Energise Alkaline Diet & Natural Health Blog » puriphy

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

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...

Are All Types of Water Equal?

Ross — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:05:47 +0000

Are All Types of Water Equal?

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

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 (#28)

Ross — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 11:40:21 +0000

Alkaline Diet Questions with Gareth (#28)

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

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

Green Drink – The Most Nutritious Drink on Earth

Ross — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:29:35 +0000

Green Drink – The Most Nutritious Drink on Earth

During the Christmas period some of us might have fallen off the health wagon and therefore it is time for many of us now to resume a healthy and alkaline lifestyle!

A great starting point is the use of green drinks, which are highly nutritious and alkalising. This week our Alkaline Diet Expert and highly qualified nutritionist Gareth Edwards highlights the numerous health benefits of green drink!

The health benefits of green drinks
by Gareth Edwards

Whether you are looking to recover New Year detox plans that have gone astray or you are a seasoned alkaliser wanting to take things to the next level, drinking your greens is one of the most powerful, straightforward and sustainable ways to keep moving forward with your health goals. Drinking a mixture that looks a bit like pond water may not be the most obviously appealing way of looking after yourself, but the benefits are likely to help you overcome any reservations about the appearance, fairly rapidly! And guess what? It doesn’t taste that bad either!

Where do Green Drinks actually come from?

To understand why these increasingly ubiquitous Popeye powders have the potential to be energising, reduce pain, support weight loss, improve skin and digestive function we need to look at a bit of health food (and drink!) history.

In the 1950’s Ann Wigmore started something of a health revolution when she cured herself of colon cancer, largely using wheatgrass juice, green plant foods and sprouted seeds and beans. She had noticed that when cats became unwell, they would suck on grass, rather than dig in to another tin cat food! Wigmore started a health institute in Boston Massachusetts and a vital piece in a new health movement was formed.

Growing harvesting and juicing your own wheatgrass and other green vegetables and grasses is one of the most powerful health tonics on earth but …. It can be incredibly time consuming. Finding a twenty first century “scoop and go” version of these green healing regimes has rapidly become crucial for busy people who are serious about optimum health. Drying grasses, sprouted seeds and vegetables at low heats preserves many of their health giving properties in a portable form, with considerably more convenience.

Why Green?

Example

So why should grass or broccoli be better than say orange foods such as papaya or carrot? I am sure this is obvious to more experienced alkalisers, but the answer is of course sugar…. These green, nutrient dense, fibre rich “superfoods” do not contain fructose (the sugar found in fruit) or high levels of the starches that make root vegetables taste sweet.

In addition, what makes green vegetables and grasses green is the pigment and light harvesting molecule chlorophyll. Isolated (extracted) chlorophyll has been shown to improve digestive disorders and help reduce tumour growth in cancer patients. One of the remarkable factors about chlorophyll is its virtually identical chemical structure with that of haemoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein in blood). The only difference is that magnesium is the central atom of chlorophyll, compared with iron in haemoglobin (see diagram above).

What Are Green Drinks>

These convenient, powdered drinks are a combination of (depending on which brand you chose, we recommend Doc Broc from Dr Young) powdered grasses (wheatgrass, barley grass, kamut grass etc), vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale etc), low-sugar alkaline fruits (avocado, tomato, lemon etc) and sprouted grains (alfalfa, mung, radish etc).

These powders are prepared using extreme care and low heat dehydration (be sure to make sure your greens aren’t flash frozen) to retain the goodness and are a nutritional powerhouse.

pHion Balance have researched, tested and discovered that once scoop of green powder is the equivalent to 1lb of fresh raw vegetables. I’m sure you can imagine the effect you’d soon feel after using four scoops per day!

The Second Generation

So drinking a powdered grass and green vegetable powder mixed with water is likely to give you high levels of chlorophyll, minerals, vitamins and fibre wrapped up in a low sugar, stimulant free bundle.

American biochemist and dietary healing specialist Dr. Robert Young has however developed an advanced method of using these green powders to enhance health even further.

His research has found that adding drops of concentrated alkaline mineral salts to the water in which powdered greens were mixed gave the additional health benefit of helping us to further alkalise our body fluids and ultimately tissue. These pH boosting drops have now become extremely popular and are giving great benefits to thousands of people all over the world. His 2nd generation drops ‘PuripHy’ are scientifically much more advanced than any other on the market (see our video on pH drops here) and we thoroughly recommend these.

In addition to this Dr. Young has researched and hypothesised that by including sodium in the alkalising mineral mix, he would provide the molecular building block needed by the body to …….. turn chlorophyll into haemoglobin.

But what about the taste?

So there you have it, nutritious, genuinely healthy and potentially able to help you build healthy blood (your energy and health “currency”). What could be holding you back from drinking either litres of green juice or powdered greens with drops?

Most people who try greens (of any sort) for the first time, are pleasantly surprised to find that “actually it doesn’t taste too bad”. “Like cold tea” is what I’ve most commonly heard about powdered greens. The reality is that if you find them really unbearable, unfortunately you probably need them more than any body ….. Mycotoxic and other forms that love an acidic environment aren’t going to react too well to their nutritional grim reaper!

How and what

If you are struggling with the taste or experiencing de-tox type symptoms then build up your intake slowly. Make a very dilute mixture of powdered greens with a few drops and maybe start with one glass a day. Ultimately you want to aim for two to three litres (maybe more if you are big) of green powders or juices a day. Aim for about one scoop of powder per litre or follow manufacturer’s instructions. This should help “wash” any stored acids and those that we make in our bodies out. Put some nice pictures in your sight line at the toilet, so you don’t get bored!

Do remember to mix mineral drops containing sodium with the fluid as increased urination can reduce your mineral levels. Be sure that you are adding salt to your food too. Some people do experience headaches, colds or re-emergence of old symptoms as they start to “de-tox”. That shouldn’t be a cause for concern, but if you experience sustained discomfort, when you increase your intake of greens, you should consult a nutritionally qualified physician.

Which Green Drink:

There are now lots of green products available. Personally I use and recommend those that contain only grasses, vegetables, sprouts, low sugar fruits (avocado, tomato, etc.) and maybe minerals.

Our top three choices are:

You can view all of our green drinks here.

Which pH Drops

I use and recommend Dr. Young’s puripHy or prime pH for alkalinity.

Here Is Your Action plan:

So if you are serious about your health and achieving your goals in 2010 you could do a lot worse than to start, increase or carry on drinking your greens.

Don’t forget that eating and drinking the “real” stuff has tremendous benefits, but if you’re rushing, travelling or just can’t face a plate of tomatoes, cumber and kale, then green powders with alkalising drops have a lot going for them.

You should aim for between 2-4 scoops of greens taken each time with one liter of good quality alkaline water.

General note: if you experience any adverse symptoms, you are advised to seek the guidance of a nutritionally informed physician.

About Ross Bridgeford

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