Although you may feel you’re pretty healthy and don’t seem to have any major health problems, it is very likely that your body is out of balance. I’m not referring to whether you can walk in a straight line – I’m talking about what’s going in internally.  Some of the symptoms of Over-acidity are; bloating, eczema, psoriasis, muscle cramps, swelling, headaches, fatigue, allergies, colds, flu, sinus problems, joint pains, acid reflux to name a few.  This can be (and quite often is) linked to an acidic body.

If you have ever tested the pH of a pool or hot tub…our bodies are kind of like this…wherein we have a pH balance.  That pH scale goes from 0-14 with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is ACID; above 7 is ALKALINE with the optimal blood level being 7.365.

You can buy pH Strips from most health foods stores.  Might be interesting to test yourself (directions are in the packets)

The pH level of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. The entire metabolic process depends on an ALKALINE environment. FACT: The majority of the foods typical of a Westernized diet are ACID-forming; meat, bread, dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, refined carbohydrates, saturated fats etc. Chronic Over-acidity corrodes body tissue and can interrupt all cellular activities and functions. It is the root of all sickness and disease…scary; but powerful to know.  It is also what’s keeping many of us overweight! (I’m not saying you are carrying excess weight; but if you’re struggling to shift those pounds, then it’s very likely that you’re system is too acidic!)

Tragic…but it’s known that cancer LOVES an acidic environment. Just one more very valid reason to limit the intake of meat and cheese and dairy products, artificial sweeteners, and all that other refined stuff that we try to convince ourselves are not that bad. (I lived in that place of denial for many, many years!)

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what you CAN eat if all the other “good” (read toxic) stuff is out of the question?! (At least for a good 70% of your/our diets)

If you were to guess the answer to that question – what would it be? Something green?! You betcha!!  YES…this is why you see me drinking down a plant smoothie every morning!

As human beings, we need oxygen to survive; we simply cannot live without it.  Something you might never have really considered is that oxygen isn’t found in cooked or processed foods, nor is it found in meat or cheese. Oxygen is found in green chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the substance in plants that allows them to absorb light from the sun and covert that light into usable energy.

Here’s a little known fact…; Chlorophyll is chemically related to blood – the only difference being that the main atom is hemoglobin (blood’s oxygen transporter) is iron, while in chlorophyll it’s magnesium. Chlorophyll contains a powerful blood builder that is said to increase red blood cells, improve circulation, ease inflammation (which we know promotes angiogenesis or cancer cell growth), oxygenates the body and counteracts free radicals.  Yes, you can gather that Chlorophyll is really, really good for you.  So by eating fruits, veggies, dark greens especially, we fill our bodies with liquid oxygen, the single most important element keeping us alive and it doesn’t hurt our cycling performance either!

Here’s a list to help you know which foods are alkaline:
Veggies; cucumbers, kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, spinach, chard, lettuce, parsley, lentil sprouts, onions, garlic, leeks, alflalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, wheat grass, arugula, parsley, cilantro, artichokes, green beans, winter squash, sweet potatoes, bok choy, beets (golden and red), carrots, etc.

Fruits; avocados, (many of you smiled at this one) tomatoes, limes, lemons, apples, watermelon, grapes, berries. (Note; lemons, limes and oranges are acidic fruits but actually become alkaline once they are consumed)
Ideally, eat a lot of “raw” foods that are living to give you oxygen, enzymes, energy, minerals, vitamins, cancer-fighting phytonutrients etc.  Cooked is great too, however to really maximize the alkaline benefits, foods in its most natural state (except tomato paste) give us the highest level of nutrition.

Eat foods that are low glycemic (ie: do not send your blood sugar soaring)

If you do enjoy meat/dairy products then try to eat free range~ organic AND adopt an 80/20 or 70/30 rule where you eat 80/70% raw to 20/30% cooked food.

I know this is a lot…and this is “ideal”…so just starting with having more “Green” in your diet is a wonderful way to start the alkalinity cycle!

Enjoy and please ask me if you have any questions about this.