In a world dominated by toxic and acid-forming foods such as refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, refined grains, additives, GMOs and conventionally produced meats and dairy it is no wonder that so many of us are struggling with stress, allergies, nutrient deficiencies, obesity, and chronic or life-threatening diseases.
Why Alkalizing Your Body Is So Important For Overall Health And Weight Loss
The pH of our blood must be kept between tight, slightly alkaline borders (7.36 to 7.44). Anything below or above can be harmful and lead to coma and sudden death. Our body is a complex ingenious system that is always striving to keep itself in balance. It constantly corrects imbalances in pH that may occur.
Due to our modern lifestyle and standard American diet, acidosis, or too much acids floating around, is a far more common condition than alkalosis, or too much alkaline material. And it is not just our diet that can cause these acid buildups. When we breathe, move, or digest, our body creates acids of its own, and this is a process we can’t stop.
When we don’t provide our body with enough alkaline material to neutralize these harmful acids (coming from the food we eat and internal waste materials), our body will steal alkaline material out of our bones, teeth, or other body tissues to neutralize the acids and maintain a steady pH of our blood.
So too much acids are definitely not helping us to lose weight and achieve optimal health. These acids are wreaking havoc on your body. And did you know that many bacteria, yeasts, or life-threatening disease such as cancer thrive in an acidic environment.
Here Are 10 Easy Ways To Alkalize Your Body And Improve Overall Health
- Start your day with a glass of lukewarm water with ½ or a whole freshly squeezed lemon. Lemons may appear acidic due to their sour taste, but when they are processed or digested by our body they leave alkaline ashes which can be used to neutralize acids and keep your blood’s pH stable. (if you want to learn more about the benefits of drinking lemon water first thing in the morning, click here)
- Eat more vegetables and fruits. Fresh vegetables and fruits are the best and easiest way to provide your body with alkaline material. Leafy greens are the true alkalizing rock stars, try one of my alkalizing green smoothie recipes here.
- Add more sprouts to your diet. Sprouts are extremely alkalizing and packed with health-promoting and energy-boosting enzymes.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise improves circulation and helps your body to remove acidic waste material from your body.
- Go meat-free at least once a week. Meat, especially red meat, pork and lamb, has a huge acidifying effect on our body. Eat meat in moderation and try and go at least one day a week without.
- Practice deep-breathing. Breathing exercises are an easy way to get more oxygen into your blood. It improves circulation and has an alkalizing effect on your body. Click here to learn 5 easy breathing techniques that only take 5 minutes.
- Reduce stress. Stress is another contributor to acidosis. The more we get stressed the less efficient our digestive system and toxin eliminating process runs. The more toxins or acids we keep in our system the more our body steals alkaline material or produces fat cells. Yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, and tai chi are all good examples to distress your lifestyle.
- Avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. Sugar is the most acidic food out there. So skip soda or sugary desserts and don’t swap them for artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, sucralose, aspartame, or saccharin. Not only are they super acidic, they damage our nerve and brain health as well.
- Avoid all processed and refined foods. Our body is simply not designed to handle that much toxins and acidifying compounds.
- Stay hydrated. Drink lots of plain fresh water a day to flush out more toxins and waste materials. A good rule of thumb is to drink 7 ounces of water for every 10 lbs.
FYI: 20/80 Acid-Alkaline Rule
The best way to maintain optimal health and vitality is to follow the 20/80 rule. Meaning 20% of what you eat a day should be acid-forming and 80% alkaline.
Alkaline forming foods include: most vegetables and fruits, kefir, yogurt, coconuts, almonds, most spices and herbs. Foods that contain high levels of following minerals are generally very alkalizing: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese
Acidifying foods include: grains, cheese, eggs, canned fruits or vegetables, jams, meat, fish, most nuts, alcohol, coffee, sodas, baked goods and other processed foods.
Keep these tips in mind and you will enable your body to eliminate and neutralize more toxins and acidic waste materials to improve overall health and avoid them to be parked as fat.
If you are serious about losing weight and changing your lifestyle towards the 20/80 rule without feeling hungry and counting calories, click here
Don’t forget to download my FREE green smoothie eBook to sneak more alkaline foods into your diet or connect with me on Facebook or Google+ for more healthy tips, tricks, and recipes.
