Now that we’ve discovered that living on the alkaline side of life has serious “benies” (benefits), how do we discover where we are in the pH scale of things?  Since we can’t readily check our blood plasma, we’ll have to settle for checking the waking state of our first and second most popular body fluids: saliva and urine.

First, you’ll need perHydron strips to test for acidity/alkalinity.  We have been fortunate to locate an affordable source for pH test strips and will be offering them for those interested.   See details at the end of the next article.  Saliva must be tested first thing after rising, after sleeping 5-6 hours and before anything at all is put into the mouth and the urine is tested twice and must be from the very first and second “tinkles” after waking.

If you wake up with cotton mouth like I often do, a couple of tongue trips around the mouth might be required to get enough saliva to test.  Take one strip and wet a dime sized portion of the paper with your tongue, comparing it with the color chart on the bottle.  The saliva should range between 6.8 and 7.2.  Next, take another strip and get a couple drops of urine on it.  The urine should also range between 6.8 and 7.2.  If the results are above 7.2, you had sufficient alkaline buffers.  If it is between 6.9 to 6.8, it is mildly acidic indicating that a bit too much acid-producing food was eaten than there were alkaline buffers to neutralize.   If it’s below 6.8, the body is in a state of acidosis and there is a sizable alkaline buffer deficiency which must be purposefully addressed by reducing acid-producing foodstuffs and adding more alkaline-producing foods in the diet.  You may now a large glass of water.  Later in the next article, we’ll address the benefit of lemon water for other times during the day.

Since we were “fasting” while sleeping, the remaining digested nutrients were taken into circulation and the net result between their pH and that of our body was reached.  The second urine of the morning will tell the rest of the story. It should show the current state of our system pH.  The difference between the two urines gives us an idea of the effect of our previous meal or two on our body’s pH.  Ideally, the second urine pH shoud be at least 7.2 or above for the body to have sufficiently neutralized the previous day’s acidic food intake and still be at a healthy pH.

Why is all this effort important?  As it was implied in the previous article, balance really is everything.  “it has been determined that the human body functions best at a mildly alkaline pH range of 7.35 to 7.45  for blood plasma.  To be above this range (alkalosis) or below it (acidosis) can put the body in a predisposed state for disease and may result in irreversible cellular damage, however gradual or minimal.  We want to give our bodies every practical advantage.

The following charts will aid in keeping track of your general pH and alkaline buffer levels.

In the first chart, I use the last column to record the change between urine #2 values of the current and previous days.  This give a graphic record of your progress. Download them from the links below for your own use, if you like.

http://www.veganfamilyliving.com/Daily-pH-Chart.pdf

http://www.veganfamilyliving.com/Alkaline-Buffer-Chart.pdf

The second chart is for part three of the series (which will follow in a matter of hours) but is included here for ease of copying.

Part three of the series will address how to begin taking steps to get your pH at a healthy level and keep it that way by being aware of what you eat and what effects various foods have on the body.  See you then!

Note: No claims are made regarding the therapeutic use of this advice or products mentioned.  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.  These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

The topics of alkaline foods and antioxidants have been in the health “limelight”, and we’d like to discover and discuss which foods are best for increasing our alkaline and antioxidant intake. We will begin to feature tips, recipes and gardening ideas for growing and using alkaline and high antioxidant ingredients.  For now, we’ll begin with alkalinizing foods that will assist in acquiring a beneficial systemic pH.

Over the past five years or so, much discussion has circulated about the connection between a myriad of illnesses and low/acidic pH of our bodies’ systemic fluids.  And while there are now machines to provide “alkaline” water, our approach is towards a more practical and sustainable option through understanding and implementing an alkaline diet.  In the event that your’re traveling or without a source for alkaline water, you’ll know how to maintain a diet and lifestyle that will provide the desired systemic pH.

The pH scale indicates the amount of hydrogen ion concentration in a solution and ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral.  Pure water is said to be neutral, as its pH is almost 7.0.  It has been determined that the human body functions best at a mildly alkaline pH range of 7.35 to 7.45 for blood plasma.  To be above this range (alkalosis) or below it (acidosis) can put the body in a predisposed state for disease and may result in irreversible cellular damage.  Thus knowing your current pH and monitoring its improvement is important.

Acidosis is dangerous and can produce laundry list of undesirable conditions, including but not limited to: reduced immunity and healing, headaches, decreased absorption of minerals and nutrients, fatigue, sleepiness, confusion, increased chance of tumors, and reduced ability to excrete heavy metals.  Loss of consciousness and even coma may also result from increased acidosis.

In many western societies, and especially in North America, the average diet promote acidic pH levels.  Contributing factors include stress, improper diet and mineral levels, high toxicity levels, insufficient exercise and/or smoking (lack of oxygen, in general increases acidity), immunity disorders, and others.  Additionally, increased drug usage, pharmaceutical or otherwise, most soft drinks, flesh and dairy products, coffee, white sugar, white flour, artificial and chemically derived sweeteners coupled with a less active lifestyle and insufficient water intake can lead to an acidic condition.  

The ideal balance of acid to alkaline foods is roughly 40-60, though adjusting the balance to a 20-80 acid to alkaline food intake is often required to reverse an acidic blood serum condition.  The next part will begin the discussion of alkaline and acidic foodstuffs, along with necessary lifestyle changes to achieve optimal health.

Note: No claims are made regarding the therapeutic use of this advice or products mentioned.  These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.  These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Here are 5 must drink teas for the winter!

Dandelion Tea: This is a great tea for cleansing the blood and liver. It also helps to ease constipation and bloating. Women may find that it helps to alleviate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, it is also known to be good for sufferers of gout.

Fennel Tea: Great for bloating and eliminating gas, this tea is also known to be very good for IBS sufferers. Fennel also makes a great mouth rinse as it freshens breath naturally.

Peppermint Tea: A great tea for alleviating nausea, headaches and calming the digestive tract. In addition it can help with bad breath.

Lemon Tea: Lemons are known to cleans and stimulate the liver and kidneys as well as easing heartburn and bloating.

Ginger Tea: A brilliant tea first thing in the morning as the slight bite of ginger will help to wake you up and keep you alert. Also known to help with upset stomach, nausea, soothe menstrual pains, ward off colds, and help to reduce soar throats.

You can also make tea blends for specific health blends. Every winter I make sure to keep my immune booster and spiced blend teas. This month I want to share those recipes with you.

Immune Booster Tea Blend

Ingredients
32 oz pure water
2 tbsp echinecia
2 tbsp rose hips
2 tbsp hibiscus flowers
1 lemon sliced
10 to 20 drops elderberry essential oil (optional)

Directions:
Heat water until boiling. Turn off. Add herbs,lemon, essential oil and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before draining and drinking. The tea can be refrigerated.

Spiced Tea Blend
32 oz pure water
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 tbsp cardamom seeds
1 1/2 tbsp cloves
1 1/2 tbsp allspice
1 whole organge sliced

Heat water until boiling. Turn off. Add herbs,orange, and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before draining and drinking. The tea can be refrigerated.

One for the first items you will want to remove is those packets of Kool Aid and other dry juice mix products. Unless they are made from whole fruit, you can forget any nutrition being a part of it. Juice is not a big thing in my home. I make fresh lemonade, herbal teas, and hibiscus punch. Green tea has many beneficial antioxidant effects which help fight disease in the body and as an extra bonus has been shown to help speed up weight loss. Every now and then we buy juice but it is always 100% with no extra additives. A wise thing to keep in mind with juice is that frozen brands of juice have more 100% versions than the bottled.

Most juice has been sweetened and even 100% natural juices make it easy to consume more calories than when you eat fresh fruits. Some fruit juices have up to 150 calories or more per glass.  If juice is not 100% fruit juice it is usually loaded with high fructose corn syrup which gives you a false sense of energy and then brings you way down. Plus, what it converts to in your body is nothing but fat and possibly bad teeth.

And as far as soda, the bottom line is that it is toxic for the body (even the sugar free varieties). There is zero nutritional content in a soda and yet we seem to drink tons of it per year, causing a possible 8 to 20 pound weight gain. This stuff really isn’t good for your body and if you are a soda drinker you should make a pact to give it up altogether.  If that’s too much to start, than limit yourself to one per day until you can eventually wean yourself off it for good. I left sodas alone in November of 2005 and it has been a wonderful change in my life.

Why not just switch to water?

By switching to water as your main source of fluids you may be cutting out a huge number of hidden calories you didn’t even know you were consuming.  If you get bored of water add some lemons, lime, or other fruit for a different flavour. You can also try La Croix carbonated waters. Or add cranberry juice concentrate for some added colour.

The next thing you need to do is remove all hydrogenated cookies, cupcakes, and junk foods. Can you say sugar high?

Even most crackers are bad for us. There are a lot of artificial ingredients in a box of crackers, not to mention that the sodium intake is usually out the roof.

A serving of 5 Keebler’s Original Townhouse cookies has 80 calories with 40 of them being fat calories. There are 140 milligrams of sodium and a transfat issue. Transfat is that fat that does not run through your arteries like saturated, but rather it lingers and collects causing issue with the heart and arteries. Now that is only for 5 crackers. I used to eat an entire row of those crackers.

Then there are Oreos, Chip Ahoy and other cookies. Another fat converter!  Forget about how appealing they may look they are full of junk!

Why continue to put these items in your pantry?  It may satisfy you for a moment but the long term effects are not worth the efforts.

There are wholesome alternatives on the market.

If you want the cookies and crackers, look for product lines like Newman’s Own, Late July, and Yum Yum Snacks. No one said you couldn’t enjoy snacks, just get rid of the bad stuff.

What about peanut butter and jelly. I love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich, however we use only all natural brands or make our own. My husband, Rupert, made a wonderful peach jam for breakfast one morning and it only took him about 20 minutes to make it with fresh peaches.

Other ideas for healthier snacks are nuts, raisins, hummus and pita bread or chips and salsa. Also try having a couple of pieces of fresh fruit on hand daily as a quick healthy snack.  Keep these items on hand so you aren’t tempted to grab something less appealing for a healthier home.

One thing I do is grab a handful of nuts like almonds or pecans and an apple. I eat the two together and have a glass of water afterwards. This combination keeps me full until my next meal time.

Snacks are fun, but they need to be healthy and wholesome as well.