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: Seagreens – Spirulina & Chlorella

I noticed above you mentioned greens (no spirulina!). I love my perfectly healthy greens but have also read about the great benefits of spirulina and chlorella. Do you not recommend taking spirulina and if so can you explain why? Thank you so much for your newsletters and recipes.

This is a subject on which two leading voices in dietary healing have diametrically opposed points of view.

Dr. Robert Young, author of the pH miracle diet, hydration and lifestyle program feels that spirulina and sea vegetables are acidifying and best avoided. His view is that these sea plants, when dry, do not offer the same nutritional benefits as land based vegetables. He suggests that they are “weed” more than super food!

Dr. Brian Clement, director of the Hippocrates health institute in Florida, however, uses sea vegetables as a central part of his healing regimes. I have not found any source of evidence to support Dr. Young’s point of view other than his stated observation of the fact that the blood of someone regularly consuming sea vegetables is likely to be compromised.

This is a subject worthy of further debate and investigation, although I would say that I tend to follow Dr. Young’s view at present and discourage people from consuming large amounts of sea vegetables as a therapeutic or health promoting measure. Land grown greens are however the central pillar of the therapeutic and health promoting regimes I suggest to patients.

Thank you for your question!

Question Two: Raw Foods & The Alkaline Diet

I would really like an alkaline recipe book but I understood that cooking makes all formerly alkaline vegetables acidic in the body. Your sample recipes show a lot of cooking. Your response? Thanks.

I think that in the Energise recipe book Ross has tried to make eating and drinking alkaline as straightforward and palatable to most people as possible.

Raw food will be more alkalising than cooked and particularly freshly grown and picked produce. Bio-photons create a negative charge that have an energetic healing quality and an alkalising effect. I guess that Ross feels that an all raw alkaline recipe book might have made people feel that eating and drinking this way would be like going tom food prison!

That really needn’t be the case, as I am sure you are aware. I tend to edit information from information from raw “uncooked” books to be on alkaline principals, but I am sure that an alkaline recipe book with a large selection of raw foods would interest a lot of people.

Do remember however that even some cooked alkalising foods should be more alkalising than say ….. raw (or cooked) steak!

Question Three: Barrett’s Oesophagus & The Alkaline Diet

I have Barrett’s Oesophagus & need help getting acid under control. Can you give me some advice?

Dr. Young, the author of “the pH Miracle” has developed a hypothesis of the processes that occur in the digestive process which is different from the conventional view. There seems to be more logic in his explanation of the process than the conventional view.

He proposes that the processes involved digesting foods like meat, high sugar and processed foods, and fluids like fruit juice, tea and coffee increase the production of acid in the stomach.

The inflammation that you are experiencing at the base of the oesophagus will be caused by increased acid production. I would encourage you to dramatically increase your intake fresh and ideally mainly raw vegetables and make as much of the fluid you drink, alkaline as possible.

The pHour salts product that you can buy from Energise should give you some immediate symptomatic relief, but may make your stools looser, particularly if consumed in high quantities. Adding pH drops to water will make it more alkaline. Read as much as you can about this approach to health. There are plenty of free resources on the Energise website.

Question Four: Ovarian Cancer & The Alkaline Diet

I have recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I am unsure whether to proceed with surgery or adopt an alternative approach. My symptoms are mainly severe abdominal distension and discomfort (it looks like I am 6 months pregnant). I have just had a Colonic irrigation to relieve the wind and constipation. I feel nauseated and ‘full’ and very uncomfortable. I have also put on a stone in weight and feel exhausted. I don’t sleep well and feel permanently exhausted.

My diet is partly alkaline but not as alkaline as it had been previously. Please could you advise me the best way to go about easing the symptoms I am suffering? I work as a nurse and often work 60-70 hours a week. It is not easy for me to juice during the day only morning and late evenings as a general rule. I would be grateful for any advice as I am feeling very miserable at the moment.

My sympathies are with you Jacqueline. I think that in your position I would make green juices or green smoothies morning and evening. Then hydrate during the day with water mixed with green powder and pH drops. You could take a salad to work if you feel hungry and keep it in the fridge.

You could also start measuring your urinary and salivary pH and seeing if you can raise them to 7 or ideally higher (up to 9). pHour salts could help with this.

This really is a time to make yourself as healthy as possible. Plant based diets have been widely proven to promote health so I would really encourage you to help your body heal itself with as much fresh living food as possible. Sprouted beans and seeds having healing energetic qualities. Drinking wheatgrass regularly should help too.

Colonics or enemas can help the process of detoxification. Regularly using the pHour salts powder mixed with water can help cleansing and alkalising too.

Try to fit in some fresh air and sun exposure during your daily work routine. Schedule time for gentle enjoyable exercise, daily. While it is wonderful that you do a job caring for others, do try to put time aside also to dedicate to your healing and regeneration. You might want to read Brandon Bays Journey book and surround yourself with people who offer constructive help and support.

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

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...

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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...

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: Alkalinity/Acidity of Vegetables

Dr Young writes that tomatoes when cooked change from alkaline to slightly acidic, does this happen to other veg? onions, garlic and all the rest?

Raw food generally will be more alkalising to body fluids and tissue. The main reason for this is that the bio-photon energy contained by living plants that makes them more alkalising is diminished by cooking. The glaecemic index (how quickly sugar enters the blood) will increase too and levels of some health promoting nutrients (like vitamin C) will also be reduced by cooking.

Cooking vegetables and roots, does not however mean that they become as acidifying as some of the major “acidifiers” such as vinegar, mayonnaise, mushrooms, fizzy drinks and animal protein.

Question Two: pH Levels & Liquid Intake

I had a quick question about the liquids that we intake and the pH before entering the body vs after. If I use a pH strip and test the water I’m drinking with alkalizing drops, green drink and regular tap water – should there be a noticeable difference in the pH of these liquids before they enter my system? I have tested all three and I have noticed very little difference between them. Before I disclose which greens drink I am using and which water drops I just wanted to know if the pH difference occurs in the system once the body processes these liquids or if it is actually supposed to be recognizable before entering my system?

What a great question and great that you are taking your health this seriously. There should be a difference in the pH of the water that you drink with and without the pH drops. They should raise the pH by a whole number, at least. Adding the greens alone (without the pH drops) is unlikely to raise the pH measurably. Because they are dried (with, in some cases, a micro-electronic charge re-attached to them) they are likely to be pH neutral.

There are some potential challenges around measuring changes in pH. While the pH strips or pH paper can act as a useful guide to urinary and saliva pH, I wouldn’t guarantee their accuracy 100%. Particularly if you are using the narrow band pH strips, the changes can actually take the reading outside the range. If you really want to be sure that your readings for any measurement are completely correct then it would be worth investing in a pH meter. You can order one here: Click here!

I have readings from a client who tested the pH of tap water using one of these meters. She tested the effects of Reverse Osmosis, an alkalising jug and Young pHorever puripHy drops. The jug and the puripHy clearly raised pH while RO did not and in one of the tests, significantly lowered it.

Question Three: Restricted Potassium/Salt Diet & Alkaline Supplements

I want to alkalise my water with ph drops but am on a restricted salt and potassium diet for Meniere’s (disease) – can you advise as to which product is the best for me please?

The conventional way to “treat” Meniere’s disease (ringing in the ears, partial deafness and vertigo) is to try to reduce the amount of fluid retention in the head or aural canal by reducing sodium intake and in some cases, by giving diuretics. In the literature that I have read, I have not found any reference to reducing potassium intake.

The reality is that all pH “boosting” drops (that I am aware of) do use sodium or potassium salts in order to achieve increases in pH. You could try using the formulas that have higher levels of potassium than sodium such as Perfectly Healthy’s “pH plus” or Young pHorever’s puripHy, but these both still contain potassium.

I think that my general advice to you, would be to look in a wholistic way at why the fluids in your aural canals may not be draining or may be thickened, rather than trying to “force” the fluid out.

An alkalising diet, fresh air and sunlight are the foundational steps that I would recommend to anyone looking to improve their health. That may need to be followed with detoxification, at a deeper level to promote the free flowing and draining of fluids from the aural canals.

I add the following quote from the dizziness-and-balance.com website, written by Timothy C. Hain, MD:

“Note that it is not the overall level of sodium that is important, but whether or not it fluctuates. It is not necessary or wise to lower your salt intake to amounts barely able to sustain life. We do not encourage use of 1 gram sodium diets. Rather the goal is to keep sodium levels from fluctuation. A 2 gram diet is usually possible.”

Acupuncture can be used to help ear draining and general health too.

Question Four: pHour Salts & Alkalosis

On taking the pHour salts our urine readings went to over 8/9 and stayed there overnight and half the next day? I am a bit nervous about taking it again as I don’t want to become too alkaline?

Thanks for this question. While some practitioners believe that maintaining a urinary pH around seven is healthy, I am in agreement with Dr. Young’s view that a healthy urinary pH is consistently maintained in the 8/9 readings that you achieved.

The fundamental underlying principal of human (and all animal physiology) is that every active, waking minute of every day our body is producing acid through metabolic reactions. These acids are buffered (neutralised) in our bodies and large amount of that buffering takes place in our kidneys. This is where urine is (made). So if you are producing alkaline urine after ingesting pHour salts, that means that this important organ of detoxification and elimination is maintaining it’s alkaline “design” and therefore staying healthy.

If you are eating a highly alkaline diet, free from animal protein and high in green plant foods, their juices and sprouted seeds and beans, with healthy fats and un-processed salts, you may not need to add pHour salts to your regime. Do however remember, that you should be able to support a urinary pH of 8 or 9 quite comfortably and Dr. Young actually recommends that that is where we should all be, in order to facilitate the elimination of metabolic (produced in the body) and ingested (eaten or drunk) acids.

If, in the highly unlikely event that, you did start to experience any kind of urinary discomfort, you should reduce the dose.

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

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...

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: Alkaline Diet Cleanse – Duration & Frequency

Cleanse – how many times per annum do you recommend cleansing and for how long and when (what months)?

Hmm. Good question. I think the real answer would be related to your need and … motivation. If someone has an extreme health challenge (or wants to be on the top of the podium in London next year) then there’s a fairly good case for pretty much continuously following a COWS (Chlorophyll, Oils, Water and Salt) based eating and hydration plan. That can be with smoothys, juices, alkaline meals and green powders.

Getting enough calories might require some thought and planning if you are to do this and having some kind of professional advice may be advisable too. Avocados, sprouted beans and seeds and healthy oil (such as Dr Young’s Omega 3-6-9 Oil Blend) can all form part of a sustained plant based eating plan.

A two to five day cleanse can be an effective way to initiate a change in your body chemistry. Start with two days and then try 3, 4 or 5 days if desired (and bearable!). It’s important to plan a little bit how you are going to eat and drink afterwards. The changes that you experience when you are cleansing may make you automatically desire more alkalising, health promoting food and hydration choices.

I really think that you can do a cleanse at any time of the year. When we ate more seasonally, winter might have been a time when more nuts and oils (or even animal protein, including cheeses) might have been consumed. As fresh plant foods became more locally readily available in spring, cleansing some of the build ups from our winter diet and shedding some of the warming winter weight would have been sensible and healthy. Year round “cleansing food” availability and central heating mean that we do not tend to eat this way so much now.

Spring and New Year “cleans” can however be effective and health promoting, but looking after your body really needs to be a year round project!

Question Two: The Right Combination of Cleansing Supplements

Supplements – normally I take Msm, probiotics & Savant’s Udo’s choice / flax seed oils. What additional supplements do you recommend taking whilst cleansing – do you recommend a fibre supplement & is there a danger of any side effects e.g. encouraging a lazy colon?

The main focus when you are cleansing needs to be on foods and fluids, as I am sure you are aware. I would recommend a green powder supplement and pH drops, that you mix with water. Eliminating acids through urination is equally important to elimination through defecation.

I don’t personally recommend pro-biotics. I believe they are acidifying. Using a vegetable oil that contains the essential fatty acids that your body cannot make is advisable. Hemp oil, Udo’s Choice or flax oil that is kept refrigerated are all good sources of these “healthy” fats that can help buffer (neutralise) acids as they are released from body tissue.

You can use fibre supplements to ensure / facilitate bowel movement. They can be slightly “abrasive” to the delicate tissue of the intestinal lumen (“wall”). Using a bicarbonate salt supplement such as pHour salts or Biocare’s “Bio-carbonate” can help mineralise the body and facilitate faecal elimination. These should help promote intestinal health without creating dependence or undermining your bodies own elimination capability. Remember that you can experience some discomfort when acids start to be released from body tissue.

Adding Montmorillionite clay (terra pHirma) to your greens or mixing it and eating it like yoghurt(!) can also help draw acids out and re-mineralise your body. Do keep reasonably well hydrated and consume fresh vegetables and un-refined salt.

Question Three: Tomatoes & Arthritis

Tomato / tomato juice – I was lead to believe tomato should be avoided as too much in the diet can cause / aggravate arthritis. Is this true?

Tomato’s are considered to be part of the nightshade family of plants and vegetables which also includes potatoes and aubergines and peppers. There is anecdotal (individual reported case history) evidence of diets where these foods are removed leading to improvements in arthritis symptomologies.

No trials (to me knowledge) have conclusively supported this and were they to do so, the question would then need to be asked as to whether any one of the individual “members” of the family was the “culprit” or whether this grouping actually caused arthritis.

People have experienced dramatic reductions in joint pain (over time) by following an alkalising plan as recommended by Dr. Young, Energise and myself. This would include low sugar fruits, such as tomatoes, lemons, limes, cucumbers and avocados. Tinned tomatoes, tinned or bottled tomato juice (rather than fresh), tomato ketchup or a pre-prepared tomato soup with sugar and / or vinegar added could contribute to the aggravation of arthritic symptoms.

Question Four: Exercise Juice & Breathing

Exercise – my preference is to power walk instead of run. Is this ok (if the target heart rate is reached)? When possible is it best to exercise before consuming breakfast juice and after exercise to complete breathing exercises (this is suggested in Alkaline Recipe 4: The Ultimate Liver Cleanse Recipe).

I think the most important thing with exercise is that you enjoy it enough to make you want to do it! If you don’t like running and you enjoy walking or power walking then ….
Running or more vigorous exercise can make you sweat more and breath more deeply. That is important to facilitate the elimination of acid. I do however accept that power walking may accomplish both of these. More vigorous exercise can however also make you more acidic if you promote sugar burning metabolism (rather than fat burning) or exceed your body’s oxygen delivery capability (anaerobic exercise).

I would recommend having a glass of pHour salts and water or water and lemon juice on an empty stomach / on rising. Ideally, you would then do your power walking (or other exercise) and then have a juice or alkaline smoothy. The ingredients in the liver cleanse and other juices will need some digestive “work” so might slosh around while exercising if consumed directly prior to commencing. You can do your breathing exercises before or after physical exercise, if you wish. Experiment with sequences to see what works best for you.

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

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...

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: Bacterial Vaginosis & Alkalising Supplements

I have bacterial vaginosis, which in turn gives me a very high acidic ph level. My question is what product should I start with? I am looking at the Greens+ or the green drinks but what do you recommend? I also do have early signs of osteo-arthritis, arthritis runs in our family.

I think I’d see things the other way round. An acidic genital environment is likely to be the reason for bacterial vaginosis (BV), rather than bacterial imbalance causing increased acidity.

The most important thing however, is that I am sure you are doing the right thing to make your body (and body fluids) more alkaline. Osteo-arthritis is also likely to be associated with increased acidity of body fluids and tissue. Acidity can cause inflammation and irritation of joints and ultimately your body can start to draw down calcium from bone to neutralise acid. This can also contribute to joint aches.

Eating and drinking dark green leafy (and other low sugar) vegetables is a great way to fuel your body with foods that will help raise your body and fluid pH (make you more alkaline). A green powder supplement such as Mega Greens, Doc Broc power plants or Inner Light super greens mixed with filtered water and pH boosting (raising) drops can help to start the change in your body chemistry. That should be drunk throughout the day. You may also want to have a scoop of pHour salts in a glass of water on rising. As well as these supplements, keep a focus on eating plenty of fresh and raw vegetables and sprouted beans and seeds.

The Energise recipe book is full of great ideas of ways to “eat alkaline”. Adding Udo’s Choice (oil) or hemp oil to salads or pouring it onto fresh or lightly steamed vegetables (after steaming!) can help with joint aches. They both contain special fats that produce anti-inflammatory molecules in the body.

Question Two: Acid/Alkaline Food Lists

Thank you for your list of Acid/alkaline foods. A query- When I did my nutrition training, a few years ago I was given a list of foods which differs from yours in some areas. For example in my list tomatoes and potatoes are listed as acid (all part of the deadly nightshade family), and grapefruit is acid (I agree lemons are alkaline) and apples, mangos and pineapples are alkaline. As I work in a Health food shop and am continually giving out info to customers re: alkalising their diets to reduce such problems as arthritis I would be grateful if you could clarify this. Is it because they come under the moderately acid list that they are included as acid?

The list that Ross distributes from Energise and the one that I use in my practice is based on the research of Dr. Young. The reason why mangos, pineapple and apples are listed as acidic is because of their sugar content. Sugars can feed yeasts and non-beneficial micro-forms in the body and blood and the metabolic by products (exhaust!) produced when these life forms exist and proliferate, because they are fed is …. acidic!

I too was taught about the potentially harmful effects of consuming fruits and vegetables from the night shade family, particularly for arthritis sufferers. I am not sure, however that this classification and reported benefits through exclusion really holds water. Tomatoes, like lemons, although acidifying outside the body contain minerals, which over-ride the acidifying effect of the weaker fruit acids once they have been digested.

Potatoes on the other hand, particularly after cooking have a raised glaecemic (sugar) index. Like all root vegetables, the sugars that they contain can (like fruit) feed and promote sugar feeding micro-forms. Remember here also that there is a question of degree. A baked potato (cooked longer) will have a higher glaecemic index than a steamed new potato and therefore be more acidifying.

A cooked carrot will have more potential for acidifying than a raw one, although juicing a carrot can again increase its glaecemic load, because the fibre is removed. Grapefruits classification as alkalising is based on the same principles as tomatoes, lemons and limes although it’s slightly higher sugar content will mean that it is less alkalising than those other three fruits.

It may be helpful to remember that acid and alkaline balance is not an on / off switch. There are questions of degree and while wheatgrass or cucumbers are considered super alkalising, lettuce, for example while still alkalising is less so. I’ve posted the list I use (taken from Dr. Young’s work) on the internet here to illustrate the point.

I’m talking to Dr. Young at the moment, about the methodology for reproducing these figures. Impact on urinary pH and effects on live blood samples of consuming certain foods and fluids are indicators of their effect on body pH.

Question Three: Phour Salts & Breastfeeding

I have just received the pHour salts and wondering if they are ok to take. I am breast feeding my daughter, she is 8 months old and on sold food, but still has milk about 4 times a day.

Yes, that should be absolutely fine. Make sure that you are taking effective steps to eliminate any acid that is mobilised to your blood stream as a result of taking the pHour salts. Regular hydration and gentle and enjoyable exercise should help promote elimination of acids through urination, perspiration and respiration. As for anyone using pHour salts, reduce the dose if you start to experience loose stools. Make sure you’re eating and drinking plenty of greens too!

Question Four: Alkaline Fats & Energy Levels

Hey there, I was wondering, I just cut out acidic fats and made the transition to alkaline fats (almonds, avocados, pepitas, sunflower, flax) no coconut, and in the morning, today, I felt great, ready to rock and roll… but then I made a thick almond milk, and I found my energy went back to digestive energy… (not functioning, waiting for it to digest) I thought it would be different since, these fats are alkaline.

Thanks for asking this. It’s actually a question of degree of alkalinity and the way the body processes different foods. Certain fats, such as saturated animal fat and even coconut oil (although less so) will be acidifying to the body. So too will heated vegetable oils. Your body does need healthy dietary fat which it can use as calorie source and as building blocks for cell membranes, nerve sheaths, skin and some molecules that act as messengers in the body. Your body can also use healthy fats to “buffer” (neutralise) acids in the body.

A meal or drink that has a very high fat content, can however be quite challenging to digest, particularly if you have any deficiency in the bile salts that your body uses to emulsify (“break down”) fats. On top of this the fats do actually need to be processed by your liver once they pass into your blood stream. The food and drinks that will give you the highest level of “instant” energy are green vegetable and low sugar fruit (e.g. cucumbers) juices or salads. These require very little digestive “processing” (other than chewing) and they are super alkalising.

I’ve posted a chart on the internet (click here) which shows the relative acidity and alkalinity of some different foods and fluids. You’ll see that while almonds are alkalising they fall more towards the middle of the scale than fresh vegetables and super-alkalising grasses.

Add a small amount of fresh almond milk to an alkaline smoothy if you still want the dense calorific flavour of nuts that have been soaked and blended. Add some nuts or healthy oils to vegetable meals rather than making them “the whole meal”!

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

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...

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: Fresh Juicing & Oxalic Acid

Is oxalic acid a problem for juicing raw veg? I read it can cause kidney stones?

Thanks for bringing this up. When you launch on a new dietary path, it’s important to keep questioning and reviewing it. The only caveat to that is that you need to look at the source of information quite carefully and particularly when it runs counter-intuitively.

It’s virtually universally agreed (with solid scientific support) that vegetables are good for you. So it would then seem a little odd that an action which concentrates the nutrients contained in them and making them easier to absorb, while maintaining the qualities of fresh and raw produce, would cause a body disruption like a kidney stone.

The idea that there may be a link between increased vegetable intake and an increase in the incidence of the formation of kidney stones is born out of the fact that the majority of kidney stones are formed of calcium oxalate. Certain plant foods, notably those in the spinach “family”, including chard, kale and …. spinach(!) do contain measurable amounts of oxalic acid. It would however be wrong to assume that simply by increasing your consumption of oxalic acid, more calcium oxalate will be formed in the kidney or urethra (tube linking the kidney and bladder).

The majority of oxalic acid found in the body is actually produced by the liver, rather than coming from dietary intake. What is interesting is that low calcium diets have shown a positive association with increased kidney stone formation [1]. It is suggested that this could be because calcium binds to oxalate in the gastro-intestinal tract making the oxalate less available for absorption. (Remember that spinach contains high levels of calcium). What however seems clearer is that diets high in animal protein do lead to an increased risk of kidney stone formation [2].

Alkalising your urine (by using pHour salts and pH drops, along with dietary choice, sunshine exposure etc.) and increasing hydration have both been shown reduce the risk of kidney stone formation. So if you are concerned have a scoop of pHour salts in a glass of (filtered or ionised) water before you have your (mainly green!) vegetable juice. I often do!

References:

1. Parmar, Malvinder S. (2004). “Kidney stones”. British Medical Journal 328 (7453): 1420–1424. doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7453.1420. PMID 15191979

2. Breslau NA, Brinkley L, Hill KD, Pak CY.(1988) Relationship of animal protein-rich diet to kidney stone formation and calcium metabolism. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Jan;66(1):140-6. PMID: 2826524

Question Two: Alkalising & Detox Symptoms

I have been eating a more alkaline diet for the last 4 months. Before starting, I checked my ph levels and they were ideal. I continually check it to see how I am and it varies very little. Since I have been eating more alkaline I am nauseous a lot and very sensitive to wine! Do you have any idea why? I do still have some days that are not as alkaline as they should be, but I ALWAYS start my day with lemon water and a green fresh juice, and ALWAYS end my day with at least 2 glasses of lemon water.

It’s tricky to be totally sure without knowing exactly what your version of alkalising consists of. I would imagine that some of these challenges are the result of acids being released from your body tissue and moving into your blood stream.

It’s important that you keep your intake of mineral salts up (pHour salts, pH drops etc.) to help your body neutralise acids as they are released. Alkalising your digestive tract with the bicarbonate salts contained in pHour salts should help reduce the nausea. Maintaining hydration, to maintain urinary elimination of acids, is important too.

Be aware also that Dr. Young’s idea of ideal urinary pH is 8 or even 9. I’m no fan of forcing that with only using bicarbonate, but a urinary pH above 7 achieved through diet, hydration and lifestyle is healthy.

If you are not eating a lot of fresh raw vegetables during the day, then be sure to put green (no spirulina!) powder in your water with your pH drops. De-toxing and re-toxing at the same time can be a challenge, so maybe best to give the wine a rest for a bit. Check back in with us if the discomfort continues.

Question Three: High Acidity Levels & Weight Loss

Can a high acidity level cause one to lose weight? I’ve always had trouble gaining weight. I’m 47 years old, 6′ 3″ and I weigh 175lbs. I know I have a history of tons of sugar, coffee and I have a great deal of trouble making myself drink water. I’m hoping to change that now.

In a word …… yes! While some people balloon on a high acid diet and hydration plan (!), others find it progressively harder to build healthy muscle mass and body tissue. This can be because the acids attack the delicate vilii (finger-like projections) in the intestines. This can compromise the absorption and “processing” of foods and nutrients. Acidity can also lead to degradation of body tissue. Some people “warehouse” the acids off on fatty tissue others have the reverse experience, becoming light for height.

Try adding more un-processed salt to your food, as that can help increase thirst. Increasing alkaline hydration should help start to wash acids from your body. My Dad started alkalising at 77, so 47 sounds like a good age to get into it! Powdered greens in water with pH drops might help too.

Question Four: Sinusitis & pH Levels

I have sinusitis (inflammation of the sinus lining) and was wondering what pH level you recommend for flushing my sinuses out with or healing the inflamed sinuses with what pH?

My understanding is that sinusitis (inflammation of the membranes encapsulating the sinuses) is most likely to be caused by the acidic state of the phlegm and mucous contained within them. The production of extractable mucous and phlegm is one of the crucial de-toxification (or alkalising) mechanisms.

Washing your sinuses with slightly salty water or water with a pH of 8 or 8.5 (so long as you do not experience discomfort) may help provide some symptomatic relief. More importantly however you need to support your body at a deeper (more internal) level to reduce the production of acidic mucous and phlegm.

Your full “alkalising” diet, hydration and lifestyle and programme should help you do this. Green plant foods and unrefined salt or pH drops should help build healthy red blood cells which should promote cellular repair.

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

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...