Heard of the alkalising diet? It’s not really a diet… it’s a way of eating. It entails leaning towards foods that help to alkalise your body. I like to lean. As opposed to doing a violent about-face with my eating. Essentially, diseases – like cancer and AI – can’t exist in a fully alkalised system. The closer you can get to this utopic state, the better you’ll be. Simple.
I’ve done this before, when I was 21. I had Grave’s disease at the time. After three months of eating acid-free (nothing from a can, no deadly night shades – mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes – etc), I was healed. Seriously. I avoided radioactive iodine treatment, put on weight again and got on with my life.
This post has been updated:
Where does this sit with my eating today? And where does it fit with Paleo eating? As per my post last week, my take on Paleo eating is this: I eat a stack of vegetables – mostly greens – dairy in moderation, and eggs and meat in moderation as well. This still fits with an alkaline mentality, but is not strictly an alkaline diet. But I don’t stick to any diet, I choose my own way. The main thing I take from the alkaline diet is lots of vegetables, especially green ones, no sugar, no processed foods, no trans fats. Which is also Paleo in it’s thinking.
I thought I’d get The Alkaline Sisters to share a bit of a 101 and some recipes. Jo grilled Julie recently:
Why should we be alkalising our bodies?
Alkalizing or ‘balancing the pH of your body’ will provide your body with a level of nutrition that it can use to maintain optimal health.
it is vital for our survival to maintain a blood pH of 7.365
There are other varying pH levels within our body that also need to be maintained, but have greater fluctuation, like our urine. They reflect quite directly the food we consume. A poor diet is very taxing on your body as it has to constantly maintain homeostasis, which it undergoes at all times, struggling to obtain alkalizing nutrients from organs and bones thus depleting their necessary stores.
What does too much acid do to our bodies?
A prolonged acidic diet will eventually make small incremental changes to our blood, making it more acidic. Even the smallest variation in our blood = big problems. An overly acidic body provides a perfect breeding ground for bacteria & disease.
bacteria & disease, especially cancer cells, cannot thrive in an alkaline body
Immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis – which is an acid build up in the joints, an imbalance of the pH of the blood – can be relieved if not resolved.
How to eat alkaline – in a nutshell?
Enjoy lots of alkaline foods and minimize acidic ones.
80% alkaline, 20% acidic foods each day is ideal
unless you already suffer from disease, then one needs to super alkalize until you resolve the issue. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves, but can only do so when they are provided with wholesome nutrients that will nuture this process.
Is it more than just food?
Those of us who eat incredibly healthy may still lead very stressful lives, which constantly leaves our bodies in a fight or flight mode of stress. This hormonal response was designed for us to deal with sudden short occasions of stress as in our ancestors when they encountered dangerour situtations ie a bear or a tiger to tackle or run from. This fear also causes our bodies to secrete acidic fluids that then need to be balanced. Getting a handle on your stress will make a huge difference to your health.
Activities like yoga, meditation, long walks, pampering baths, quiet reading and healthy relationships is the other half of the battle in maintaining a healthy body for a life of longevity, free of disease
What are your top five tips for alkalising?
- Veggies, veggies and more veggies! Veggies are whole foods minus the extreme sugars that feed disease, and are packed with the nutrients from the soil- that are meant to be transferred to our bodies via our crops. Choose organic to be sure that you get the maximum nutrients possible, as organics pack 25% more nutrients