Have you ever wondered what the Acid/Alkaline Diet is and how it works but struggled to find real, straightforward answers? Have you ever wondered how the acid/alkaline diet could be applied in your life but couldn’t get to grips with what it actually involves?

This article will change that and give you, in five minutes or less, an exact understanding of what the Alkaline Diet really is.

I’ve been living and breathing (and working in) the Alkaline Diet for over five years now. I’ve written a whole course on it (that is getting hundreds of people alkaline every month)! I know what I am talking about when it comes to practically applying this diet and lifestyle. There are more qualified people out there with lots more letters after their name – but I don’t know if there is anyone more experienced in making this diet real in people’s lives. I’ve done it over and over again and this explanation is the result of my five years experience, learning, writing/blogging and connecting with people.

I’ve interviewed experts such as Dr Robert Young, Jason Vale & more. I’ve lived it myself. I’ve fallen off the wagon myself and I’ve gotten right back on. But most importantly I’ve connected with tens of thousands of people who are all transitioning or successfully living alkaline. I’d have to be very, very stupid to have not worked it out by now…

And remember, you can email me anytime if any of the below info throws up any questions for you at all!

The Acid-Alkaline Diet Simplified

What is The Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet is a very, very simply and straightforward approach to health, but is backed by extensive science, pioneered by the blood microscopist and biologist Dr Robert Young. Before I demonstrate just how simple it is, here is the explanation in scientific terms:

Our body is designed to be alkaline. The pH of most of our important cellular and other fluids such as our blood is designed to be at a pH of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline. In just the same way that our body will do whatever it takes to regulate our temperature to stay within a very tight range, it does the same for the pH of our fluids. And while our body does create acids naturally through our bodily functions, we have a small alkaline buffering system that naturally keeps us alkaline.

Your body HAS to keep the pH of your blood, cells and other fluids at just slightly alkaline (pH 7.365) and it will do ANYTHING it has to in order to maintain this pH balance. To do this, your body calls upon its store of alkaline buffers, which it draws upon to neutralize the acids we ingest or create through bodily processes. This store of buffers is very easily depleted because most of us eat and drink such strong acids.

To put this in context, the pH scale is logarithmic – so pH 6 is 10x more acidic than pH 7, meaning pH 5 is 100x times more acidic than pH 7 and pH 4 is 1000x more acidic. Cola has a pH of between 2 and 3. So you can see how a diet filled with meats, dairy, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc would quickly deplete these buffers.

And when we deplete these buffers and still ingest more acids…what happens?

The body is forced into drawing upon the alkaline minerals it has to buffer which causes havoc in the body – for instance, if the body is constantly drawing calcium to neutralise the acids we consume then the symptoms of osteoporosis emerge (hence the recent research articles linking cola consumption with osteoporosis).

However, as we have evolved and our diets and lifestyles have changed over the last century or so we have dramatically increased the amount of acidity in our lives. Diet, stress, emotions and no exercise contribute, in their own ways to the increased acidity in our body.

Focusing on diet for the time being, it will be no surprise to you to learn that the most acidic foods are sugar, trans-fats, yeasts, dairy, simple carbs, alcohol, refined foods etc. These acids manifest in our diets as colas & fizzy drinks, pizza, chips, cakes, biscuits, microwave meals, crisps, breads, caffeine, cheese, fatty meats, ice cream, smoking, beers, wines, condiments, milky drinks, cream etc. all the foods you already know are not good for you.

I’m sure you can guess that the foods that are alkaline to the body are therefore…wait for it…fresh vegetables, salads, leafy greens, omega oils, nuts, seeds, pulses, whole grains. These are fresh foods, raw foods, whole foods, foods with a high-water content and nutritional value.

It makes this diet pretty easy to understand and pretty easy to follow. I think most people, if given a list of foods could put them into the acid or alkaline group 8 times out of 10.

So what makes a food acid or alkaline? There are a few things, but the most important rules are:

1. If a food is high in alkaline minerals including magnesium, potassium, calcium or sodium it is likely to be alkaline to the body.
2. BUT – regardless of its alkaline mineral content, if it contains any of the following then it will be acidifying:
• sugar (article about sugar)
• yeast
• is fermented (like soy sauce)
• contains fungi (like mushrooms)
• is refined/microwaved/processed

So this explains the anomalies. Fruit for instance is generally, unfortunately, acidifying due to it’s high sugar content. Bananas for example are very high in potassium, but are around 25% sugar. The only exceptions are tomatoes, avocados, lemons & limes (great for dressings and flavourings), grapefruit and watermelon (to some degree) which are alkaline because they are so low in sugar.

Sugar is such an issue because the blood deviates from this pH level of 7.365 then it causes major stress to the rest of the body. The body has to maintain this pH level and it will go to extreme measures and sacrifice everything else to make sure it stays there.

It compounds the longer it goes on.

Emotions, stress and a lack of exercise all contribute to this. Dr Young has actually seen, in his analysis of live blood, that emotions can have twice as much of an effect on our blood and health as any food can, so these all play a part. Exercise is obviously essential because it pumps our blood and lymph around the body to remove wastes and helps to deliver oxygen to cells for necessary functioning.

So there you have it – that is the scientific, long version.

Here is the simple version of the Acid Alkaline Diet:

Our body is designed to stay alkaline and will do whatever it takes to do so. When we consume acidic foods and drinks, stop exercising and continually have negative emotions our body is overrun with acids and this causes major disruption.

Not surprisingly the acid foods are the ones you already know are bad for you (cola, chips, chocolate, sweets, burgers, dairy, beer etc) and the alkaline foods are the ones you already know are good for you (fresh foods, leafy green vegetables, salads, nuts, seeds etc).

To become alkaline you simply need to start focusing 70-80% of your diet on the alkaline foods and try to limit the acid foods. Back this up with 3-4 litres of good quality, clean, filtered water each day and you will be very pleasantly surprised by the way you feel.

So follow your mother’s advice and eat your greens!

About energiseforlife.com

So energiseforlife.com is mine and my brother’s website (Callum). We set it up in 2005 after attending an Anthony Robbins UPW seminar in London and having both tried to follow these health principles for a few months we realised it was really difficult. Not only was there nowhere to buy the supplements and equipment but the information out there on the web was terrible, conflicting and in most cases wrong. We knew we could do better…

So energiseforlife.com was formed and here we are, nearly 5 years later!

We are the worlds longest running and largest acid-alkaline diet specialist website. The site is split into two main areas: 1) information, resources, guides, recipes etc. (all free) 2) the alkaline diet and wellness store.

Our aim is to give people every resource they need to have the health, body, energy and vitality of their dreams, so this, naturally, is a mixture of information and products.

The type of products we sell to help people include:

• Green Drinks: our cornerstone range. ‘Green Drinks’ are a mixture of powdered grasses (such as wheatgrass, barley grass), vegetables (such as kale, broccoli, spinach), sprouts (such as alfalfa, watercress, broccoli) and low sugar fruits (such as avocado, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tomato). They are a combination of nutrient dense green foods that you mix with a litre of water and drink 3-4 times per day. Our favourite is the Doc Broc Greens from Dr Young.
• pH Drops: the quality of the water we drink is essential. Especially if we’re drinking 3-4 litres of it per day! The water we drink should be clean of bacteria and fungus and have a pH of above 7. These drops do both of those things. Here is a video I did on this subject! PuripHy is by far the best pH drops product on the market.
• Alkaline Minerals: as mentioned, the alkaline buffer we have in our body is very small, these minerals help to neutralise the acids we consume and contribute to our overall wellbeing. Largely magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium. Our favourite is pH Ion Blue!
• Omega Oils: these essential fatty acids are hard to consume through diet alone. Udo’s Choice is world-renowned for being the best oil supplement by miles.
• Equipment: juicers, blenders, exercise kit, soy milk makers etc

Last Christmas I also created the world’s first Alkaline Diet Home Study Course. I found that most people struggle to adopt this new lifestyle, not only because of a lack of knowledge, but more because of a lack of organisation and preparation. Watch this short video to find out exactly what you get on the course:

[See post to watch Flash video]
The course is getting phenomenal results!

People are losing masses of weight (one woman lost 6 stone), getting masses more energy, one lady with Fibromyalgia is able to go back to work and start exercising again after being house bound for 3 years, another lady no longer has eczema or arthritis, a guy has lost 12% body fat, people with ‘IBS’ are seeing the problem completely disappear within 2 weeks etc.

It blows me away, but it is definitely real. Personally I have not had a cough or cold for 4 years and my acne has completely gone away (except for in blow out weeks like the wedding!), I have heaps of energy and I have achieved a LOT!

…..So that’s the alkaline diet and that’s energiseforlife.com!

I would love to hear your thoughts! If you have any questions or ideas then definitely let me know!

Ross (http://www.energiseforlife.com)

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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