The Alkaline Way

The Alkaline Way of Living

These suggestions are not intended to replace appropriate professional advice.  Please check labels and consult your pharmacist if you take prescription drugs.

An alkaline body chemistry helps counteract inflammation while acidity can lead to disease. Before serious health conditions develop you can cut them off at the roots.  Make a few changes at a time.  Each positive change is a variable in your body’s favour giving it an opportunity to flourish. 

Also see the Alkaline List and Alkaline Forming Foods Chart.

A Healing Diet 

• 7-10 glasses filtered or spring water at room temperature.  Avoid chlorinated water.
• Consume a diet that is 75-80% alkaline forming.  Most Important.
• Shift up to organic.  Pesticides and chemicals can increase acidity.
• Make fruits, vegetables, raw seed and nuts, beans, legumes, and whole grains your diet mainstays. Avoid wheat unless sprouted.
• Eat something raw before eating cooked foods. The enzymes promote digestion and prepare the stomach by stimulating hydrochloric acid production.
• Fermented foods improve digestion and correct pH.
• Combine foods to avoid acidity - fruit on an empty stomach 30 minutes before other food – animal products and starches digest in very different gastric secretions and should be eaten at separate meals.
• Consume 1-3 tbsp flax, hemp, or chia seeds daily for fiber and nutrients.
• Replace salt with Herbamare for all the flavour and 1/3 the sodium.
• An apple cider vinegar cocktail with meals improves digestion and pH – 2 tsp acv with raw honey (optional) in a cup of room temperature water twice daily.
• Have complete proteins no later than lunch for better assimilation of amino acids.
• Cook gently.  High heat generates acrylamides & advanced glycation end products.

The lymphatic system drains waste from every cell of the body.  For the kidneys to eliminate the waste there must be sufficient alkaline atoms.  If not, waste is stored somewhere in your body. 

PH strips are a convenient way to monitor your body’s chemistry. Urine pH readings from 6.5-7.4 indicate there are sufficient alkaline bicarbonates for the kidneys to facilitate elimination. Test daily at different times and make adjustments until you’re in the range at some point each day, then weekly to monitor. It’s not unusual for morning tests to be more acidic as the body is in elimination mode.

Stress can lead to acidosis.  The fight or flight response, even at a low grade, slows down digestion, assimilation, and elimination and increases levels of cortisol and adrenaline. Left unchecked, this can lead to high acid levels in the body eventually eroding health.

Other factors that contribute to over-acidity:

Common nutrient deficiencies:

• B Complex vitamins – stress tolerance, digestion, nerve health, blood pressure, circulation. We recommend Bio-Strath.
• Vitamin D – anti-inflammatory, needed for calcium absorption, cancer prevention.
• Magnesium – has over 300 biochemical processes, alkalizing.
• Omega-3 fatty acids – modulate inflammation, a factor in virtually every body system.
• Probiotics – regulate PH, anti-inflammatory, support immune function.

Excessive or inadequate activity. 

Moderate daily exercise in the fresh air and sunshine is ideal for a healthy pH level. Inactivity interferes with lymphatic drainage resulting in acid waste and lactic acid buildup.  If you’re an athlete allow enough time between intense workouts for your body to recover and return to an alkaline state.

Overeating.  An excess of the best food is no better than junk food to the body.

Lack of oxygen/elevated CO2 due to respiratory insufficiency. 

Several times a day pause and take a deep breath.  Hold your breath for a few seconds then completely empty your lungs.  When you reach the end of the exhalation open your mouth and puff out saying ha-ha-ha-ha until you can’t puff anymore.  You may be coughing or laughing (it is called the laughing breath 😊) but you’ll be on your way to clearing CO2 and increasing lung capacity.  Breathe deeply, exhale thoroughly.

Chemicals, pesticides, some medications, pollution, and off-gassing. 

Eliminate what you can in your home and workplace. When it’s time to replace personal care products choose chemical free alternatives. Avoid single use plastics and canned goods that do not specify BPA free.

Congestion in any pathway of elimination.

Dry body brush to keep skin’s pores open and the lymphatic system moving. Take sufficient magnesium to ensure bowels move easily.

Fatigue.

Our bodies need repose and the reset of sleep to function well.  Make it a priority to establish a routine (with flexibility) that allows for a peaceful night’s sleep.  Take a break from cell phones, laptops, and the nightly news.

Additional Tips

• Maintaining a more alkaline system requires adopting a balanced lifestyle. Customers tell us they have seen various health issues improved, or resolved simply as a result of corrected pH: autoimmune disorders, migraines, weight gain, arthritis, indigestion, high cholesterol, etc. 

• Green drinks and/or base minerals can be used to alkalize quickly. Juice fasting or mono diets of fruits and veggies for a day (or more) each week is a healthy, delicious way to promote a healthy alkaline/acid balance.

• We recommend an annual or semiannual herbal detox to eliminate any toxic accumulations stored in the body.  No matter how clean our diet, modern day living leaves some residue behind!

• Keep a journal and track your progress. 

A life of balance feels great!

*Revised December 2024