The Why & How of Alkaline Foods
In my quest for Vibrant Health, I considered the alkaline diet as recommended by my dear acupuncturist, Dr. Kim in Costa Rica. But to adhere to it strictly, I'd have to be vegetarian and that ain't gonna fly at my house. So I'm going to simply pay attention to my ph and make sure I have plenty of raw alkaline foods to balance out the grilled rib-eyes. Yum!
The first thing we're going to start eating at home is broccoli sprouts, as advertised by www.SproutPeople.com. I'll use a wide-mouth jar (omgoodness, you can buy wide mouth jars by the case cheap in Kentucky -- they are $2 each in Costa Rica) with stainless steel screens. Eating a handful of these sprouts everyday should make a significant difference.
It's clear we don't have to limit ourselves to alkaline foods. We simply need to include more of them and less acid foods. This keeps our ph in balance and our blood oxygenated -- that's the key!
I'm making a few dietary changes now: not eating potatoes or rice of any kind, or bread -- not even Hal's home-made. Or (gulp) sugar, not even honey. I'm wondering about gluten sensitivity and will look into that, but for now, these foods do not agree with my body.
Another goal is to give up coffee. This seems somehow un-human... we'll see if I make it. Coffee is my final addiction; I sure do love my coffee. But I gave all this up once before, about 25 years ago, under the care of Dr. James L. D'Adamo and it made a huge difference. I literally felt like I had a new body. Then I had an ice cream cone and could never get back on it. And then I almost died and, hey, I can give up ice cream 90% of the time for vibrant health. NO problema!
My chief physical problem right now are my joints. I do not move easily. Hal and I both get up and walk like the old people we are. This is not right, we don't have to walk like this, and I'm going to figure it out. I have a feeling coffee is a contributor, so will see if things give a little after I eschew coffee this time around.
But enough from me. The following is an excellent article Ginnee sent to me, with a lot of good alkaline info in one place. It will serve to keep me inspired on the road to ph balance. Happy reading!
This article is by Esme Stevens, president of Raw Food Europe and has the number 1 website for starters of a raw food diet: thebestofrawfood.com. Very good info and all in one place!
Alkaline foods are foods that raise the the amount of oxygen that your blood takes in. The most alkalizing foods are RAW green leafy vegetables, non-sweet fruits and (wheat) grasses. The opposite of alkaline foods are acid foods.
How much oxygen your blood can absorb is measured on a pH scale that ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 0 is most acidic while a pH of 14 is most alkaline.
The Right Acid - Alkaline Balance
Our blood is in balance when we're slightly alkaline: with a pH of 7.365.
In the beginning of the 20th century, very smart scientists and nobel prize winners made a great discovery. If our blood cannot absorb enough oxygen we get sick: cancer, heart issues, arthritis and candida infections, diabetes are the result.
Your body tries to maintain a constant temperature 98.5F or 37C. But did you know that your body tries even harder to maintain the right amount of oxygen in your blood (a pH of 7.365)? When our pH is too high or too low, we don't feel well, we feel tired, gain weight, have poor digestion and get aches and pains.
Most people in the US and Europe are too acidic: they cannot absorb enough oxygen. That's why cancer, heart disease, arthritis,diabetes are epidemic.
Why are we too acidic? The famous four:
Stress;
Toxins;
Parasites; and
The FOOD we eat.
Acid Foods List
It's too bad that the foods we like most make us most acidic and thus sick. What are these food? You guessed right:
Junk & Processed foods;
Sugar;
All animal food (meat, eggs, chicken, fish, lobster, oysters);
Grains: (white) wheat, rice, pasta, flour, bread etc.;
Some Fruits;
Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter);
Bad fats;
Peanuts, cashews.
Alkaline Foods List
During most of our lives, the majority of the foods we eat are (highly) acidic. These make us sick and tired. By eating raw alkaline foods and drinks, we can help our body to heal it self from most diseases:
Vegetables - especially raw green leafy vegetables.
Fresh Herbs & Spice - parsley, basil, cilantro, cayenne, ginger;
Fruits - watermelon, avocado, cucumber, young coconuts;
Wheat grass;
Sprouts: i.e. alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli etc.
For more details go to the acid alkaline food list.
The best alkaline drinks are alkaline water, young coconut water,vegetable juice and wheatgrass juice. If you're very acidic, you might need alkaline supplements to get you back in balance quicker.
How Acid Are You?
How do you know your body pH? I love this one, because it's incredibly easy to find out what your alkalinity is. You simply buy some pH test strips (also called litmus paper) at a health store and pee on it. The paper will tell you instantly what your pH is and thus, how alkaline or acid you are.
The Best & Cheapest Alkaline Foods
Would you like to know the best and cheapest alkalizing foods? Edible wild plants! They're highly alkaline, abundant, fresh and free! Just throwing a few of them in your salad will help balancing you.