Each fortnight we’re putting the best alkaline diet questions we receive from you to our Alkaline Diet Expert, Dr Young trained blood analyst and highly qualified nutritionist – Gareth Edwards.

Gareth is right at the very top of his field, so these answers are absolutely the best you’ll find from arguably Britain’s most qualified expert in this area!

Q&A With Gareth Edwards

Question One: What are the Core Benefits of an Alkaline Ioniser Water Filter?

Hi Gareth. I’m thinking of buying an alkaline ioniser water filter but want to know what the benefit is. Can’t I just add ph drops to tap water or with a brita filter? Andrew

Thanks for this great question Andrew. You might think that paying between £700 and £1500 for a machine which turns your water into … water is a big expense. That said, I finally took the leap of faith last year and I think it is one of the best £700 I have spent.

Ionisers do two things. Firstly they filter the water. The level of filtration is superior to that of the cartridge, if for no other reason than the larger area of the unit in the ioniser compared with the cartridge. Once filtered, the water then passes over electronic plates which separate positively charged (acidic) ions from negatively charged (alkaline) ones. The ioniser can affect this process to different levels allowing you to receive water of varying levels of alkalinity at the touch of a button. Acidic (waste) water passes from the machine via another tube.

As I understand, when you add pH drops to water, acidic mineral complexes remain present, but the highly alkalising solution that you add has an over-riding effect on the water’s pH. There is, apparently, a further benefit to the separation process of ionising. Minerals form clumps in water. The ionising process substantially reduces the size of these clumps, which means that the remaining, negatively charged (alkalising) minerals (in smaller clumps) can be more easily assimilated and metabolised within the body.

Ionising also dramatically reduces (a good thing) the ORP (oxidation reduction potential) of water (edit: Ross – ORP is how the antioxidant level of a substance is measured. The lower the ORP the greater antioxidants potential of the substance.). This also promotes the alkalising and de-toxifying effects of the water that the ioniser produces.

To understand more about water read the chapter you are what you drink in Dr. Young’s book the pH miracle for weight loss (it’s as much about health as weight loss!).

Editors comments: If you are interested in getting more detailed information about water ionisers, their specifications, prices, etc then please click here to have a look at our wide range of some of the best ionising machines available on the market from brands like Jupiter, Life Ionizer and Tyent.

Question Two: How can you add Vitamin B12 to an Alkaline Diet?

Vitamin B12, which is essential for life, is not found in alkaline diet. It can be obtained from meat, fish, eggs and cheese, which are all acidic. So how can you add Vitamin B12 to an alkaline diet?

Another great question. Dr. Brian Clement, the principle of the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida (specialising in raw food diets for health and healing) has written some very interesting papers on this subject. He firmly believes that the vitamin B12 that is produced in our digestive tract is re-absorbed into our blood stream. Conventional medical wisdom would say that this is not the case.

This was an issue, quite high in my mind when I cut out most animal protein from my diet. A couple of factors however put my mind at rest on the subject. Daphne Lambert, award winning organic chef, soil association trustee and green and raw food nutrition teacher and advocate, lives on a vegan diet. She rarely visits hospitals, but after a car accident was forced to have a blood test in hospital. Her vitamin B12 levels were completely normal. She does not take a B12 supplement and, to my knowledge, does not eat any animal protein. If Brian Clement’s hypothesis is correct, then colon and intestinal function are more important to maintaining B12 status, than ingesting food sources containing it.

Further interesting information on this subject comes from research carried out by an acupuncturist friend of mine. It appears that Vitamin B12, which can only be synthesised by bacteria, not animals, is present in high levels in the soil attached to root vegetables. Fanatical hygiene, or even peeling root vegetables, could actually reduce our B12 intake from, relatively alkaline food sources. Soya yoghurt, although slightly acidifying, does provide B12 too.

B12 is principally required for healthy red blood cell formation. Chlorophyll (such as Young pHorever Liquid chloropHeal), healthy oils (such as Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend and Jarrow Krill Oil) and salt (such as Young pHorever pHlavor Mineral Salts) are also primary requirements for erythrocyte (red blood cell) formation, so you need to be sure to get those elements in abundance.

If you are concerned about your B12 status you could ask your doctor to test it or arrange to have it done privately with a qualified health professional. There are B12 supplements available, but I do not use them or specifically recommend them to clients.

Question Three: Can Alkalising help my with Bone Spurs and Arthritis?

Can alkalizing help my body with bone spurs and arthritis? I have a ridge of bone (calcification) and Stage 1 osteoarthritis in my right great toe. So far the options I’ve been given are surgery, cortisone injections, or just live with it. So far, raising my pH from 5 to 6.8 hasn’t shown any effect. How long would it take for effects to be noticeable?

For a start, alkaline diet and hydration should be able to help reduce pain and discomfort in this area. I used to have a particularly painful bony projection on the side of my foot, which has now reduced and rarely gives me any discomfort.

I think you’re going to need to get stuck in and be as dedicated as you can to see results. Osteoarthritis and calcification are likely to have resulted from acidity of body fluids and tissue. Calcium deposits are laid down to buffer acids and acids in their turn can be destructive to bone and cartilage structures.

Its outstanding work to get (presumably your urinary) pH up to 6.8. You need to keep going to get it up to consistently above 7.5 or higher! Drink your greens (such as Young pHorever Doc Brocs Power Plants), take pHour salts and eat as high a raw food diet as you can. Additionally I’d recommend acupuncture and a good chiropractor or osteopath.

Surround yourself with people who will help to keep you motivated. If you are taking any medication, arrange a consultation with a qualified practitioner who can help you develop strategies for reducing that in conjunction with your GP.

Question Four: How can I get in touch with you Gareth?

How can I get a hold of you Gareth? I have some questions regarding this lifestyle. I have been living 100% raw and alkaline for 7 months now and drinking 5-6 litres a day with greens and ph drops. I’m young and I have goals to achieve the body I want and the mental state. From the day I started to today I have not achieved anything. I have gained weight, I have NO energy etc. etc. So would be great if you could give me an email or something where I can chat with you.

People reading this may think this is a plant question to advertise my services! This is not the case. It does however happen sometimes that having a look at wider issues and a review of all the factors likely to be affecting your health would help you to get where you want to go.

There are several options for a consultation with me. Click here to see them. If trips to London are not possible then I can do a consultation with you on the phone or via Skype. You’ll need to fill in a health questionnaire and food diary and e-mail them to me. Most people find this helps clarify issues and get a broader perspective on all issues in your life that can effect pH balance, health and help you to achieve your desired weight.

You can book through Energise For Life or go to my website. I look forward to hearing from you.

Question Five: Is it ok to have Juice and a Snack at the same time?

One I’m not sure of now is – is it ok to have juice and a snack (like soaked almonds) at the same time? It’s just that I cannot see myself surviving my mornings with juice alone if to have it first thing in the morning….!

I get this. I just went to see Joseph McClendon with Callum (Partner in EFL). Joseph was recounting how he lives only on juice for two weeks a year. During that time he expects to lose several kilos in weight. It sounded powerful but tough. Dr. Young encourages people to feast, rather than fast when cleansing. This means that you put low sugar, high nutrient food into your body in abundance. He recommends green smoothies and juices.

My answer to your question would be yes. Chicken and chips or green juice and soaked almonds? Let common sense preside! A very good question though.

Question Six: Have you got any ideas for battling nasty sweat rash?

I have been battling with a nasty sweat rash under first one then both breasts, I am a large lady and very careful re hygiene but have always sweated badly. Oddly my deodorant (Mitchum) always seems to control it but has aluminum in it which I hate but it is the only one of many that works for me. Used Sudacreme although it stops the water it does not work. Very allergic to hydrocortisone and have even tried a new natural fungal treatment. I am at my wits end so wondered if you have any ideas. Does not itch now but left with very rough unhappy skin.

Thank you for your question. When our body fluids and tissue become acidic the body will want to excrete these acids. Urination, defecation, respiration and perspiration are the four primary “ways out”. If we are not drinking enough alkalising fluids or eating enough alkalising (high water, low sugar content) foods to promote urination or defecation, then the acids may well come out through the skin in the form of sweat. The acid that will be contained in the sweat is likely to cause irritation and rashes. Areas where there are folds in the skin or limited ventilation are likely to be the most effected.

I would strongly recommend that you heal from the inside. Use EFL’s alkaline lifestyle course and drink a green powdered drink (such as Doc Broc power plants) with pH drops (such as Young pHorever PuripHy). You should consume at least two to three litres a day of the drink a day. That will make you urinate more, which will be a good thing.

These answers are not intended to replace the advice that can be acquired from a personal consultation with a qualified physician. If you are experiencing persistent symptoms of any sort, you should consult with a nutritionally aware physician.

Ross says: more great questions and answers from Gareth! If you have any questions of your own or would like to ask a follow up question to any of the above feel free to leave a comment below!

The combination of garlic and onion with chilli, paprika and cumin gives the courgettes a deliciously spicy flavour.

Courgettes, the main stars of this dish, do not only taste good but are also extremely healthy as they are packed with folate, potassium, vitamin A and manganese.

Courgettes with Moroccan Spices

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g courgettes
freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
Chopped fresh coriander and parsley, to serve

For The Spicy Charmoula

1 onion
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 green or red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbsp olive oil
Himalayan crystal salt or celtic sea salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cut all the courgettes into quarters lengthways, and place in a shallow dish.

Finely chop the onion and blend with the other charmoula ingredients and 60ml/4 tbsp water. Pour over the courgettes. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.

Baste the courgettes with the charmoula, and return to the oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until they are tender. Sprinkle with lemon juice and chopped herbs, and serve.

My Cook’s Tip

Use young courgettes with tender skin – older courgettes may need to be peeled.

Enjoy!

In April 2001, Dr Robert Young conducted a controlled experiment to assess the effects of wearing a Q-Link pendant on the blood. His results were quite amazing.

Dr Young hypothesised that one of the major contributor to cellular disorganisation (over-acidity in the blood) is exposure to extended periods of low Electro Magnetic Frequencies (the harmful frequencies from mobile phones, wireless internet, microwaves etc – click here to read more). A state of cellular disorganisation, or disease, is reflected as changes in certain aspects of blood composition and blood clotting ability.

Healthy blood should be separated cells (the negative ions mean the cells ‘bounce’ off one-another), whereas the blood of unhealthy individuals who live a more ‘acidic’ life will show disorganised cells, either distorted in shape or size, stuck together or filled with yeast, microforms or crystals. For instance:

Dr Young and other blood microscopists (such as Energise team member Gareth Edwards) can easily measure these changes in the blood through darkfield blood microscopy that shows the blood LIVE under the microscope, exactly as you see in the images above.

Research Methodology

The study was conducted to show the positive effects of wearing a Q-Link and the dangers of low-level EMF:

The study was conducted in two consecutive parts with 12 individual case studies in total. The first part (Part I) consisted of a sample group of four participants. The second part (Part II) consisted of eight participants. All micrographs were taken using the same blood procedure for each condition.

Part I: Micrographs from three conditions were taken: Baseline Micrographs before exposure to EMF, Micrographs after exposure to 8 hours of low EMF, and Micrographs after wearing QLink for 72 hours while exposed to low EMF.

Part II: Micrographs from only two conditions were taken: Baseline Micrographs before wearing the QLink and Micrographs after wearing QLink for 72 hours. No additional exposure to low EMF was conducted. (Micrographs of 3 subjects depicted above)

The Results

After conducting the study, Dr Young concluded:

“In 100% of the test group, the QLink Pendant demonstrated the ability to provide a favorable context for normal organization of blood cells which were visually showing multiple negative conditions. I perceive these negative conditions are attributable to years of stressful lifestyles.

“After wearing the QLink Pendant for only 72 hours, each participant showed a significant improvement in the quality of their blood.

“The blood of the test group wearing the QLink Pendant showed a visual, normal blood profile that I see in only 1 out of every 10,000 people. In my opinion, any person whose blood is improved to this degree will significantly improve their performance and quality of life.”

These results are remarkable. Even after being exposed to EMF for 72 hours the Q-Link after images show a noticable improvement in the blood quality.

Now, I’m certainly not advocating that you can wear a Q-Link and get healthy without changing your diet – far from it. But this study goes to show just how powerful the Q-Link is!

Read the full research article here

Gareth’s Alkaline Guide to the Candida Cleanse

How do you know if you’ve got candida? In some people’s case the symptoms are fairly apparent. Uncomfortable itching, white discharge or coated tongue, can all indicate the overgrowth of the yeast form candida albicans. The truth is that we all have candida. When, however, something about us changes, so that we become more acidic candida albicans can replicate and change into a multi-cellular forms with filaments that can penetrate other tissue.

One of the most common causes of this change is the consumption of anti-biotics or other medications. Diets high in acidic foods, such as fruit juice, vinegar and animal protein, low levels of exercise, high alcohol consumption, emotional distress and fatigue can also be associated with candida overgrowth and “mutation”. This may manifest as an itchy scalp / dandruff, fatigue or a plethora of other unwanted symptoms. It is sometimes possible to see yeast forms in live blood samples too.

If a disruption (or over acidification) of your body occurs the objective needs to be to re-establish a more alkaline balance of your body fluids and tissues. Even if the cause is emotional in nature, this will help put you in the right place to resolve internal or external conflicts. A week’s cleanse can help to accelerate the process and with the vaguest sniff of spring in the air this is a great time to start planning it.

It’s best to see it in three stages: the build up, the cleanse and the after “party”. Get a sense of whether you want to cleanse for three or five days.

The Build Up:

For about a week (or two!) before you plan to start, start cutting out alcohol, black, green and white tea, coffee and refined (white) carbohydrates. Lower your intake of sugar (including fruit juice) and animal protein. At the same time increase your intake of powdered green vegetable and grass drink (such as Dr Young’s Doc Broc Power Plants) with alkaline water and pH drops (such as Young pHorever Puriphy drops) and eat more fresh raw vegetables and low sugar fruits (cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, lemons, limes and grapefruits). For two to three days before you start your cleanse eat fresh raw (or very lightly steamed) vegetables.

The Cleanse:

During the cleanse everything that you “eat” and drink needs to be liquid. Start each day with a scoop of pHour salts in a glass of alkaline water. Then throughout the day consume only the following:

• Green vegetable juice. You can dilute this with alkaline water and add pH drops if desired.
• Green smoothy
• Powdered grass and green vegetable drink in alkaline water with pH drops. Aim for two to three litres a day.
• Water (with lemon or lime juice added – if desired)

There are links here to suggested recipes for green juice and smoothys. Which vegetables you actually put in them is up to you, but you should avoid carrots, apples and fruits (other than those mentioned above) because of their sugar content. Adding garlic to the smoothy should help with re-balancing, but limit your social inter-action if your partner isn’t following the same regime!

Decide before you start whether you want to do 3, 4 or 5 days. You can stop early if you feel very uncomfortable. It’s not a competition!

Handy helpers:

If at any point you feel light-headed or low in energy have some unrefined salt or use a pHlavor spray. You can further increase your body’s alkalising mineral resources with Dr. Young’s depHense, pHion’s silvagen or Jarrow’s mineral balance.

Elimination:

It’s important to help acid and other toxicity get out of your body as well as putting “good” stuff in. There are several ways that you can help this during the cleanse:

• Exercise: 20 mins walking a day minimum. Ideally build up a sweat, but don’t exhaust yourself so that you crave sugar. Re-hydrate with water, greens and pH drops.
• Hot baths with Epsom salts (such as Orgon Alkabath bath salts). This should make you sweat and help to draw out acids.
• You can also add clay (such as Young pHorever Terra pHirma Clay) to your green drinks to help mineralise and draw out acids.
• Using psyllium (such as Ispaghula Husk) or other fibre supplements can help elimination, but these fibres can be “abrasive” if your digestive tract is sensitive.
• Colonic hydro-therapy or self administered enemas can be helpful but should be administered by a trained therapist or clearly understood if self administering.

Sometimes the release of acid from body tissue can actually lead to reduced bowel movement (constipation). If that happens you can try using more pHour salts or Dr. Young’s magnesium oxide based product pHlush.

Sometimes the reverse effect occurs…. Diarrhoea is actually a natural cleansing reaction by the body and shouldn’t be stopped. If it is persistent (rather than passing) you should ease off the cleanse. Drink water with salt in it and use minimal amounts of green powder.

The after party!

Well …. in spite of dreaming of chocolate cake or bacon sandwiches when you start your green feast, you may find that that isn’t actually what you feel like when you are finished. It’s important to listen to your body’s needs. Maybe start with a cooked vegetable soup or a big bowl of fresh vegetables, nuts and sprouted seeds.

Ease yourself gradually back into normal eating and drinking patterns. Aim to keep sweet fruits, sugar, tea, coffee, vinegar, mushrooms and animal protein low, while eating and drinking plenty of fresh (ideally raw) vegetables, sprouts and low sugar fruits including avocados. Try to get more of your protein from vegetarian sources, such as nuts, seeds and tofu. Marmite and peanut butter are best replaced with tahini and almond butter.

N.B. It’s best to do these cleanses with other people around. If you experience any uncomfortable or unwanted symptoms for more than 24 hours you should revert to normal eating and hydration and contact a nutritionally aware physician. If you are taking medication regularly please consult with your physician before carrying out a cleanse.

Peppers and tomatoes are packed with nutrients and are a good source of Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Potassium and Manganese, and are a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6 and Folate.

Both vegetables make great containers for various vegetable stuffings and this version uses typically Greek ingredients.

Feel free to vary this dish by using small aubergines or large courgettes, which also make good vegetables for stuffing.

Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 green pepper
1 red or yellow pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
50g blanched almonds, chopped
75 g of brown basmati rice, boiled and drained
Handful of mint, roughly chopped
Handful of parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp ground almonds
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for sprinkling
Chopped mixed herbs, to garnish
Himalayan crystal salt or celtic sea salt and ground black pepper to season

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon. Be careful not to damage the skin of the tomatoes whilst doing this. Leave the tomatoes to drain on kitchen paper or a chopping board with cut sides down. Roughly chop the pulp and seeds.

Halve the peppers, leaving the cores intact and scoop out the seeds. Brush the peppers with 1 tbsp of olive oil and bake on a baking tray for ca. 15 minutes. Place the peppers and tomatoes in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper. In the meantime boil the rice as per instructions.

Gently fry the onions in the remaining oil for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the chopped almonds and garlic and fry for a further minute.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the boiled rice, chopped tomatoes, parsley and mint. Season well with salt and pepper and fill the tomatoes and peppers with this mixture.

Pour 150ml of boiling water around the peppers and tomatoes and bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Scatter with the ground almonds and sprinkle with a little olive oil. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes until they start to turn golden.

Serve garnished with fresh herbs.

Enjoy your dish or as they say in Greek: Kale orexe!

Each fortnight we’re putting the best alkaline diet questions we receive from you to our Alkaline Diet Expert, Dr Young trained blood analyst and highly qualified nutritionist – Gareth Edwards.

Gareth is right at the very top of his field, so these answers are absolutely the best you’ll find from arguably Britain’s most qualified expert in this area!

Q&A With Gareth Edwards

These answers are not intended to replace the advice that can be acquired from a personal consultation with a qualified physician. If you are experiencing persistent symptoms of any sort, you should consult with a nutritionally aware physician.

Question One: A bodybuilder’s diet rated by Gareth!

I’m a bodybuilder and eat lots of animal protein from good sources such as chicken, fish and red meat and whole eggs. I also eat lots of fresh fruit and veg every day and also use lots of healthy oils such as avocado, evo, walnut, coconut and fish oil. My carbs come from rice, oats and sweet potatoes as the “main” big sources outwith the fruit. I feel in the best condition of my life and my health has never been better! How would you rate the above diet?

Doing lots of exercise and eating lots of vegetables and healthy oils (such as Jarrow Krill Oil) are likely to help you feel great. Chicken, red meat and eggs are likely to have an acidifying effect on your body. If you are doing high levels of exercise then it is likely that you will excrete a lot of that acidity in the form of sweat. I would however consider going for live blood analysis to see if what feels good to you actually is good on the inside. I have a client who was following a similar regime to you, was ripped with muscles, felt great but started to loose his skin pigment.

I think that bodybuilding can be great, but I’m unconvinced that you need to eat lots of animal protein to achieve muscle bulk. Have a look at my other answer on the subject of alkalising and muscle mass and look at the new book by Jonathan Safran Foer “Eating Animals”.

Question Two: I just can’t get my pH up!

I found it very difficult to raise my ph, which is almost always around 6. I am vegetarian and I always worry about what foods to eat, though I think I eat too much carbs since it is the only thing that fills my stomach properly. For breakfast I have oats. They are not in Dr. Young’s food list. How acidic are oats? Thank you for your help.

Thanks for this important question. Concentrated, high starch carbohydrates are where we often look for sustenance when we don’t eat animal protein, but they are indeed slightly acidifying. The most important (and potentially challenging) shift to make to really reap the benefits of an alkalising regime is to dramatically increase your intake of fresh (mainly raw) dark green and leafy vegetables. Green foods, in Chinese medicine, help with blood sugar control and thus should help reduce cravings for carbohydrate foods. This is why drinking your green powder (such as perfectlyhealthy Mega Greens with MSM) with alkalising drops (such as pHion pH Booster) and water, can be such a powerful and effective way to get the alkaline ball rolling (and keep it going!). Drink two to three litres a day.

The biggest difference for many of my clients comes when they start the day with an alkaline breakfast. That means tucking into the veg right from the outset. A big raw vegetable plate, a green smoothy or green juice will fit the bill. If that’s too daunting then ease yourself in with an open sandwich on wholemeal (brown) or sprouted grain bread, piled high with avocado, tomato cucumber and alfalfa.

The best things I’ve found to help me feel full after veg only meals are: a) use plenty of healthy oils (olive, hemp, flax) and avocados b) add nuts (almonds and walnuts (ideally soaked) c) load up on sprouted beans, seeds and grains d) put salt (such as Himalayan Crystal Salt) in the dressing.

Question Three: Can the Alkaline Diet help with Thyroid problems?

My friend has been told that she is suffering from parathyroidism and has hyper-calcaemia as a result. She has had a scan where the results were ”inconclusive” but the medical profession feel sure that a gland is the problem and are keen to do surgery. She is very interested in following the alkaline diet instead, but is confused as to what to do, especially as the greens that she should eat on the diet are advised against because they are too high in calcium. I would love your advice on this.

Hyper-calcaemia describes an elevated level of calcium in the blood. This is a concern because it can lead to stones in the kidney. If somebody has an elevated level of calcium in their blood one might assume that this would be associated with the parathyroid glands which regulate whether calcium is stored in bones or released from bones into the blood.

The important factor to consider, however is that when blood, body fluids and tissue become acidic, the parathyroid glands actively promote the release of calcium from the bones into the blood in order to buffer (neutralise) the acids. The reason why your friend has hyper-calcaemia is far more likely to be because of elevated acidity through diet, hydration and lifestyle “choices” than because of “mis-functioning” parathyroid glands.

If she starts an alkalising eating, hydration and exercise programme the calcium levels in her blood should start to fall. She could explain to her doctor that she understands the concerns about the possible effects of high calcium in the blood, but would like a two to three week period to try to lower the levels. Consulting with a physician who understands these principals would probably be beneficial. The reduction in calcium levels when alkalising should be measurable by your friend’s doctor. Trying other avenues before surgery seems wise.

Question Four: Can I build muscle with the Alkaline Diet?

Hi, I am a really keen fan of the alkalising principles. I have studied “The pH Miracle” by Dr Young and listened to Anthony Robbins Living Health program. I am keen to build muscle. Everyone tells me that a diet rich in water content food will not enable this to happen because I would be denying myself the calories for this to happen. Do you agree or disagree with reasons? I would really appreciate your responses to this ….. many thanks. Can I build plenty of muscle simply by alkalising and eating lots of salads?

I think I’d flip this one on its head. I’d say that you can build muscle on a high animal protein and high carbohydrate diet, but it is likely to be at a cost to your overall health. If you want inspiration read about the Championship winning New Zealand bodybuilder Dusan Dudas on Dr. Young’s articles of health blogspot. He’s just won his first title as an alkaliser and his description of the lack of post competition exhaustion is an inspiration. On his high protein and carb regime he had elevated cholesterol and blood pressure.

The best way to build muscle, is …. to be healthy! It’s pretty tricky to do that without eating loads of fresh raw vegetables. Their high water content will facilitate the excretion of acidic waste products generated by the workouts you’ll need to do to build muscle. Muscle is built from red blood cells and red blood cells are best “built” from chlorophyll rich green plant foods. Kale, spinach, chard, watercress and other leafy greens will also help you develop a healthy digestive tract so that you can absorb any protein that you do eat.

The calories you require for energy should come from raw unsaturated vegetable fats such as olive, hemp and flax oils. Unrefined salt (such as Himalayan Crystal Salt) should provide the electrical conductivity required to energise your body too. Use sprouted seeds, almonds and walnuts and tofu as healthy, relatively alkalising sources of vegetarian protein sources.

Another set of great questions and great answers! If you have a question for Gareth – leave it in the comments below!