Last edited on September 7, 2012.
When I was starting to learn about alkaline foods for optimal health around December of last year, here are a few of the sites that I found and referred to often (these links at the bottom of this blog were saved in an email I sent myself, which I just dug up in my inbox!). When I read that eating more alkaline foods and decreasing the amount of highly acidic foods from my diet would improve my non-existent energy, would make me feel less pain, and would make me live longer in general, disease-free, I was IN! I read different websites, checked out books from the library, and made small changes to my diet! Here's what I did:
1.) Stopped drinking coffee (highly acidic). I was drinking a lot of it, and couldn't understand why I was actually feeling MORE tired every time I upped the amount. I replaced it with alkaline-forming green tea.
2.) Stopped eating sugar, honey, maple syrup (all acidic) and replaced them with lemons, limes, and all kinds of fruit (alkaline, neutral, or slightly acidic).
3.) Stopped eating meat and became vegetarian! Now I'm near-vegan, only consuming eggs and whey protein powder every now and again.
4.) STARTED eating tons more veggies! Especially green veggies like kale and spinach (both are HIGHLY alkaline).
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A quick explanation of alkaline foods:
They are high in minerals. They are high in chlorophyll (dark leafy greens and green veggies), they are high in antioxidants and/or vitamins, they are low in sugar, which makes them low glycemic index foods. Also, veggies are high in phytonutrients--nutrients necessary to prevent diseases such as cancer. All of this makes them anti-inflammatory foods as well!
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The typical diet is currently 70% acidic and only a mere 30% alkaline. We are a nation of people walking around with obesity, diseases, colds you can't shake and turn into worse bacterial infections, pre-diabetes, signs of heart disease, heart disease, muscle spasms (me), pain, bacterial infections, flus...that is because most people are in a state of acidosis, which is perfect for all of the above to flourish.
Make your body resistant to all of the above. It starts by reaching an optimal pH level. To do this, start making changes to your diet so that you are consuming 70% ALKALINE to only 30% ACIDIC foods. Remember, balance is the key. If you eat 100% alkaline foods, that could be extremely dangerous. A good rule of thumb is to eliminate all highly acidic foods that cause diabetes and heart disease, and increase your veggie intake. It's as easy as that.
A side-effect of all of this is weight loss!
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If you're interested in improving your health, I recommend reading all you can on the subject and checking out the sites below...remember, I'm NOT in the health or medical profession, I learned all of this on my own, and I'm only writing from personal experience. Also, a quick way to improve your health is to avoid or cut down on highly acidic foods and increase your amount of veggies you eat everyday from 0-2 servings (that was me; it could be you, now???) to 5-9 servings! Remember, serving sizes aren't that big to begin with, so don't get overwhelmed. Here's my quick list:
Highly acidic foods to eliminate or reduce in your diet:
Coffee, black tea, sugar, soda, diet soda, dairy, wheat, meat, saturated fats, trans-fats, fast food, processed foods (junk food and frozen meals in boxes...if you can't pronounce the ingredients, then it's probably not the best for you...), pickled foods...not food, but HIGHLY acidic are OTC and prescription drugs.
Highly alkaline foods to try to include more of each day:
Green tea, stevia, purified water (with pH drops or fresh lemon or lime juice, your water turn alkaline), non-dairy milk, coconut water, avocados, dark leafy greens, especially kale and spinach, white navy beans, lentils, quinoa, wild rice, buckwheat, sesame and pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and hemp protein, olive oil, dates, chlorella, sea vegetables, and almonds and almond butter (almonds are the only alkaline nuts).
Healthy acidic, slightly acidic, and neutral foods you can include each day to meet your 30% acidic food requirements:
All other beans, all other nuts, chia seeds, Omega-3 eggs, small amounts of lean meat and fish (unless you go vegetarian! Remember, meat is highly acidic!), very limited low-fat or fat-free dairy (unless you go vegan!), any and all fruits, and rice, especially brown and basmati!
Please review the following sites for all foods and their level of acidity or alkalinity (copy and paste them in an email you send to yourself, which is what I had done!):
http://acidalkalinediet.com/listofalkalinefoods.pdf
http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/Alkaline-Foods-Chart.htm
http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm
http://www.energiseforlife.com/wordpress/2009/10/14/the-acid-alkaline-diet-simplified/
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Great blog post. I find it fascinating that we are just scratching the surface of how to keep our health. I am a Geriatrician in a rural town in Virginia. I write stories and keep a blog about my experiences. Please check it out.
www.doctormash.com
First of all, thanks!!!
I just read your latest August 25th (and a few others) and I was struck by how true it is! There is definitely a mind-body connection that we do not fully understand yet. When Joe Paterno suddenly got lung cancer and died shortly after the diagnosis, I thought to myself how the stress of that scandal really affected him. If the scandal didn't happen and he didn't get fired, might he still be alive and well?
My grandmother had Alzheimer's for quite a few years, those last years of her life being in a nursing home near my grandfather's home. He would visit her every day until she died. I saw firsthand how devastating the disease is. I would always hold back my tears each time I visited, it was brutal. My grandmother on my mother's side, who I'd never met, also had Alzheimer's! They say it skips a generation...well, that's me...um...both grandmothers. BUT now we know so much about prevention, that I'm not going to let my genes rule my future. Diet, exercise, keeping social, having a close confidante, learning new things, keeping the brain active can all help to prevent it. My grandmother still ate that 1950s diet of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and cake or pie for dessert each night. She only did cross-stitching in her later years, and had moved to a neighborhood with not many other people her age :(
Will keep your site handy and visit it often! Thanks!
Thanks for your info. I have been on an alkaline diet for three years and have successfully reversed my osteoporosis without the use of drugs. I am very dedicated to this way of eating. I am very familiar with energies for life. Ross has posted some of my recipies on his blog. My blog is www.cookalkaline.com and I post recipies that I have created for an alkaline diet. I would encourage anyone to try this way of eating. It is really not hard. This diet allows you to eat anything you like as long as you keep the majority of food on your plate alkaline.
Cookalkaline, your website is a godsend! Thanks so much. I LOVE garbanzo beans, celery, and avocados, I never thought of making a snack out of those ingredients (I'll usually just have a plain avocado as a snack, or for dinner have an avocado, a bowl of garbanzo beans w/olive oil, salt and pepper, and something else).
Also, I've been a member on this site since April, and every time someone writes a blog here complaining about an ailment or they can't lose weight, or some other issue like fatigue, I shake my head and realize that they haven't had that "a-ha" moment yet. So I keep writing about alkaline foods, cutting out sugar, increasing energy naturally, etc., in hopes that one day that person will go, "you know what, I'm sick of being sick, and I'm sick of being tired, I'm going to do something about it!"
I know I didn't change overnight, but I'm glad I educated myself and decided to give it a try...and you know what, I feel so much better! (It's been less than a year for me...Dec/Jan will be one year since my lifestyle change.) Glad you are doing better, and thanks again for your website that I will be referring to from now on.
Just wanted to add for anyone reading this:
This is not a fad diet, it's a lifestyle change. It's so easy, you don't even have to think about it. Just have 1/4 of your plate a lean protein (or beans or lentils for vegetarians) and 3/4 of your plate a wide variety of veggies.
Have a chicken and veggie soup. For me, being near-vegan, I'll have a lentil or bean veggie soup. This is an easy and tasty way to get around 5 servings of veggies in one meal!
Have a bean and rice burrito with sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes (I like mini heirloom tomatoes from Trader Joes), and green peas on the side.
Use almond butter instead of peanut butter.
Make yourself a green smoothie as a refreshing drink. Use coconut water if you can, or water or non-dairy milk will do. Add kale or spinach. You can add a few apple slices and a banana to mask the taste of the greens.
***While eating the above, you can actually feel your energy levels increase! My eyes open up wider, I have energy to get through the day!
Here's what to avoid as meals. All are extremely acidic. I think you'll see a theme going on here :
Pizza with soda.
Chicken and cheese and beans over rice.
Hot dogs and beer.
Roast beef or turkey, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy, a sugary "juice" drink, and cake for dessert.
Cheesburger and french fries with a soda.
Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, syrup, and coffee.
***What do people usually do after eating this? They have brain fog, need a nap, are trudging through the day. Or worse, they drink more coffee or eat sugary snacks to stay awake!
Thank you to Green Fish for checking out my blog, cookalkaline.com. I'm glad you liked it. My big question is, why do people wait until they get sick with something like cancer before they start eating a healthy diet like the alkaline diet, which I too hate to call a diet. It really is a lifestyle choice. If more people adopted this way of eating, there would be a lot more healthy people out there. Yes i did give up sugar and white flour. It was not that hard and it certainly does not mean that I can't have a cookie or a piece of pizza once in a while. These foods are just not part of my daily diet. But the benefits of this lefestyle are enormous as many of you know. I have a list of the food substitutions I found and that are in my pantry. It's all listed on my blog. Sari
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