Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog » himalayan crystal salt

Alkaline Recipe #138: Soba Pasta Pesto Pine Extravaganza!

Ross — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:40:56 +0000

Alkaline Recipe #138: Soba Pasta Pesto Pine Extravaganza!

I’m a big fan of the soba noodle. They’re not super-alkaline, but to have as part of your 20% acid-forming foods on your plate these are SO much better than straight pasta.

Firstly, they’re not made from durum wheat (like normal high-GI pasta) they’re made from buckwheat, which is far closer to the neutral end of the acid/alkaline scale.

Because of this they’re low GI, high in protein and high in fibre, making you feel satiated for longer and less likely to snack.

Combined with fresh, raw pesto, uncooked oil and pine nuts, this meal is a great transition recipe.

Soba, Pesto, Pine Nut Extravaganza!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pack of soba noodles (depending on pack size, make the noodles just 20% of your plate)
250g pine nuts (pref organic)
1 cup of cold-pressed olive oil, flax oil or Udo’s Choice
1 bunch of basil, plus parsley and coriander to taste
Himalayan Crystal Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Optional: extra veggies, steamed such as zucchini, broccoli, tomato (raw), rocket, peas etc…or serve with a big side salad of rocket.

Other optional: you can also include some semi-dried tomatoes in the pesto to mix things up!

Instructions

Cook the soba noodles as per instructions on the packet. Remember to keep the noodles to 20% of the plate.

Give the herbs a good wash (basil, coriander and parsley) and blend these up with the pine nuts and a tiny amount of oil to get it going. Once these are blended, toss in the rest of the ingredients and blend until you get a creamy sauce.

At this stage if you’re going to have with other veggies or a salad, prepare this now.

Once the veggies are ready and the noodles are cooked, I like to toss together with the pesto in a saucepan to warm gently. Season with salt and pepper and you’re ready to go!

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.

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

Alkaline Diet Recipe #121: Alkaline Wrapless Wraps!

Ross — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:30:14 +0000

Alkaline Diet Recipe #121: Alkaline Wrapless Wraps!

These wraps are GENIUS! People often tell me how hard it is to find sprouted wraps in the UK (in the USA you can find them at Alvarado Street Bakery – they might even ship to the UK…) so these wraps are the perfect, alkaline answer!

They are perfect for a healthy lunch if you are on the go or a quick alkaline snack in between.

I really like normal wraps, but then thought – I also love San Choy Bow…hmmm…I have an idea here – how great and more alkaline it would be if you swapped out the bread wraps with something more alkaline and healthy … lettuce of course!

These are now legendary in the Energise Ross household – I hope you love them too!

Alkaline Wrapless Wraps (San Choy Bow…kinda!)

Serves 2

Ingredients

6 very large romaine lettuce leaves (iceberg is also fine)
2 ripe tomatoes
3 ripe avocados
½ medium-sized red onion
½ fresh chilli
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander or parsley
The juice of 1 organic lemon
1 pinch of crystal sea salt or himalayan crystal salt

Instructions

Firstly, mash the avocados (with a fork in a bowl is fine). Then chop the tomatoes, red onion, coriander and parsley (plus chilli if you want it hot) into small pieces, make it nice and diced. Then squeeze the lemon juice and sprinkle the salt over the avocado and mix in the chopped up stuff. It makes up a kind of salsa, but with loads more avocado. Nice and alkaline.

Now prepare the big lettuce leaves by washing them and then patting dry.

Divide the mixture up among the leaves, wrap them over and keep them secure with a cocktail stick!

Et voila! Delicious and as alkaline as it comes!

About Ross Bridgeford

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

Alkaline Diet Recipe #115: Broccoli, Carrots and Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce

Ross — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:05:44 +0000

Alkaline Diet Recipe #115: Broccoli, Carrots and Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce

I am sure to have mentioned this before, but I love Vegetable curries of all types, as they are healthy, mostly alkalising and very versatile too.

I have only discovered this curry a little while ago, but have already cooked it several times, as it is so easy to prepare and tastes delicious. The broccoli, carrots and peas together with the coconut milk and curry powder give this dish an abundance of flavours.

Apart from the great taste, the broccoli, peas and carrots are also very healthy and alkaline, as between them they contain high levels of Vitamin C, dietary fiber, antioxidants and minerals.

We hope you enjoy this tasty curry as much as we do and feel free to mix it up with other vegetables!

Broccoli, Carrots and Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g broccoli
400g carrots
200g peas, fresh or frozen
2 medium sized onions
3 garlic cloves
200ml coconut milk (unsweetened)
200ml yeast-free vegetable stock
1 lemon (unwaxed)
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp curry powder
Optional: Himalayan crystal salt or celtic sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Peel the onions and cut into small pieces. Peel the garlic cloves and hack into fine pieces. Wash and drain the broccoli and carrots. Separate the broccoli florets from the stem and cut the carrots into thin slices.

Heat 2 tbs of oil in a large frying pan. Gently fry the onion, garlic and curry powder and shortly roast.

Add the broccoli and carrots, season with a little bit of salt and briefly fry. Pour in the coconut milk and stock, season with 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel and cover the pan with a lid. Gently cook for about 12 minutes.

Season the curry with salt, pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice and curry powder. Quickly bring back to boil and then serve.

Enjoy!

About Ross Bridgeford

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

Alkaline Diet Questions with Gareth (#30)

Ross — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:12:45 +0000

Alkaline Diet Questions with Gareth (#30)

Hey everyone!

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: Vegetarianism & Acid Reflux

Hi Gareth, I have been a veggie for many years and have always eaten a balanced healthy diet. For the past 6 months I have suffered badly with acid reflux, reading your Q/A re sinus, this answers one of my queries too as this is also a problem. I started on an alkaline diet hoping that it would eliminate the excess acid produced but have had no improvement and am now taking medication, which doesn’t seem to be working either, please can you help me, it is so debilitating and miserable. Maggie

Hi Maggie, my sympathies are with you. I know from past experience how uncomfortable acid reflux can be.

My approach would be three-fold:

Maintain or dramatically increase of low sugar green plant foods. These should help reduce your desire for the more acidifying components of a Vegetarian diet such as grains, cooked beans and sugars. This should also reduce the need for bicarbonate production in the stomach which in turn should reduce the production of hydrochloric acid. Drinking powdered greens in (importantly) alkaline water is one way to achieve this. Making green vegetable juices (with added lemon juice for flavour) is another. Adding cabbage to the juices (along with other dark green leafy vegetables) can be helful for digestive upsets.
Start using the pHour salts product available from Energise for Life. This should help “neutralise” acid in your stomach. You can take one scoop up to three times a day so long as you do not experience diarrhea. Reducing or removing the medication should be possible and it is not desirable to take high quantities of bicarbonate (pHour Salts) with the medication. If the medication is on prescription, advise your physician that you are trying alternative strategies.
Do everything you can to eliminate acid from your body. Hydrate with alkaline water (2-3 litres a day) and add unrefined salt to your food. Take regular aerobic exercise, walking for a minimum of 20 minutes per day (ideally in sunlight – outdoors) is a suitable start. Ensure that you have regular bowel (at least once per day) movements. Greens and the pHour salts should ensure this.

Question Two: Genetic Cystinuria & Kidney Health

I have genetic cystinuria as does one of my five siblings. Can you tell me please if an alkaline diet would reduce the risk of cystine stones and grit forming? I have already lost most of my right kidney from this condition and therefore would like to look after what I have left.

I’m not an expert in genetic cystinuria, but I can’t imagine a situation where increasing your intake of fresh and raw vegetables and the juices of low sugar vegetables could cause harm.

My hunch is that the calcification of the cystine stones is caused as much by calcium being used by the body to buffer acids (from diet, hydration and metabolism) as it is from genetic challenges. My understanding of your condition is that it is the calcification of the cystine can contribute to damage as much as the formation of renal calculi from cystine alone.

Two conventional recommended “treatments” for cystinuria are hydration (4 litres of water per day) and an alkaline hydration and dietary programme. On the Doctor’s website that I looked at sodium bicarbonate was suggested. These therapeutic interventions are considered likely to be effective in preventing cystine stones from forming.

I think that further potential benefits worthy of consideration in an alkaline dietary and hydration programme are the facts that cystine is often produced as anti-oxidant by the body. The alkaline diet and hydration programme should promote reduction (the opposite of oxidation) reactions in the body and potentially reduce the need for cystine synthesis. Additionally cystine is produced to de-toxify alcohol, so limited, or ideally, no alcohol consumption would be recommended.

A final factor to consider is that high (or even moderate) animal protein intake is pretty much universally accepted to be a potential cause of increased kidney load and therefore potentially damage. Vegetarian or Vegan alkaline sources of protein such as sprouted beans, seeds and pulses are considered preferable for renal (kidney) health.

I would recommend that you consider consulting with a physician who is familiar with using alkaline diets therapeutically to discuss your situation and review all the factors involved.

Question Three: Sudden Weight Gain & Alkalising

My husband and myself have been eating more alkalising for the past two years. My husband has lost about 40 lbs. and I lost about 10 lbs. In the past few months we both have gained a few pounds and can’t understand it. We can’t seem to get lose this weight. Any suggestions? Does stress play a part in this? Thank you.

It’s a little bit tricky to know without a bit more information. Stress certainly could be part of the issue. Adrenal hormones (or messengers) released into the blood stream can have an acidifying effect on your body, which can in turn lead to weight gain. Additionally stressful situations can lead many of us to crave foods which trigger the release of feel good chemicals. Carbohydrates can have this effect and contribute to weight gain, particularly if they are refined (white) or a large quantity of tinned or cooked beans or pulses are consumed.

Sticking to the basic principles of hydration with alkaline water, eating a high percentage of fresh and mainly raw vegetables (mainly green) and having plenty of sprouted beans and seeds should help you to maintain your desired body weight. You need to be defecating regularly too. pHour salts and green juices can help to keep you regular. Regular enjoyable exercise, sunlight and fresh air are all important too.

It could be that you’ve hit a “wall” where you need to increase the alkalinity in your regime to keep the pounds off, but if the situation persists I’d recommend consulting a pH aware physician who can look at all the factors in your lives in more detail.

Question Four: Alkaline On A Tight Budget

Hi Gareth, I’m unemployed and so my monthly budget to spend is severely hampered right now. I have the pHresh jug so I’m okay for water. What would you recommend that I spend my money on in regards to supplements? Bear in mind I have a budget of around £20 a month to spend on health and the alkaline diet isn’t cheap. Also I find I have to buy more junk at the supermarket because it’s cheaper to eat than healthy fresh foods. Any advice? Thanks, Gavin

OK Gavin, in a curious way your current situation is an opportunity to get creative. I’d actually start with the food issue rather than the supplements. Unfortunately supplements won’t really make up for eating junk.

If you may have a bit of time find a farmer’s market or even buy your veggies direct from a farmer. That should make them cheaper and probably even fresher. If you need to cycle to get them, that’s a health (if not time!) bonus. The other thing you can do is start growing them or find someone who has an allotment and do a bit of an exchange for cultivation work. If you live in the city, growing your own might seem tricky, but you can get a long way with herbs in pots and sprouting beans and seeds. Sprouts are highly nutritious and packed with energy.

A Vegetarian diet should be cheaper than an animal based one and because the food (as fresh as possible) should give you more energy, you should find that you can eat less of it. I often now have two meals a day compared with previously three or four. Make sure that as much as possible is green.

If you can eat well and have enough water the two most important supplements are unrefined salt and some hemp oil to add to fresh raw food. If you have any budget left then a tub of pHour salts, a tub of Mega Greens and a bottle of puripHy could be added. Have a small scoop of pHour salts in water in the morning. During the day mix a tea spoon of Mega Greens and two drops of puripHy with 500-800 ml of water and keep yourself hydrated. The puripHy is highly alkalising and should last a long time at 5 drops per litre.

Disclaimer: These answers are not intended to diagnose and do not replace the advice of a qualified physician.

If you have a question for Gareth leave it in the comments below!

About Ross Bridgeford

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

Alkaline Diet Recipe #112: Salmon Steak with Broccoli

Ross — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:23:07 +0000

Alkaline Diet Recipe #112: Salmon Steak with Broccoli

This delicious recipe contains salmon, an oily fish which is rich in the healthy essential fatty acids and which can be included into an alkaline diet.

Broccoli is the other main ingredient, which is a highly alkaline vegetable and rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C and contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. Salmon has got a high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids and high vitamin D content.

Especially salmon is a healthy type of fish, which can be consumed occassionally when you are following the alkaline diet and is a good choice to bring variety into your healthy and alkaline diet.

Salmon Steak with Broccoli

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 x Salmon steaks (about 200g each)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp rapeseed or grapeseed oil
500g broccoli
Handful of fresh parsley
Handful of fresh chives
2 slices of lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
Himalayan Crystal Salt or celtic sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Mix together the lemon juice and olive oil. Marinate the salmon steaks in there for about 20 minutes. In the meantime wash and drain the broccoli and cut into florets.

Heat the rapeseed or grapeseed oil in a frying pan and fry the salmon at low heat on each side for about 5-8 minutes. Pour the rest of the marinade over the fish and steam for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In the meantime steam the broccoli florets until they are al dente.

Arrange the salmon and broccoli on a plate. Pour the remaining sauce from the frying pan over the fish and garnish with chives, parsley and slices of lemon.

Enjoy!

About Ross Bridgeford

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

Alkaline Diet Recipe #110: Alkaline Root Vegetable Curry

Ross — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:28:01 +0000

Alkaline Diet Recipe #110: Alkaline Root Vegetable Curry

Vegetable curries in general are one of my favourite dishes, as they are generally very healthy and alkaline at the same time. This recipe is a little bit different, as it contains root vegetables of your choice. Feel free to choose from celeriac, carrots, parsnips and beetroot.

Root vegetables are plant roots used as vegetables. Here “root” means any underground part of the plant. They are all packed with various nutrients are a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients such as sodium, potassium, Vitamin C and magnesium. Beetroot for example also contains betaine, which is important for cardiovascular health.

We hope you enjoy this alkaline root vegetable curry, which has got an abundance of different flavours given by a variety of spices and herbs.

Alkaline Root Vegetable Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

7 large handfuls of peeled and diced root vegetables of your choice (e.g. beetroot, carrots, parsnips and celeriac)
3 tbsp rapeseed or grape seed oil
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped into small pieces
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (preferably organic)
A bunch of fresh coriander
2 cinnamon sticks
3 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander
1 piece of fresh ginger, cut into small pieces
1 tin of coconut milk
1 lime
Himalayan Crystal Salt or Celtic Sea Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Optional: Brown basmati rice, cooked per instructions

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C. Put one large roasting tray into the oven to heat up.

Cut the root vegetables into about 3cm sized dices and put into a bowl. Coat with oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the vegetables onto the tray when it is hot and shake to distribute evenly. Roast them for about 40 mins.

Toast the coriander, fennel seeds and cumin in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes. Grind them to a rough powder and mix in the turmeric.

Put the chilli, ginger, garlic and onion in a blender and puree. Gently heat a splash of oil in a frying pan over a medium-low temperature and put in the spices. Fry for about a minute and add the paste. Stir for about 5 mins until the paste has soften and reduced in volume. Add more oil if needed.

Stir in the coconut milk and tomatoes. Add the cinnamon, simmer and stir constantly. Season to taste. Pour the sauce over the roasting vegetables.

Bake everything for about 25 mins, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened. Finish with fresh lime juice squeezed over it and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

This curry dish is delicious by itself, but please feel free to serve it with brown basmati rice.

Enjoy!

About Ross Bridgeford

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