At first that may seem like a simple question; but when you get Government  involved in creating definitions and standards it can make a simple issue into a headache in a hurry.  After all, these are the people who claim they have an "easy" way to file your taxes.

We all know that simple is something, very not simple, with Uncle Sam.  So we need to work around all their "helpful information" to find something that creates answers for the real world.  The word Natural is a hot marketing term at the moment. 

Retailers see that "going green" is the golden charm.  Claims of Natural everything have been plastered onto labels faster than cars lapping the track at the Indy 500.  It's funny too, because any time consumers demand a label for allergens or genetically altered ingredients the Grocery Manufacturers and food lobbyists, race to protest the added costs are too high and have a negative effect on the consumers. 

No one is worried in the race to Greenwash the stuff though.  That's what we call the claims of "natural" or environmentally better that are pasted on with little or no substance behind them.  Remember we are dealing with laws for labels and Natural is a word that has almost no rules attached to it.  Like flavorful or sweet smelling, the word natural on a food, home or body product tells you almost nothing at all.  It is a selling point with no cost

Now technically, legally none of the ingredients can be synthetic chemicals often used in these products.  That doesn't mean chemical free.  There's a long list of "organic chemicals" that are not anything you would want to use or eat but they are "Natural".  Gasoline is natural and so is arsenic and you get the gist of the "natural" loophole. 

They trick us; with claims of natural we are supposed to think of chemical free and pure, but they lie as much as the label will let them most of the time.  Now that you know the trick what can you do about it?   

First you do what you're doing right now; become an informed consumer who's not falling for the slick marketing tricks.  Then we get back to basics and follow the types of rules that our grandmothers did. 

We need to relearn a bit of that old fashioned sense about things though.  We need to look away from the promises on the package offering everything from clearer skin to better nutrition and look for the things found in nature and the ones that have had the least help.

That means starting to look away from the brands of cleaners and foods we grew up with in some cases because most of us were raised on chemically "improved" everything and we get comfortable with our brands. 

That's not to say some products haven't always been perfectly natural and pure.  Baking soda and vinegar have always been what they are and always a favorite of mine for cleaning and freshening in a thousand ways and perfect as foods too.  They're great for all kinds of things and the same as they've always been.  Look at the labels there and what you see is what you get.  That's all we want from the rest of the things we choose.

With most things the shorter the list of ingredients, the better.  The more items you recognize as something children would know the closer it is to the kind of natural you're looking for.  Itsy bitsy print that's impossible to read and words you can't pronounce are a sure sign that  whatever it is has too much hidden inside.  Often the first or second ingredient is water and in that case it may be good to think how much you are willing to spend for a great package with mostly water inside. 

Try not to get overwhelmed at the outset and  feel like it is an all or nothing because this whole informed consumer shopping is a lot of work.  It would be so much easier if natural meant pure and the pretty bottle you could grab woiuld be the two seconds it takes to grab it and that's the end of the job. 

If it worked that way the Madison Avenue, ad executives couldn't earn enough to buy summer homes in the Hamptons so we have to work to find out for ourselves.  The good news is that there are a lot of growing companies who really do put the natural purity into their natural and once you start to find the newer brands to trust you'll be shopping with a bit more grab and go again. 

So pick something you use a lot, maybe start with cereals or drinks or soaps.  Maybe start at home when you're using the products you normally buy and take a gander at what is going into the grocery cart now.  Find the very worst and if its your hair dye well we just stick that in the back of the closet where no one sees it.  No one can change everything and we don't even need to think about the favorites just one little substitute at a time to help improve the planet and our health.

Beyond ignoring the health claims and packaged pitches there's a lot you can do yourself.  Try some spices in a bit of boiling water to add a cinnamon or mint or other sent to a room without chemicals or wipe with a lemon slice around a drain or in a disposal to give that lemony fresh right from a lemon, imagine that!  Vanilla smells like vanilla and there's a lot of playing you can do if you decide to go naturally wild.

Most importantly, remember that companies work to make you buy and you need to work to buy wisely.  Price isn't always the cost on the package.  If a chemical detergent is contributing to a psoriasis or asthma suffering there's a health cost that goes on that isn't accounted for at the time of purchase.  It gets put on you at some point though so it is wise to take the time as you go along and keep it as simple as possible. 

When in doubt remember Nature had 10,000 years to evolve in harmony with humans to meet our needs and science has had a century and they make mistakes all the time.  One day this is good the next no its not.  Mother Nature changes seasons but not ingredients, trust her.  More than trust we have respect for the wisdom of power beyond our own and we give to the world by living gently and it gives back by making a happier home.  Vote with your dollars and know that every action has a downstream effect.  Do one good thing and know it spreads from you onward.  Enjoy and eat well

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