist or saver), in every room of …

6. Health: The Reader’s Digest Version: Easy Ways to Feel Better and Live Longer by Editors of Reader’s Digest

It takes 11 years of study to become a doctor-a fact that makes good health sound awfully complicated. But it shouldn’t be! You just need someone to help sort through all the conflicting voices and studies to find the truly great nuggets of wisdom and advice.

In Health: The Reader’s Digest Version veteran health journalist and book author Joe Kita and the editors of Reader’s Digest magazine distill the best knowledge about health into simple advice you can start using right now. Whether it’s sleeping better, picking a doctor …

7. Reader’s Digest 1801 Home Remedies (Kindle Edition) by Editors of Reader’s Digest

Here is a plethora of ordinary household remedies to treat over 100 common ailments and health complaints safely, effectively, and inexpensively in an easy-to-use A-to-Z format.

Treat everyday health problems with cures from a wide range of sources, all examined by a panel of leading medical doctors-sure-fire safe and effective treatments.

Click here to get the paperback edition of Reader’s Digest 1801 Home Remedies from Amazon.com.

8. The Clean Eating Cookbook & Diet: Over 100 Healthy Whole Food Recipes & Meal Plans by Rockridge Press

Clean Eating is a positive lifestyle change that works. The Clean Eating Cookbook & Diet will change the relationship you have with food. Unlike a standard diet that you follow to reach a short-term goal, Clean Eating is a common sense strategy to achieve permanent and lasting good health, without depriving yourself of flavorful food, or feeling guilty after every meal.

The Clean Eating plan does not require you to eliminate whole food groups or starve yourself. Clean Eating is about a lifetime of enjoying natural, unprocessed foods that taste good and nourish you, paving the way to a stronger, fitter body and …

9. National Geographic Complete Guide to Natural Home Remedies: 1,025 Easy Ways to Live Longer, Feel Better, and Enrich Your Life by National Geographic

Geographic Complete Guide to Natural Home Remedies covers topics ranging from the familiar to the new and promising: from mint tea for a stomachache to onion juice for a bee sting, from using baking soda as a kitchen cleanser to finding quiet in a crowded world, from adding turmeric to fight arthritis to practicing aromatherapy at home.

Sections on healing traditions and best life practices from around the world offer readers all-around guidance on the path to optimal health. Photographs, recipes, cautions, and quick tips on page after page make this both a handy look-up reference and …

10. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to 550 Key Herbs with all their Uses as Remedies for Common Ailments by Andrew Chevallier

Featuring more than 550 medicinal plants and the most current scientific research, this volume provides a comprehensive guide to healing with the world’s oldest form of medicine. A unique photographic index profiles over 550 plants, with detailed information on habitat and cultivation, parts used, active constituents, therapeutic properties, and traditional and current uses.

A special section profiles 100 of the most common plants, featuring herbal preparations and recommendations for self-treatment. Guidelines on growing, harvesting, and storing medicinal plants also demonstrate making remedies for home …

Please note that the first 8 books are available in Kindle Edition. Don’t have a Kindle yet?