1. Can I eat fruit while I alkalise?

This is an interesting subject and is always one of the first questions people ask when they are new to the alkalising. The simple answer is no. Although this goes against most people’s core beliefs (and the guidelines we are given by the Government such as ‘Eat 5’) it is not recommended that people wishing to follow this approach should eat most fruits.

Although fruit is obviously high in nutrients and fibre, and also has high water content – it is absolutely full of sugar. Despite claims of ‘natural’ sugars being OK, sugar must be thought of as sugar, whatever the source. Microforms thrive on sugar (be it chocolate, sweets, honey or fruit) and will ferment it into alcohol and other mycotoxins which are the source of thousands of health problems (for more info see question 3).

Fruit should be avoided with the exception of the following which can be eaten and used in abundance: grapefruit;· lemon (great squeezed in water, on salads, in dressings); lime (same as lemons); avocado; tomato; watermelon (more sparingly).

Once you are in balance, eating fruits every now and again is OK and makes a nice treat, (instead of treating yourself with a chocolate bar). However, you can still alkalise by getting all of the nutrients contained in fruits from vegetables, and more without the negative side effects.

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2. What is alkalising water?

It will not be surprising to learn that the water that we get from our taps is not alkalising and does not necessarily help when trying to alkalise! Alkalising water (with a pH of between 9 and 11) can help to neutralise acid wastes and rid the body of toxins.

The best way to increase the quality of your water is to use a distiller, ioniser or reverse-osmosis purifier. This lessens the amount of hydrogen in the water (which makes it acidic) and therefore helps our body to reduce acid wastes and start to alkalise. To further increase the alkalinity of water, it is advisable to use pH drops (such as Alkalive pH Booster) and add lemon/lime juice.

Click here for more information on pure alkaline water.

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3. What are mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins (fungal) and exotoxins (bacterial) are the poisonous waste that is generated by microforms. Microforms produce these extremely harmful toxins when they digest glucose, proteins and fats.

In an acidic environment, these toxins are given a licence to grow rapidly and cause harm to tissues and bodily processes.

Microform growth occurs in an acidic environment, particularly following the consumption of sugars, alcohol, yeast and most acid forming food and drink. Symptoms of excess microforms and myco/exo-toxins include: infections, fatigue, cancer, clogged arteries, diarrhea, asthma, colds, flu, tumours, cysts, insomnia, lethargy, headaches, over/under-weight, PMS, lack of sex drive, joint pain, bad breath, thrush, depression, dry skin, ulcers and many more!

When you alkalise your body, these microforms do not get a chance to develop!

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4. What are Green Drinks and which Green Drink is best for me?

There are many brands and types of green drink available in the marketplace. We currently recommend Alkalive Green, Pure Energy Greens from Inner Balance and Udo Erasmus’s Beyond Greens, among others, to be the most effective due to the ingredients and the process by which it is produced.

However, if you are looking to try a different ‘green drink’ to alkalise it is advisable to check that:

- The ingredients are organically grown

- The ingredients do not contain algae, mushroom or probiotics

- It contains no fillers, binders or other non-nutrient ingredients.

Green drinks such as these help to rapidly alkalise and hydrate the body!  For more information, see our guide to green drinks and our green drink matrix.

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5. How long do Greens last?

See our handy Green Drink Matrix, for estimates of how long each drink will last and to help you chose the green drink that is ideal for you.

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6. What happens if I have a bad day?

The most important thing to remember if you have a bad day is not to dwell on it! Just look at what led to the decisions to eat badly, learn from the experience and move on. Just because you had one bad day does not mean that all of your hard work has been undone, you simply have to pick yourself up and get on with it!

If you have a particularly heavy day/night (perhaps at the weekend) you might chose to do a mini-cleanse the next day to really give yourself an alkalising boost and help your body get rid of the toxins quickly. When you alkalise it is not a straight road and you have good and bad days, it is important to just make sure you are moving in the right direction over time.

7. I'm really hungry! What can I eat?!

If you are hungry, do not think that you cannot eat!

Alkalising is not about starving yourself! In fact, it is quite the opposite. When we alkalise it is an effort to give the body a feast of nutrient rich food so that it can heal and revitalise itself.

Granted, it may be more convenient to have some chocolate, crisps, sweets, or toast – however, with minimal preparation you can provide yourself with alkalising snacks which are very tasty! Simple snacks that you can make at home will be included in our ‘Recipes' section – however, for when you are out of the home or on the road you may wish to snack on the following which are all highly alkalising: Almonds; Pumpkin seeds; Sprouts; Salads; Chopped carrots, celery or cucumber;

We post new recipes on the Energise Blog every week, so be sure to check frequently for updates!

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7. I thought we were supposed to avoid fats?

Although diets such as Rosemary Connelly advise their followers to minimise consumption of fats at costs, a distinction has to be made between different types of fat and their effect on the body.

As a rough guide, you should try to avoid all saturated fats, hydrogenated oils and trans fatty acids. These can have a very acidifying effect and are responsible for increased blood pressure, heart disease, cancers and are at the root of many other diseases and illnesses.

However, avoiding all fats can also have negative effects as the body requires certain levels of fat to maintain metabolism and protect vital organs.  Omega 3 and 6 in the correct quantities also help prevent against many degenerative diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, Crohn's Disease and Alzheimer's.

It is recommended that you aim to consume healthy amounts of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids in your diet and also take a supplementary oil such as linseed/flax/hemp, cod liver or preferably Udo's Choice Ultimate Oil Blend - which has the optimal ratio of essential fatty acids.

We strongly recommend you read around on this subject as there is a lot of really important information to learn.  A good starting place is at Udo Erasmus' website and at NewsTarget.

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8. So how do you work out the pH of foods?

The relative alkalinity or acidity of food is measured by the pH value of the ash residue that remains after the food has been metabolised by our body. This ash can be acid, alkaline or neutral depending largely upon the mineral content of the food.

As a basic rule - potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, silver, sodium and iron leave an alkaline residue while sulphur, chlorine, phosphorous and iodine create an acid environment.

The foods that are either alkalising or acidifying are very easy to categorise. The common sense 'bad' foods (sugar, refined foods, foods high in saturated fat and trans fats, meat, dairy, yeast, fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate, alcohol etc) all leave an acid ash. Conversely, the common sense 'good foods' (salads, vegetables etc) are alkalising.

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9. I am trying to get my PH level up to around 8.0 but the readings are very erratic - am I doing something wrong? (from the blog)

The pH levels of the saliva and urine are very susceptible to sudden flux and change and are difficult to measure specifically. You definitely are not doing anything wrong.

Testing your pH with Saliva or Urine:

It is good practice to either test 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating. If testing your saliva, it is a good idea to try to fill your mouth with saliva and then swallow. This helps remove any acidic bacteria that might be lurking. Do not try to wash your mouth out with anything else as this will simply record the alkalinity of the water/liquid you have just used.

For testing urine, let some urine flow before testing as this will give more of an average reading.

It is also a good idea to test 2-3 times in a day in order to get an average, as first thing in the morning the body has retained fluids over a long period of time and it will engage in different processes to remove acid wastes from the body throughout the day (depending on activity and diet).

Why the Differences and Fluctuations?

The reason that there is such a difference between your urine and saliva readings is that a) your mouth is more likely to contain acidic bacteria throughout the day (if you brush your teeth it will show a very high alkaline reading due to the toothpaste so there is not much of a way around this) and b) because your urine is more of a reflection of the processes the body is undertaking to remove acid from the body.

Both of these are therefore subject to fluctuations. I would recommend taking the average of several readings to gain a bigger picture of your progress rather than concentrating on each reading in isolation.

The good news is…

You will be pleased to know, however, that your readings are actually very good in terms of alkalinity. A reading of anywhere between 6.75-7.0+ is excellent as the saliva tends to be slightly more acidic. For the urine, a slightly higher pH level of 7.5 upwards is great, but remember that due to the kidney’s processing of toxins throughout the day, the urine can give a more erratic reading.

To put all of this into perspective, someone who eats a typical Western diet would be more likely to have a saliva pH average of about 5.5-6.0. This may not seem too much lower, however it is important to remember that the pH scale is logarithmic - meaning each step is ten time the previous i.e. 4.5 is 10 times more acidic than 5.5 which is 100 times more acidic than 6.5 and so on.

Remember:

Testing the pH of your saliva or urine is only going to give you a general trend. Unfortunately, there is no way of determining the EXACT pH of the blood without undergoing a live blood analysis. However, they can give a good indication - so test, test, test and take the average and then follow this trend over time noticing the difference any changes in your diet can make.

Of course, it is impossible for me to say anything with 100% certainty as I do not know the ins and outs of your diet or lifestyle. However, from what you have written you are obviously on the right lines. My only minor concern would be where you stated that you were eating lots of fruit - as, depending on the fruit involved, this can contain a fairly high amount of sugar (and therefore could also contribute to the fluctuations in pH).

With regards to testing the pH of food and drink - I know that in the catering industry food pH testing instruments are sold, however, it is also possible to use the pH testing strips or sticks that you use to test the pH of liquids the same as you test your saliva. This is not something I have explored fully myself as I usually just trust that the leafy greens are alkaline and the colas and sweets are acidic (crude, but you know what I mean!).

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10. My aunt was diagnosed with cancer and was placed on a strictly alkaline diet to aid her fight. When she first heard her new diet she thought all she gets to eat were “flowers and grass”. I just want to show her that she could still enjoy food even if it is green! (from the blog)

First of all, you can let your Aunt know that without a shadow of a doubt it is not all flowers and grass! Well, it is some grass, but not all…

I really hope, and have no doubt that, she will be able to find some recipes that she really loves and I hope that these get you off to a good start:

Detox/Cleanse Recipes - all of the recipes here are alkaline.
Blogged Recipes - the recipes here in the energise blog are also all alkaline
List of Alkaline and Acid Foods - this list should also give you a good idea of what foods to look out for

I hope these give you a good start.

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11. I’ve given up one of my favorite pleasures - freshly brewed coffee. I have found a substitute product - Dandelion coffee - which is roasted dandelion which then requires grinding - I am wondering if the roasting process would mean that it should be avoided? (from the blog)

On face value there seems to be very little problem from an alkalising point of view - particularly if you compare the effects of this to that of coffee. It is a far, far healthier alternative.

I also like to use Redbush Tea (rooibos) as this offers something that is fairly similar to coffee and tea (depending on how strong you brew it) but contains no caffeine.

Personally, I wouldn’t be too concerned over it. While it is impossible for me to give you a definitive yes/no answer - I would continue to enjoy your dandelion!

12. Does alkalising reduces weight? Does it decrease water in a body? (from the blog)

The body hangs on to fat in order to protect the organs from the toxicity that is created by excess acids in the blood. The fat is actually saving us!

By consuming alkaline foods and drinks such as lemon water we are helping to flush our bodies of the excess acids and therefore we will begin to lose weight.

Making sure we are properly hydrated will also assist in weight reduction as it will stop the body from retaining unnecessary water.

For more information I would recommend reading:

http://www.energiseforlife.com/alkaline_diet_resources.php
http://www.snyderhealth.com/fat.htm
http://www.energiseforlife.com/item–The-PH-Miracle:-Balance-Your-Diet-Reclaim-Your-Health–BC0002.html

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> alkalising supplements

Remember: if you have any questions at all regarding alkalising or any element of an alkaline diet, post them here or contact us via email.