Hi guys

After a slight tech issue with the video I recorded for you (still plan to have this live this week) I thought it would be smart to get at least a written version out as I know a LOT of you were really keen to see this…so here goes:

Alkaline Water: Your Top 5 Questions Answered

Since early in 2011 I have been answering your alkaline water questions here – over 200+ questions answered now (note Facebook has been messing around with their comments system lately and its displaying a bit inconsistently at the moment – but leave a question there if you have one…or below this post…)

As is often the case when I have an open question session a handful of REALLY important questions get asked over and over. This was definitely the case this time too, so here are my answers to the most important alkaline water questions.

Alkaline Water Question 1: How Long Does Alkaline Water Last

The answer to this question starts with ‘it depends’. It depends on how the water was made alkaline in the first place. I will give an answer based upon the Rolls-Royce of alkaline water – ionized, alkaline water and take it from there.

When you ionize water the benefits last as follows:

• pH: lasts around 14 days, longer if the water is chilled and kept in an airtight container
• ORP (antioxidant content): lasts around 8 hours, but starts to degrade immediately. Again, lasts a little longer if chilled & air-tight. Note: you only get the antioxidant benefit from an ionizer, not from pH drops or non-electrical filters.

There are a few things to note though, that can impact either of these measures.

pH and ORP tend to fare less well in metal/steel containers, especially the ORP which is almost immediately removed. They also don’t do so well in the type of plastic bottle that bottled water comes in.

The best container is a BPA-free plastic, or ideally glass.

ORP also doesn’t do well with movement, so once it’s in your bottle, if you go for a run or transport the bottle around you start to lose this ORP benefit. For instance, if you fill your bottle and go for a run, the more you drink it and create space in the bottle the quicker the ORP will disappear. And if you’re off on a trip, try to fill the bottle to the top as much as possible to create as little as possible space in the bottle.

Heat doesn’t impact it too quickly from my findings. I have tested ionized, alkaline water that has been boiled many times and the pH and ORP tend to hold – however, this is in my glass kettle – not a stainless steel one. You would lose the ORP in a SS kettle.

Alkaline Water Question 2: Why Drink Alkaline Water if the Stomach Digests with Acid?

This is an interesting and VERY common alkaline water question. To be totally honest, the best answer to this is provided by Robert Young:

Many people ask me about what good alkaline electron-rich water does since “everyone knows” it is just going into the highly acidic stomach.

The problem here is not with the alkaline water meeting acid, it is with what “everyone knows.”

There is no hydrochloric acid pouch in our body. The stomach wall makes sodium bicarbonate to alkalize the food not digest the food. For every molecule of sodium bicarbonate produced to increase the alkalinity of food a molecule of HCl is also created. HCL is a very strong and toxic acid.

The HCL falls into the gastric pits of the stomach away from the food as the sodium bicarbonate rises to the top to contact the food for alkalizing. That is why after the food leaves the stomach there is no sodium bicarbonate left just the remaining HCL acid that has to be eliminated through the blood and/or lymph.

Low water content, acid-forming foods like meats, eggs, and breads cause the release of larger amounts of sodium bicarbonate with an equal amount of HCl poison. High-water-content foods such as non-starchy vegetables require much less sodium bicarbonate to alkalize the food and therefore there is less HCL acid residue in the stomach left over after the food has exited. The result is no indigestion or risk of acid reflux or stomach ulcers or even stomach cancer.

Alkaline electron-rich water—being extremely high in electron content! — does not trigger the release of sodium bicarbonate and thus does not cause the creation of the acid HCl, so it does not interfere with the alkalizing of the food. In fact alkaline electron-rich water with its high concentration of electrons helps the alkalizing of the food and also helps to neutralize the caustic acidic poisonous HCL, preventing the acidification of the blood and tissues.

So drink up alkalize electron-rich water, juices and green drink!

Source: Articles of Health

This is such a great explanation. The HCL is harmful to the body and is only produced when we eat or drink acid-forming (unhealthy) foods and drinks and is balanced in equal proportion by Sodium Bicarbonate production in the body. When we consume alkaline forming foods and drinks the body does not need the sodium bicarbonate production and thus the HCL production is not required either!

Alkaline Water Question 3: How Does Ionized Water Compare with Distilled or Reverse Osmosis

There are three qualities you’re looking for in your water (well, there are a couple more but these are the main ones) and you should aim to get all three – as you’re wanting to drink between 2-4 litres of the stuff every single day:

1. Filtration
2. pH
3. Oxydation Reduction Potential (it’s antioxidant or oxidizing capacity – ORP or REDOX)

I love ionized water because it covers all three brilliantly. But this is where distilled and Reverse Osmosis fall away.

Don’t get me wrong, distilled and RO do an excellent job of filtering the water – removing practically EVERYTHING in the water, making it super-super clean – BUT this comes at a cost.

Both RO and distilled water are acid-forming and have a +ORP – meaning they are oxidising to the body (killing cells i.e. the opposite of an antioxidant)

Plus they also remove all of the GOOD things in the water as well as the bad…

I also find distillation quite cumbersome as you have to run the distiller on 4 litres of water at a time and it can take up to 4 hours. RO at least has the benefit that the water is available on demand.

BUT this is the beauty of ionized water – it gives you water with an antioxidant level that is greater than green tea, gives you a pH of whatever you decide (between 3 and 12.5 – and there are many non-drinking uses both at pH 3 AND at pH 12.5 – but only ever drink it up to pH 9.5) and the filtration is great.

And if you need extra-strong filtration because your tap water is poor, a pre-filter is very inexpensive and removes pretty much every impurity you could ever want (chemicals, heavy metals, fluoride, chlorine, bacteria etc.).

=======================

My recommendations are:

>> Chanson Miracle MAX Ionizer
>> Chanson C3 Pre-Filter

Alkaline Water Question 4: Is Bottled Water OK if it Lists It’s Source pH at 8?

I have two problems with bottled water. Wait, no I have three problems with bottled water. Nope four.

1. It’s not alkaline – The pH may well be 7.8 or 8.1 at source, but by the time it has been bottled, stored, transported and kept in a poor quality plastic bottle the pH is always below 6.5 in all of my tests. I’ve tested probably 30 brands in the UK, USA and Australia and they are ALL, ALWAYS acidic.
2. They have a + ORP: in those tests I always found an ORP of at least +150 – meaning this oxidizes the body, destroying cells and causing problems. In other words, its the opposite of an antioxidant. No thanks.
3. Plastic in the water? – there is also evidence to suggest that being stored in cheap BPA-containing plastic means that this plastic may leach into the water. Hmmm.
4. Horrible for the environment – of course, using a reusable plastic bottle (and washing it without using enough water to fill a bath) is a far more environmentally friendly approach to hydration

And in reality, there are five problems – the fifth being the cost. People think an ionizer is expensive, but even if you’re buying bulk and drinking 4 litres of bottled water per day – the cost is still more than buying an ionizer on our monthly installment plan.

Alkaline Water Question 5: How Is Adding Lemon To Water Going to Make It Alkaline – When Lemon & Lime Are Acids?

I’ve blogged extensively about lemon water before, and even include it in my Definitive Guide to Alkaline Water – because I think it is such a great, powerful, natural, cleansing drink to start the day.

I’ve never heard any complaints from anyone saying it is not good for you but I am very frequently asked: is it alkaline?

Or should I say, I’m very frequently told ‘lemon’s aren’t alkaline, you idiot – do some research and read up on science’.

Of course, these people are right, lemons are not alkaline, they are citric acid of course – but those people are missing the point and are missing what I am saying.

I am not saying that lemons are alkaline, I am saying that lemons are alkalising!

See the distinction here? And by the way, this applies to all foods, not just lemons & limes. The most important thing to note is not what the pH of the food is in it’s natural state – rather the EFFECT THE FOOD HAS ON THE BODY.

Because of its very low sugar content and high alkaline mineral content, lemons actually have an alkalising effect on the body.

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So there you have it!

I will (fingers crossed) be releasing this as a video in the next seven days, but until then – enjoy!

And if you have any other alkaline water questions – leave them in the comments below and I will answer personally as soon as possible (usually within 24 hours)

Energise Ross

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UPDATE

Your “Alkaline Water Benefits” Questions Answered

Hey guys – so I finished answering all of the questions you sent me on the benefits of alkaline water and made a video explaining the top four most frequently asked questions!

(click here to watch the alkaline water benefits: your answers video on youtube)

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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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

I’ve written a LOT lately about alkaline water, and water ionizers, and how you can ensure you get the hydration habit embedded into your life.

And in this article I am going to reveal an unlikely, often overlooked, but powerful source of alkaline hydration…

Quite simply, I believe that hydration is THE most important part of any diet, healthy lifestyle or approach to health – no matter what your goal.

I always advise people to aim for between 2-4 litres of good quality, preferably alkaline, ionized water each day – but getting enough (or remembering to) is often the hardest part.

This article will show you that it can be easier than you think when you harness the power that is…

Alkaline Foods as a Source of Hydration!

It is estimated that for the average person, eating an average diet (you can choose what average means) 20% of our daily hydration comes from food.

On the premise that our body uses/loses at least 1.5 litres of water per day through normal bodily functions (without any exercise or heat-based sweating) – we therefore need at least 1.5 litres just to stay out of the ‘chronically dehydrated’ zone (where headaches will hunt you down like a dog…I tells ye).

So for the average person aiming for 1.5 litres per day this would suggest that 300ml comes from food.

I think this is staggeringly low and can only suggest that people are eating a really s****y diet that is devoid of fresh, nutritious foods!

Here is my challenge to you – see foods as a source of alkaline hydration.

Why See Foods as a Source of Alkaline Hydration

1. When you’re properly hydrated you will kick butt – that’s the short version. I genuinely believe the world is a better place when we are hydrated. Mood lifts, digestion runs smoothly, skin clears, energy increases, workouts make more of a difference, fatigue disappears, clarity returns….make hydration your #1 goal for 30 days and tell me how you go
2. Water rich foods are ALL extremely nutritious – think about the most water rich vegetables – celery, cucumber, broccoli (yep, it’s 91% water), carrots – and now tell me whether they’re super-healthy or not! Now think of a few low-water content foods….uh-huh.
3. Water-rich foods are all strong antioxidants too! As you will know if you’ve read any of my articles on alkaline, ionized water (such as that one) – optimal health is based upon 3 key things: hydration, alkalinity and antioxidants – these vegetables tick all three boxes.
4. Water rich vegetables not only hydrate but also contain perfect amounts of alkaline mineral salts – which are the essence of life! You body runs on salt, not sugar – and these veggies give you the perfect amounts. Read Robert Young’s article here on salt for more info.

How To Get More Hydration From Food

It would be easy for me to sign off now simply saying – “so off you go chaps and chapettes, eat more vegetables…the end!” – but I know that wouldn’t really do you a great deal of good.

I see myself and Energise as being ‘The Implementation Experts – I like to give you the concept and ALSO how to implement it – so here goes.

Here are my…

3 Tips for Hydration Through Alkaline Foods

1. Drink an Alkaline Veggie Juice or Smoothie Every Day: this is massive. I know it sounds like a big committment, but if you just start with 2 or 3 times per week you’ll see why this is so awesome and important. I don’t think anything has impacted my health/life so much as when I committed to, and stuck to drinking a green vegetable juice every morning. Think of it this way – firstly you’re getting 400ml of alkaline hydration, complete with alkaline mineral salts (as mentioned above), secondly, your’re getting at LEAST your minimum five-a-day of fresh vegetables and thirdly – you’re getting all of this before you even leave the house in the morning! Everything else after that is gravy! Not literally. That would be weird.
2. Get into the salad habit: I advise you to try and have a salad, even a small basic salad, with every lunch and dinner you have each day. This will add at least another 4-5 serves of fresh vegetables to your daily diet – so even if your dinner is not quite alkaline, you’re not missing out on an abundance of alkaline nutrition each day. And as tomatoes (88% water content), lettuce (95% water content) etc are all water-rich, you’re adding many more ml of alkaline hydration to your daily quota too.
3. Make Sauces! Sauces for pastas, salads, pulses and more are not only a great way to add a diverse range of flavours to your slightly less flavoursome meals – but they’re also, in essence, pure alkaline hydration. Blending up tomatoes, red onion, capsicum, basil and lime into a Mexican salsa, for instance, works wonders on steamed vegetables, salads or lo-and-behold, fajitas and it’s more of that delicious alkaline hydration…

There you have it – I still advise you to aim for 2-4 litres of good quality, alkaline, ionized (preferably) water each and every day because it will have a profound impact on your life - BUT – if you follow 1 or even all 3 of my tips above you will be adding at least an extra litre to your daily hydration intake.

Let me know your thoughts, questions, comments below!

Ross

p.s. I recently met with a raw food chef called Russell James, who is just an awesome dude, and I wanted to share his Electrozyme Juice with you. He’s a great guy – I recommend you follow him on Facebook.

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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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

You all know how important it is to stay hydrated right? Of course you do. It is THE most important part of the alkaline diet and no matter what your health goal – hydration will be at the core of it.

However, “how to stay hydrated” is always at the top of most peoples biggest questions/hurdles when trying to get healthy. It is a combination of not enjoying plain water and/or simply not REMEMBERING to drink enough. People often tell me that drinking 3-4 litres is too hard and they can’t do it – but I think that if you break it down to: 3 litres divided by 15 waking hours…drinking 200ml per hour is not that hard…so it really is remembering to drink enough AND making it enjoyable.

7 Steps to Alkaline Hydration

Step One: Carry a Big Bottle

This is the best tip – because it makes sure you always have your water on you to sip. I personally like to have a big 1 litre bottle at all times and when I do this I always drink my 4.2 litres! Really simple, but SO effective. How many times are you sat at your desk, thirsty as hell, thinking – when I finish this task I’ll go get a water…and then 2 hours later you’re still sat there thirsty?

Step Two: Set a Reminder

This isn’t something you will have to do forever, but I recommend you set an hour reminder on your phone or watch to beep and remind you to have a big gulp or a glass of water every hour. It is amazing how often you suddenly realise it is lunchtime and you’ve not really had anything to drink!

Step Three: Substitute

For every other drink you go to have, be it a tea, coffee or juice – substitute in water. You will be surprised at a) how good it
makes you feel and b) how much of a pat on the back you can give yourself afterwards. This simple tip can lead to some really good,
positive reinforcement that yes, you can say no and it makes you even more healthy!

Step Four: Always Have Water At Your Desk

Building on Step One – simply having a bottle at your desk at all times means that when you do remember you can tuck straight into it, rather than thinking “oh yes, water, now let me just finish this email first”. When I’m working away from home I personally like to fill my Alkaline Water Jug and have that and a glass on my desk at all times.

Step Five: The Power of Tea!

Herbal teas are alkaline! Mostly. You only really have to avoid green and white tea and the rest are caffeine free and alkaline. I find this is a great way to beat the boredom of plain water and it gives me at least a litre of hydration per day. My favourites are peppermint, Rooibos, caffeine-free chai, ginger and orange. Delicious hot or cold!

Step Six: Flavour!

Water is water and it’s pretty dull. That’s ok. Try to see hydration as a source of health and energy rather than a source of flavour. However, remember – you can add lemon, mint, lime, grapefruit…all manner of fresh stuff added in to make water more enjoyable. I’m personally loving lime and mint at the moment. Mint grows like nothing else in the garden too – so you can get it in abundance for free (or in a pot if you’re living in a unit). Genius.

Step Seven: Know your Outcome and Plan your Route to Success

Set goals. Write them down. Track your progress. Read your goals aloud day and night. Honestly, being hydrated is THE most important part of any health goal and will get you a long way towards where you want to be, whether that is weight loss, weight gain, muscle growth, more energy, better digestion, better skin……

Got any tips of your own? Leave me a comment below
Ross

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.

Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Hi guys

Something that I am asked for over and over by beginners is a starter alkaline diet shopping list, those things you need to REALLY get going and start feeling the benefits right away.

I know how amazing it can be to feel that massive positive rush of energy and vitality and all-round positivity when you first start to alkalise and this shopping list will be a big help to you.

…because I know how frustrating it can be to start with so much motivation and enthusiasm only to be undone by not having the right tools in the box.

If you haven’t started to alkalise just yet I am so envious of you*

To make the Alkaline Diet Shopping List useful I have divided it into sections:

• Equipment & One Off Purchases
• Supplements
• Alkaline Foods

Please note, that you don’t need every every piece of equipment, and I’ve listed them by Highly Recommended, Recommended and Awesome to Have so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. I’ve also done this for the alkaline supplements too.

Remember, you can live alkaline with no equipment, and just fresh veg from your local market – but all of the equipment and supplements make it way easier. However, I don’t want you to read this and feel like you can only do this lifestyle by spending a fortune. Focus on the BIG and most important purchases that fit your budget and then hit the veggies….hard.

Alkaline Shopping List: Equipment

In reality, there is nothing that is so important that you can’t live alkaline without it, but all of this equipment helps heaps. As mentioned, I’ve prioritised it for you, so if you have to pick, go for the Highly Recommended stuff:

Highly Recommended Alkaline Equipment

• Chanson Alkaline Water Ionizer: this is my first pick by far for two critically important reasons. Firstly, tap, bottled, RO and distilled water is acid forming – so because staying hydrated is super-critical to staying alkaline, it is really important to drink a good quality, alkaline water. There are other ways of getting alkaline water and my FREE guide to Alkaline Water goes through each step-by-step, so if you’ve not seen it, I recommend it.

  Secondly, the water from a Chanson Water Ionizer is not only alkaline with a tip-top pH of 9.5 but it is also antioxidant rich. Can you imagine the difference it will make to your health & energy to go from being dehydrated on crappy tap water to drinking 2-4 litres of pH 9.5, antioxidant-rich, superfiltered water each day? It’s an immense difference.

  You can find out more about Chanson Ionizers here

• Quality Juicer: next up, I recommend you invest in a juicer. There is almost nothing you can do that is more powerful for your health than consume a fresh vegetable juice each day. The alkaline diet goes into OVERDRIVE when you include fresh juice. I thoroughly recommend you make juicing a habit.

  You really do get what you pay for with juicers and I thoroughly believe that the Hurom KT100 is the best out there on the market.

• Blender: A lot of people don’t understand the difference between blending and juicing and/or they don’t see why they need both.

  Blenders blend the whole food, keeping the fiber and make excellent soups and smoothies.
  Juicers juice the food, removing the skin and fiber giving you a thin juice. You lose the fiber but this makes it so much easier for the body to assimilate the nutrients.

  Remember, you can’t juice an avocado and you can’t blend ginger. But you’d want both in your diet right?

Recommended

• Sprouter: sprouts are quite frankly…awesome. Basically, a sprouter enables you to grow sprouts! Why do you want to grow sprouts? Because they are super-cheap, super-nutritious, alkaline powerhouses that take the alkaline diet to the next level.
• Rebounder: rebounding is a very, very effective and efficient exercise that not only tones, burns fat and makes you feel great (and is perfect for beginners or those afraid of the gym) but it is also one of the most effective exercises for giving your lymphatic system a workout. I, of course, recommend the rebounder we (Energise) co-built with Jason ‘Juicemaster’ Vale. It’s very cost effective and folds in half for easy storage

Awesome to Have

• Soy/Almond Milk Maker: A very handy edition for making fresh nut milks. The Hurom can do this job too, but if you have a normal whizzy juicer the soy/almond milk makers are very handy indeed, and are pretty cheap.
• Dehydrator: this is the portal to alkaline snack heaven. You really can dehydrate anything you like and make a whole heap of tasty alkaline snacks – plus you can make delicious raw crackers from flax! Awesome

Alkaline Shopping List: Alkaline Supplements

A lot of people ask me, ‘which supplements are the most important, I don’t know where to start?’ so hopefully this quick rundown will get you moving without having to spend an arm and a leg.

Highly Recommended

• Green Drink: green drinks are the core supplement of the alkaline diet. A broad range of powdered grasses, green vegetables, fruits, sprouts and more – green drinks give you a huge alkaline boost and are taken as 1 scoop in 1 litre of water 2-4 times per day. My personal recommendations are Mega Greens, Miracle Greens, Pure Energy Greens and Green Superfood.

• pH Drops: good quality, clean, alkaline water is so important and if you are not using a water ionizer then I strongly recommend you filter your water to remove some of the rubbish from the tap water and then add pH drops to get it to a pH of above 8.

• Omega Oils: a recent study from Harvard showed that Omega 3 deficiency is the 6th biggest killer in the world. Isn’t that amazing? It is estimated that at least 85% of us are chronically deficient in omega 3. The body cannot make omega 3 itself (hence being called an Essential fatty acid) and it is actually pretty hard to get enough through diet alone. Fatty fish, nuts and oils are the main sources, but even then omega 3 is much harder to come by compared to omega 6 or omega 9. Because having the correct ratios of omega 3 compared to 6 & 9 is important, I recommend Udo’s Choice. Click here for more on the importance of Omega 3.

• Alkaline Minerals/Alkaline Salts: the alkaline diet is built upon alkaline minerals. It is the alkaline minerals present in foods that determine whether they have an alkalising or acidifying effect on the body and the most powerful of these are calcium, magenesium, sodium and potassium (while manganese and iron get a shout too). Taking a super-high-quality (or as my friend Will says ‘superlegit’)

alkaline mineral supplement is very beneficial in helping support your body. I personally love pH Miracle’s pHour Salts as it delivers these four alkaline minerals in a bicarbonate form which is essential to the body. See here for Robert Young’s rundown on why salts are so important.

Recommended

• Chlorophyll:Chlorophyll is a fantastic way to get dense green, blood building foods into your diet, and liquid chlorophyll is great because you can use it on the go – just a few drops in your water and you’re away!
• Fibre: I really recommend that, especially if you’re just starting out, you start using psyllium husks. Every time I recommend this I get a heap of people emailing me with glowing reviews! It’s cheap and available on the high street or at the supermarket.
• Broad Multi: I take a broad spectrum multiviamin/multimineral each day to cover me – it’s a fantastic (and cost effective) safety net. We’re all busy, we all have slip ups, and sometimes even when we eat well an important vitamin or mineral may be missed somehow. I use Quest Vitamins Super-Once-Per-Day – it’s a bit of a powerhouse!

Awesome to Have

• Salt Spray: pHlavour by pH Miracle is a great product. It’s an alkaline food seasoning (salt) taken direct from the great salt lakes in Utah, but it’s also a great supplement to boost your alkaline mineral intake, curb sugar/carb/tobacco cravings and give you a pep-up.
• Antioxidant Blend: for it’s all round goodness, free-radical-fighting action, anti-aging-awesomesauce and other delights, I recommend ensuring you get a more than adequate intake of antioxidants. Of course, eating alkaline fills you with antioxidants, as does drinking Ionized Water (which gives you antioxidants all day long). If you’re looking for an antioxidant super-supplement I really recommend pHion’s Berry Superfruit which has an ORAC rating that is the equivalent of 4lbs of fresh fruit – but does not include any of the sugar!

Alkaline Shopping List: Alkaline Foods

This is what I would shop for, to live a week or so on the alkaline diet if I were moving into an empty house with an empty kitchen. So many of the items will last longer than a week (for instance a bag of brown rice) but this is my starter alkaline shopping list!

Fruit & Vegetables

• 5 Cucumbers
• Spinach (lots)
• 5 Avocados
• Lettuce (any kind)
• Rocket/Rockquette/Rucola/Arugula
• 3 Capsicum/Peppers
• 1 bunch Celery
• Garlic
• 3 Grapefruits
• 7 Lemons
• 3 Limes
• 5 Carrots
• 2 Parsnips
• 1 Sweet Potato
• 1 bunch of Basil
• 1 bunch of Coriander
• 1 packet of Beansprouts
• 1 bunch of Spring Onions/Shallots
• Peas
• Tomatoes
• Sugar-Snap Peas/Snowpeas
• Brussels Sprouts
• 2 Beetroots
• Broccoli
• Chillis
• Cauliflower

Fridge & Freezer

• Organic Silken Tofu
• Organic Firm Tofu
• Unsweetend, Organic Soy Milk/Almond Milk
• Almond Paste
• Olive Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Sesame Oil

Dry/Pantry/Cupboard

• Kidney Beans
• Chick Peas/Garbanzo
• Black Beans
• Lentils
• Bragg Liquid Aminos
• Soba Noodles (Buckwheat)
• Brown Rice
• Sprouted Wraps/Tortillas
• Sprouted Bread
• Flax Crackers
• Herbal Teas: peppermint, nettle, redbush/Rooibos, Lavender etc
• Dried Herbs & Spices: ginger, cumin, chilli, coriander seeds, nutmeg, herb mix, cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon etc

Putting it all together: buying your alkaline shopping list

This is intended to help, not overwhelm so I’d really invite you to apply Tim Ferris’ principle of Minimum Effective Dose to this. Work out exactly the minimum you need to get the desired effect you are looking for, and only apply that. Once you’ve mastered that level you can then go for 99% or 100% – but don’t go for perfection right away – it’s the surefire path to failure.

This is always the guiding principle at Energise – slowly, slowly – take baby steps. Don’t go for perfection from day 1 – go easy on yourself, take your time. And if you mess up….? Don’t beat yourself up over it, just think why it happened, move on and start afresh tomorrow.

—-Ease of Shopping…Intentional—-

This alkaline diet shopping list is compiled specifically with items that you do not have to search high and low for. Every item on this list is available either from us at www.energiseforlife.com or in your local supermarket (Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisson’s are all great for health foods now – in Australia, Coles and Woolworths are pretty good too and in the USA I hear Trader Joes is a good option).

And that’s everything! With this list you can get alkaline right away, no excuses – JUST DO IT!

Ross

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Notes:

If you’re interested in hearing more from Tim Ferriss, here is my good buddy Olivier Roland interviewing Tim – the interview is in English, despite the site being French.

Tim’s MED is also explained in his own words here

*this is a really nice perspective I learned recently from my friend Jeff, and in turn from his friend Frank. Jeff was hanging with Frank who made a Big Lebowski reference. Jeff commented that he hadn’t seen The Big Lebowski (I know…). Instead of mocking his friend, Frank’s response was ‘Dude, I am so envious of you, it would rock to be you right now!’. When Jeff asked why, Frank’s response was ‘You get to watch The Big Lebowski for the first time!’

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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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

Article by Gareth Edwards

This week Gareth Edwards, one of the UK’s best qualified nutritionists and alkaline diet experts, discusses whether or not all types of water are equal. You might think that simply drinking plenty amounts of any type of water is healthy for you, but you will be surprised to learn in Gareth’s article that there are great quality differences.

Are All Types of Water Equal?

Back in the day when music was the “food” that fuelled my body, rather than sprouts and an occasional shot of wheatgrass (when I’m being “good”), I used to be particularly keen (musically!) on a guy called Gary Clail. “Everybody needs food, clothes and shelter, proper health care and clean running water” he used to bark, over particularly infectious dance beats.

I’m sure that the people of Japan would agree with Mr. Clail’s basic and accurate observations. It is however equally pertinent to us lucky “optimal health” livers on the other side of the planet. (If you’re reading this in Japan, our thoughts are with you.)

When thinking about water and hydration for our bodies it’s important to remember that it becomes the fluid of our blood, even if we urinate shortly after drinking it. (It’s not the same water you’ve just drunk coming out!).

When I’m doing blood analysis for people, I explain that the reason we look at the blood in aiming to improve health and wellbeing, is because blood is “the river of life” that runs through us. It brings nutrients and oxygen to our cells and it’s the “garbage truck” that picks up the “exhaust products” of cellular metabolism to transport them to our body’s filter organs.

Water is also the primary “conductor” of the electrical currents that energise and facilitate bodily function. Having good quality water, regularly, is therefore imperative for health.

What Makes Water Pure or Healthy?

Can you just drink any old water though? Surely water is water and as long it’s ….. wet, that should surely do the job, shouldn’t it? The first question mark over this is raised by the findings of recent research by the Environment Protection Agency in the USA. They recently found that 2,100 chemicals, known to be associated with toxicity and therefore health disruption have been found in municipal tap water there. While these may be present at trace (low) levels the concoction of these elements is unlikely to be beneficial to health.

Conscious of potential toxicity, water companies add chlorine to municipal tap water. The challenge, as I understand, with chlorine is the toxicity of the chemicals that it can produce when it reacts with carbon based compounds. Additionally chemicals are added to tap water to remove lead toxicity. Controversial fluoride is added to most tap water too.

With this in mind some kind of home filtration is advisable. A seemingly logical solution is to filter out everything to get back to pure H2O. Reverse osmosis or distilled water will provide this for you. The challenge is that, the products of these filtration systems are often acidic and do not support life. If you put a fish in distilled water or water plants with it, apparently, they do not last long. It is the minerals that are dissolved in the water that gives it its life force. You can add minerals back to the water produced by these machines, but there are question marks about creating water with life force or detoxifying qualities this way.

Bottled water may suddenly seem appealing when you read this. Part of the trouble with that is that the inordinate amount of oil used every year to produce plastic bottles (estimated at over 17 million barrels per annum). It’s also worth considering the truck miles involved in its transport and potential oestrogen like toxicity from the plastics leeching into the water, particularly in warm weather.

So What’s The Answer:

I’m looking forward to hearing Ronnie Ruiz telling us about his solutions (what a pun!) next week. It does seem that filtration of tap water either through the chlorine removing, alkalising filter jug sold by Energise or the filter in a water ioniser is important. Additionally you want your water to contain negatively charged or alkalising minerals. These should help quench potentially harmful free oxidising radicals and provide conductivity for electrical currents, required for energy in the body. They can also help reduce the presence of yeasts and moulds. puripHy and pH booster drops are examples of products that should provide this. Inner Lights prime pH, Activator and Alkavision’s water drops are other examples.

While researching to write this week’s article I stumbled across some information about black Mica. This naturally occurring substance has interesting qualities for purifying water. I’ll let you know more when I do. This is an evolving area of health promotion.

(Click here to donate to the Red Cross’s Japan Tsunami appeal)

Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes.

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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From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...

After my recent Alkaline Water Q&A Session there was ONE KEY QUESTION that kept coming up over and over again: what are the easiest and cheapest ways to make alkaline water?

In this short video I run through all of the techniques:

> what they are
> how they work
> the costs
> the pro’s and con’s

Included are ‘lemon water’, adding sodium bicarb, alkaline jugs, alkaline sticks, pH drops and more!

Enjoy
Ross

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.

Mail | Web | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | YouTube

From Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog - health news, alkaline diet resources & tips to make you happy! do something nice today...