If you want
to dramatically improve your energy, get the body you’ve always wanted, say
goodbye to inflammation and bring the ageing process to a halt, then following
the alkaline diet is the easiest way to get you there. The alkaline approach to
health is all about eating and drinking those things that will have an
alkaline-forming, rather than acid-forming effect on the body. It’s often
misunderstood that the alkaline approach is trying to change your pH, but it’s
all about supporting your body and giving it the tools it needs to maintain
it’s ideal pH of 7.365.
It is when
we constantly eat and drink foods with an acidic effect on the body that we
force our body into neutralizing those excess acids, and it is in this
processing of the acids that the damage is done. The repeated neutralisation of
excess acids leads to inflammation, an over-active immune system, candida
overgrowth, chronic fatigue, poor digestion, weight gain and more. By
fuelling our body with alkalinity we give it those nutrients it needs to
thrive, and in return, it will make you feel amazing.
Five Steps to An Alkaline pH
1. Go Green
The most
alkaline foods on earth are those that contain the richest amounts of vitamins,
minerals and other nutrients – and the foods at the top of that list are all
leafy greens. In 2014, research published in the journal “Preventing Chronic
Disease” listed the 41 most ‘powerhouse fruits and vegetables’, and the top 16
were all leafy green foods.
Try adding
spinach, arugula, kale, chard and lettuce to your daily diet in juices, smoothies,
soups and salads. In teaching and coaching the alkaline diet for the past
eleven years, I have found a dramatic increase in energy, weight loss and
vitality in people when they can add 4 or more serves of greens (approximately
one juice) to their daily diet. On those days when greens are hard to fit in, a
powdered green drink or liquid chlorophyll supplement can really help.
2. Hydrate
In my
experience, the vast majority of people who are struggling with fatigue or who
have ongoing health struggles are chronically dehydrated. Getting enough water
each day is one of those ‘to-dos’ that we often forget, because it just seems
so obvious. But so few of us get enough. The general, mainstream
recommendation is 8-glasses-a-day, and even though this is actually nowhere
near enough, most people don’t even reach this daily milestone! The trick is to
make it easy to remember, and to set goals. Use alarms on your phone,
leave reminder notes and set habits such as always having a glass of water when
you get to your desk at work, having a glass when after you clean your teeth
and so on.
Starting the
day with warm lemon water is a great habit to form, as it kicks off your day
hydrated every day, with a nice and alkaline start. And if you switch to
hydrating herbal teas, such as peppermint and rooibos, instead of dehydrating
coffee & regular black tea, you’ll find yourself easily hitting your daily
quota. For most people that daily target is: 1 litre of water per 40lbs (18k or
2.85stone) of body weight. It may sound a lot, but don’t try to get there on
day one! Build up to it slowly, and relax – you will get there.
3. Get Oiled
Getting
enough omega oils, particularly omega 3 is critically important to so many
bodily functions and processes. Omega 3 is known as an ‘essential’
nutrient, because the body cannot manufacture it alone, it relies upon you to
consume it! But so few people get enough. And nobody is to blame, it’s actually
pretty hard to get enough through diet alone! Even if you eat oily fish
every day, you still wouldn’t be hitting your target. I recommend that everyone
adds 2-3 tablespoons of omega 3 to their diet every day. And if you do
this, the results are fantastic. More energy, soothed digestion, soft skin,
clearer thinking, better recovery from exercise and more. Just from
adding in oils!
The easiest
way to add this is through supplementation, but I also recommend making your
own salad dressings using flax oil, chia seed oil or walnut oil with lemon,
herbs and so on. Be creative – it’s hard to go wrong. Think about it, if
you had one salad per day with your own omega-3-rich dressing, you’d be hitting
2 of these 5 steps every day!
4. Cut Out Excessive Acids
I never
recommend anyone tries to be perfect with the alkaline approach (or any healthy
living approach) from day one. It’s a surefire way to give up, fast. But
I do recommend you start to transition away from your habitual strong acids as
quickly as you can. The worst offenders include soda, sugar,
gluten-containing grains and processed meats. If you can start to cut these
back, a little each day, then you will be going a long way towards helping your
body maintain that pH balance. Again, you don’t have to give it all up at once,
on day one. Just try to cut back on each and set targets for yourself.
5. Reduce Stress
Stress can
have more of an impact on the body than any food or drink we consume. Why? Because
when we’re under stress, the body produces cortisol. This is fine in genuinely
stressful situations, but repeated stress and ongoing cortisol production can
have a huge impact on the body. Cortisol serves a very important function,
preparing your body for fight or flight situations. But in doing so it
shuts down all ‘non-essential’ functions changing immune system responses and
suppressing the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes.
Needless to
say, the repeated shutting down of the digestive system and altering of immune
system processes is very detrimental to your health, your energy and your
ability to function. And if you couple these functions with an acidic diet, you
could get into trouble, quickly. Finding a way to control stress is easier said
than done, but if you’re truly committed to ongoing health and vibrant energy,
you simply have to! There are so many free or inexpensive meditation and
stress-relief apps available now, and they are very easy to use. And on an even
more basic level, a short walk, or some moderate exercise can do wonders.
Remember,
getting alkaline is not about changing your body’s pH, it is about supporting
your body to maintain it’s homeostasis, to keep itself working optimally.
And when you’re in balance, your body will thrive and you will look and
feel sensational.
What Steps
Do You Take To Help Your Body Stay Alkaline?
This article
was republished with permission from foodmatters.tv.
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