Alkalizing Your Diet

If you have been following our blog you will notice that we are not scared of meat and we are not scared of saturated fat.  We believe that a natural diet of meat, poultry and fish along with full-fat dairy, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and healthy oils like coconut, butter and olive oil should be the main staples in everyone’s diet.  We should not be purchasing low-fat, processed dairy.  We should not be avoiding meat, butter and coconut oil because they contain saturated fat.  We should not be using poor quality vegetable oils recommended by Canada’s Food Guide and the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.  And we should not be consuming the large amounts of starchy carbohydrates (grains, potatoes) that is currently acceptable.

We believe, as well as many other holistic health practitioners and even some dieticians and doctors, that it is excessive amounts of starchy carbohydrates that are the root cause of today’s health issues.  Especially the refined and processed carbohydrates like white flour and sugar. 

A question we often receive is how is our diet (with all its animal products) not too acidic?   

Foods can be broken down into those that are alkaline once digested and those that are acidic.  An orange, although you may think it is acidic, is actually alkaline to the body once digested.  The body works hard to keep itself slightly alkaline, pH 7.36, for optimal health.  The more acidic the body becomes, cellular function begins to suffer and the immune system weakens increasing opportunity for illness and disease. 

It is true that meat, eggs and dairy are acidic foods.  So is refined sugars and white flour.  The key is to balance out acidic foods with lots of alkaline foods such as vegetables and fruit (in moderation).  We like to emphasize lots and lots of vegetables!  Almonds are alkalizing.  Yogurt is the least acidic dairy and a better choice for digestion anyways.  And when having grain whole grain gluten-free buckwheat, amaranth and millet are your best choices.    

Eliminating white flour and sugar will have a huge, positive, effect on your body’s pH.  And since these foods are void of nutrients they are the ones to get rid of, not meat, eggs and dairy.    

Limiting alcohol will also have a positive impact on your body’s pH.  Water is the beverage of choice (it is relatively neutral), add lemon to water and it becomes more alkaline.  Herbal teas and green powder supplements are alkalizing. 

And get sweating!  Exercising and getting the body sweating gives acid a pathway out of the body plus it oxygenates and alkalizes your blood.

top 10 alkaline foods_HH