Alkalize Your Body and Lose Weight

Eating foods that are more alkalinizing will help your body function vibrantly and will help you lose weight, have more energy, help keep your bones strong, improve your digestion and much more. For a complete list of alkalinizing foods refer to the chart below.

pH is a measure of how acidic or alkaline something is. pH balance is a very important part of health. pH is measured from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very alkaline). Our body works really hard to keep the pH of our blood at a slightly alkaline level (7.4). Our diet can have a significant impact on our blood pH. When we eat more acidic foods such as sugar, processed food, red meat our bodies have to work extra hard to restore the pH of the body. Consider this: A 350 ml serving of Coke, Pepsi or similar drink delivers a sugar fix equivalent to about 9 teaspoons of sugar straight into the blood stream. This instantly acidifies the bloodstream to the extreme point that without an immediate emergency response from the body, it would kill you in a mater of minutes…you’d have to drink 32 glasses of alkaline water to neutralize the blood pH…to prevent death by acidosis, the body reacts swiftly by drawing huge amounts of organic calcium from the bones and teeth and pouring it into the bloodstream to neutralize the excess acid and quickly restore alkaline balance. Calcium is the body’s most potent alkalizing agent”.

It’s no coincidence that acid foods that pack on the pounds and contribute to other help problems such as osteoporosis. Acidic foods accelerate aging, especially after our 40’s when the body isn’t as efficient at buffering the blood with calcium.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that alkalizing diets improve bone density and serum growth hormone concentrations; the acidosis resulting from acidic diets contributes to bone and muscle loss.

Our fat cells actually help to protect us again the excess acid in our body by trapping the acid in the fat cells. The more acidic the diet is the more your fat cells grow. Also, the body resists breaking down fat stores when the body is acidic, so to help mobilize and breakdown fat you need to alkalinize!

Clinical studies show that alkaline mineral water (such as spring water) is the best way to obtain alkaline minerals and acid waters like colas are the best way to quickly deplete them!

The most nourishing alkaline foods are nature’s super greens – spirulina, barley and wheat grass. Other super foods are Essetential Fatty Acids (omega 3) help maintain an alkaline body. For a more complete list of alkaline and acidic foods please see the chart below.

5 Top Ways to Stay Alkaline:

  1. Drink, Drink then Drink some more!
    1. By far the most important and yet the easiest way to accelerate your alkaline diet weight loss results is to hydrate consistently. Avoid Coffee, tea, soda and other acidic drinks.
  2. Avoid Foods with preservatives, food colouring and additives.
    1. The body wasn’t designed to digest these chemical substances, so it must either: eliminate them, neutralize them or park them away where they can’t damage your body
  3. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague.
    1. If you have been trying to lose weight, chances are you have relied on artificial sweeteners to cut calories.
  4. Always have cut veggies and soaked nuts ready in your fridge
    1. Having more of the alkaline foods readily available makes it easier to make the healthier choice. Buy veggies that you enjoy eating!
  5. Choose more vegetarian sources of Protein
    1. Meats are more acid especially red meat. Choose less acid protein such as vegetarian protein – beans, nuts, seeds, fish

General Guidance:

Stick to salads, fresh vegetables and healthy nuts and oils. Try to consume plenty of raw foods and at least 2-3 litres of clean, pure water daily. Avoid or reduce of fatty meats, dairy, cheese, sweets, chocolates, alcohol and tobacco. Packaged foods are often full of hidden offenders and microwave meals are full of sugars and salts.

Alkaline VegetablesAsparagus
Artichokes
Cabbage
Lettuce
Onion
Cauliflower
Radish
Swede
Lambs Lettuce
Peas
Courgette
Red Cabbage
Leeks
Watercress
Spinach
Turnip
Chives
Carrot
Green Beans
Beetroot
Garlic
Celery
Grasses (wheat, straw, barley, dog, kamut etc.)
Cucumber
Broccoli
Kale
Brussels Sprouts

Alkaline Drinks‘Green Drinks’
Fresh vegetable juice
Pure water (distilled or ionised)
Lemon water (pure water + fresh lemon or lime).
Herbal Tea
Vegetable broth
Non-sweetened Soy Milk
Almond Milk

Acidic ProteinsPork
Lamb
Beef
Chicken
Turkey

Acidic Seeds & Nuts

Peanuts
Cashew Nuts
Pistachio Nuts

Acid Dairy ProductsMilk
Eggs
Cheese
Cream
Yogurt
Ice Cream
FruitsLemon
Lime
Avocado
Tomato
Grapefruit
Watermelon (is neutral)
Rhubarb

Alkaline Seeds, Nuts & GrainsAlmonds
Pumpkin
Sunflower
Sesame
Flax
Buckwheat Groats
Spelt
Lentils
Cumin Seeds
Any sprouted seed

Others Acidic FoodsVinegar
White Pasta
White Bread
Wholemeal Bread
Biscuits
Soy Sauce
Tamari
Condiments (Tomato Sauce, Mayonnaise etc.)
Artificial Sweeteners
Honey

Acidic DrinksFizzy Drinks
Coffee
Tea
Beers
Spirits
Fruit Juice
Dairy Smoothies
Milk
Traditional Tea

Others Alkalinizing FoodsSprouts (soy, alfalfa, mung bean, wheat, little radish , chickpea, broccoli etc)
Bragg Liquid Aminos (Soy Sauce Alternative)
Hummus
Tahini

Alkaline Fats & OilsFlax
Hemp
Avocado
Olive
Evening Primrose
Borage
Coconut Oil

Acidic Convenience FoodsSweets
Chocolate
Microwave Meals
Tinned Foods
Powdered Soups
Instant Meals
Fast Food

Acidic Fats & OilsSaturated Fats
Hydrogenated Oils
Margarine (worse than Butter)
Corn Oil
Vegetable Oil
Sunflower Oil

Get Excited About Asparagus!

Eating local and fresh is not only fantastic for the environment but it also makes for much tastier meals! There are numerous fresh and local fruits and vegetables harvested in our community – asparagus being one of our favourite! The fleshy green spears of asparagus are both succulent and tender and have been considered a delicacy since ancient times. Asparagus is also known for its healing properties and high nutrient content. Start experimenting with asparagus and make it a great addition to your meals!

Heart Health

Asparagus are especially high in folate. Folate is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. Just one serving of asparagus supplies almost 66% of the daily recommended intake of folate.

A Natural Diuretic

Asparagus is a very good source of potassium (288 mg per cup) and quite low in sodium (19.8 mg per cup). Its mineral content, combined with an active amino acid in asparagus, asparagine, gives asparagus a diuretic effect. Historically, asparagus has been used to treat problems involving swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and may also be useful for PMS-related water retention.

Food for Healthy Gut Flora

Asparagus contains a special kind of carbohydrate called inulin which is a health-promoting friendly bacteria in our large intestine. When our diet contains good amounts of friendly bacteria the digestive system works smoothly.

A Birth Defect Fighter

Eat lots of asparagus if you’re thinking about becoming pregnant or are in the early stages of pregnancy. A cup of asparagus supplies approximately 263 mcg of folate, a B-vitamin essential for proper nervous system development. Inadequate folate during pregnancy has been linked to several birth defects, including neural tube defects like spina bifida.

For more information on asparagus and for delicious recipes visit the official Ontario website for asparagus.

What Kind of Calories Are Lurking In Your Morning Coffee?

Lets face it, many of us (including myself) enjoy a good cup of coffee. Some drink coffee for the taste, others to wake up or for some it is just a habit or break from the daily grind. It has become a social thing for us, we have coffee at meetings, functions and often meet friends and chat over a steaming hot cup of “joe”.

While there have been many studies that have reaped the benefits of a good organic free trade cup of coffee, what we are putting in this coffee is another story.

Lets look at the hidden calories in coffee that are contributing to our ever growing waste lines.

Hidden Calories

Coffee itself has virtually no calories, however very few of us will drink our coffee black.

The new guidelines are suggesting that we limit our added sugar intake to no more than 100 calories for women and 150 calories for men a day.

  • 1 tsp or packet of sugar = 20 calories
  • 1 pump of flavoured coffee syrup  = 20 calories (usually there are 3-4 pumps/drink)
  • Whip = 60-110 calories

Lets look at some of the sugar in your favourite drinks:

  • Grande Chai Tea Latte Starbuck – 8 tsp sugar, 128 calories of added sugar
  • Grande Green Tea Latte – 91/2 tsp sugar, 152 calories of added sugar
  • Grande Cinnamon Dolce Latte – 41/2 tsp sugar, 72 calories of added sugar
  • Hot Chocolate – 6 tsp sugar, 96 calories of added sugar
  • 14oz Iced Cap from Tim Hortons – 11 ½ tsp sugar, 184 calories of added sugar
  • 10oz Hot Chocolate from Tim Hortons – 9 ½ tsp sugar, 152 calories of added sugar

If you have these occasionally, no problem..we can all indulge. However, if you are having these on a daily basis you need to consider how much extra sugar you are pumping through your system!

Artificial Sweeteners, They’re Better, Right?

So what about the no sugar syrups or artificial sweeteners? We know that long term intake of these things is not natural or good for your health. They have been associated with many neurological conditions, as well as aggravating certain neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis.

We suggest that you use real sugar in moderation.

If you are a “double double” person, consider this…

One Suggestion

If you drink a 10oz “double double” you are consuming 150 more calories than if you drink black coffee. If that is too extreme, switching to double milk and double sugar will reduce your calories by 40 per 10oz cup.

What if you stopped the sweet and just added a single milk? You would save 130 calories per 10oz cup.   You have to ask yourself…if you are drinking that double double, are you drinking it because you like the taste of coffee, or sugar?

Saving this 120 calories every day is significant, as it has been shown that as little as a 100calories more a day than your body requires will put on 10lbs per year.

Make a conscious choice of where your calories and added sugars are coming from!!