This week Gareth Edwards, our Alkaline Diet Expert and highly qualified nutritionist, is writing about the importance of having sufficient levels of alkaline minerals in order for our buffering systems in our bodies to maintain the crucial and delicate pH of our blood at 7.365.

He also explains why Dr Young’s pHour Salts is a fantastic alkaline mineral supplement in helping to maintain the crucial alkaline state of our bodies and therefore optimum health!

The Importance Of Alkaline Minerals For Optimum Health!

The Food Standards Agency (a British Government organisation) issues a thick book known as “The Composition of Foods”. Originally compiled by McCance and Widdowson some sixty years ago, this book shows mineral and vitamin levels present in a wide range of food stuffs. Disturbingly, but not perhaps surprisingly, one can plot a trend over the years that these tables have been produced, showing a progressive decline in essential mineral levels in vegetables and other foods.

Intuitively we probably know that that probably isn’t a very good thing. What makes it particularly important to us, is that we have buffering systems in our bodies that maintain the crucial and delicate pH of our blood at 7.365 and this uses minerals to function.

The next potential challenge to our health comes from the fact that increased use of pharmaceutical remedies, longer distances from field to plate, greater pollution levels and general adulteration of the food chain, means that most of us face a higher acidic “load” than those who were around when the first McCance and Widdowson food tables were issued.

So what are we to do?

Before jumping to Private Frazer’s (from Dad’s Army) conclusion that “we’re all doomed” take a moment to look at some exciting and refreshing scientific research. In March last year, the peer reviewed journal “Cancer Research” published a paper by Robey et al. (and others) showing that the pH (acidic) tumours could be raised (made more alkaline) by giving patients bicarbonate salts. This also resulted in a reduction of metastases (the spreading of tumours to other body parts).

Also last year, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published a study by Dawson-Hughes et al. showing that the administration of potassium bicarbonate led to reduced bone depletion (osteoporosis) in older men and women. This is particularly significant because the body draws calcium from bones in order to buffer (neutralise) acids. It is important to note that in this trial potassium alone (not in the bicarbonate form) did not help maintain calcium levels and bone density.

Bicarbonate is the alkaline form of minerals. It is (I imagine) universally accepted that large quantities of alkaline salts are secreted by our bodies as part of the digestive process. If however we are using these resources up in ever greater quantities and yet we are effectively consuming less of them, then there is a strong case for supplementing with bicarbonate salts.

One way to raise your body pH (become more alkaline) with mineral salts is to drink glasses of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) mixed with water. I have known this to be helpful and effective for patients. Make sure that the baking soda you use is pure (no anti-caking agents or other chemicals) if you want to try this.

There are however compelling arguments for consuming a broader spectrum of minerals in the alkaline form. It is important for the body to maintain a balance between sodium and potassium. Maintaining an intake of both of these minerals is important. The same is true of calcium and magnesium. In short large intakes of sodium or calcium without potassium or magnesium to balance them is not advisable. A healthy balance is naturally maintained by alkaline (high vegetable) dietary choices. Once we start supplementing it is important to maintain a balanced intake.

Dr. Young’s pHour salts product seems to tick a lot of boxes in helping maintain the crucial alkaline state of our bodies in the face of acidic challenges. It contains sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in bicarbonate forms. (It is worth noting that producing the latter two minerals in bicarbonate forms is considered chemically challenging. I am however assured that Dr. Young has found a method of consistently producing powdered alkaline forms of these two essential minerals).

How To Take It:

I have now been using pHour salts for several years and I am happy to recommend them to virtually all of my clients (see cautions below to understand where I might not).

I generally recommend mixing a scoop of the salts with a glass of water and consuming before anything else in the morning. This can be particularly beneficial in helping to settle my stomach if… I haven’t followed my own advice in what I’ve eaten the night before. You can then have another glass before lunch and dinner.

You may wish to build up to this slowly and the taste will probably take some getting used to. The other option is to mix the pHour salts with green powder and drink them regularly through the day.

Cautions?

pHour salts is quite a strong alkalising agent. That’s generally quite a good thing, but take a moment to reflect on what happens when you put alka-seltzer in water. There’s quite a fizz! The active ingredients in this once ubiquitous remedy are aspirin, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid. The fizz is what occurs when the alkaline sodium and the citric acid mix with water.

When pHour salts meet with strong acids it is likely there will be some kind of “reaction”. It is therefore advisable that you start slowly with small quantities and build up your intake over time. If you are taking or have taken medication for a sustained period of time, it is advisable to consult with a qualified, pH aware physician before starting.

Some people are concerned that taking pHour salts (or other un-refined salts) may lead to increased blood pressure. My experience with patients has confirmed Dr. Young’s and my opinion that the reverse is true. These substances have been part of regimes that have helped patients lower raised blood pressure.

It is however important to remember that pHour salts are not a substitute for alkalising dietary and hydration choices. They need to be used as a supplement to them.

Who Should Use It?

You should!

For most people looking to improve their health, increasing your intake of bicarbonate salts should be highly beneficial. At a rescue remedy level, it’s particularly good for helping with indigestion and for speeding up recovery times after physical exercise (less aching muscles). They can help stop urinary tract infections (UTI’s) quickly too.

The scientific evidence strongly suggests that they can be protective against and helpful in arresting tumours and maintaining healthy bone mass. These are things we all want. Start slowly.

Remember to consult with a pH aware physician before starting if you are on or have been on regular medication.

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 the alkaline diet!

Alkaline Diet Q&A With Gareth Edwards

Question One: Is Sodium Bicarbonate Sufficient To Alkalise My System?

Admittedly an all round healthy diet is important and beneficial to heath in lots of ways, but why can’t a person simply take sodium bicarbonate to alkalise their system when sodium bicarbonate is a natural product produced by the body in large amounts (and the very same substance discharged by the pancreas to neutralize stomach acid HCL). If hypertension was deemed as issue then potassium bicarbonate could be substituted for the sodium bicarbonate, or better still a mixture of the two.

Taking either sodium bicarbonate or Dr. Young’s pHour salts combination (sodium, potassium, bicarbonates along with calcium and magnesium) is recommended by practitioners wanting to help people promote alkalinity. This does indeed supplement a substance produced in large quantities by the body.

Read Dr. Young on the subject of how the body actually transforms food into blood by increasing it’s pH in the digestive tract. His strong, and totally credible view, is that hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach is the by-product of sodium bicarbonate production. The sodium bicarbonate is produced in response to the ingestion of acidic foods and fluids.

Taking supplemental bicarbonate salts may facilitate the body in buffering acids but there are essential biochemical building blocks in alkalising foods and fluids, such as vitamins, phyto-nutrients, fibre and chlorophyll that are required to build and promote health.

Remember also that a lot of buffering (neutralising) of acids takes place in the kidneys. While it is essential to have the minerals present to complete this, heavy buffering can lead to stone formation.

Question Two: What Are The Differences Between Juicers And Blenders?

What are the disadvantages of using a really powerful blender [Blend Tec] (instead of a juicer) where I juice greens along with fruits? To buy a juicer on top of the blender is a huge amount of money. Are there advantages in also consuming the fibre?

I think this is a tough question to provide a scientific answer to. I am not aware of any studies where people have been fed on juices or blended foods and their nutrient levels and other markers of health subsequently measured. This research should of course be done…

My own view and experience is that juice really does give you quick and pure entry of nutrients into the blood stream. This can be particularly useful if someone’s digestive system is impaired. It’s also useful if you are looking for ultimate health.

Some people do use blended vegetables and low sugar fruits such as cucumbers as cornerstones to alkalising programmes. Pre-digesting your food like this can lead to more being absorbed. The presence of the fibre can mean that less is absorbed than from a juice. Avoid putting high sugar fruits (apples, pears bananas) in blended smoothies.

Better quality juice machines are a substantial investment, but they should last a life-time. Powdered supplements can act as a bridge while you put the money in the bank! Money to help you get healthier is always well spent and usually returned in increased energy!

Question Three: How Can I Increase My Cholesterol Levels With The Alkaline Diet?

I have been on Dr Young’s programme for the last 9 months. I felt really good. Trouble is I am underweight 84lbs for a 5 footer. Lately, I seem to get low blood pressure and hypo (low sugar level). My cholesterol is very low. By consuming the alkaline diet, all this seems to lower further cholesterol. How can I increase cholesterol? Is it by consuming more healthy oil? I take a variety and a fair portion (at least 6-8 tablespoons/day) on top of coconut milk and oil. I know cholesterol is important to regulate my hormone levels. The last month was my worst supposedly pre-menstrual symptoms. Please advise. Will consuming eggs be safe?

If our bodies produce cholesterol in order to buffer (neutralise) acids and you are on a highly alkalising diet and hydration programme, then low cholesterol might be due to a reduced need. That said, our bodies are constantly producing metabolic acids and these do need to be buffered.

Low cholesterol has been associated with compromised health conditions [1] and you might therefore choose to continue to monitor it. I would not, however, suggest that you start eating a food containing high levels of cholesterol (such as eggs) in order to raise your levels. The link between eating cholesterol containing foods and changing your cholesterol levels has been repeatedly disproved.

I would recommend that you measure your urinary and saliva pH to see if you are still acidic. (Energise sell some pH stix to measure this). You might also consider blood analysis to see if you are successfully addressing the issues associated with acidosis. Even when you change to an alkaline diet and hydration programme, certain supplements (such as digestive enzymes, pro-biotics and vitamin C) and stress can keep you acidic.

Underlying acidity (that can take time to remove) is likely to be the cause of being under-weight. It can also be the reason for low blood pressure and low cholesterol. Continuing to have a very high intake of fresh (and powdered) green vegetables and their juices along with bicarbonate and un-refined salt should increase alkalinity and help promote cardio-vascular health. You can order Himalayan salt and bicarbonate salts (pHour salts) from Energise.

You are right to have reasonably liberal quantities of healthy oils and that should give you the nutritional building blocks to make cholesterol. Make sure it’s fresh and kept refrigerated. I’d be cautious about coconut milk, particularly if it comes from a tin. Drinking fresh coconut milk (from a coconut!) could be an occasional treat.

If your liver is compromised (e.g. due to a history of pharmaceutical use) that may effect your ability to absorb and “process” healthy fats. A pH and nutritionally aware practitioner should be able to help you assess this and support you with rebuilding.

Sprouted seeds and pulses are a healthy, alkalising source of protein and carbohydrate to help increase calories. Low blood sugar is not necessarily a problem if you are alkaline and have enough salt.

1. The Lancet, Vol 358, Number 9279, Aug 2001

Question Four: Bluish-Purple Colour Along The Nail Bed Area. Any Reason For This?

I’ve been on the alkaline diet for about 2 months now since I went to Tony Robbin’s conference and have started noticing my finger nails are sometimes a bluish-purple along the nail bed area. Have you heard of any reason for this? Am I lacking a certain nutrient I may not be getting? I am a pharmacist and have already explored the medical reasons and have come up with nothing. Any insight you may have would be greatly appreciated.

According to my highly trusted acupuncturist friend, discolouration of the nail bed can be a sign of liver toxicity. If you have been on prescription medication (or are still on it) this may be the cause. There is also a suggestion that it may be associated with reduced oxygenation of the blood.

Having been taught about essentiality (nutrients your body must have from the diet and cannot be made) over many years, I am increasingly convinced that Dr. Young’s acronym C.O.W.S. really does cover all bases. A diet high in chlorophyll, from low sugar green plant foods, healthy oils, containing omega 6 and three fats, water and unrefined salt will give your body all the building blocks that it needs. Chlorophyll and salt should help build healthy haemoglobin. That will facilitate oxygen delivery in your body.

Make sure that your liver load is minimised and see if the altered colour disappears. Reviewing your regime with a qualified practitioner may be beneficial.

Question Five: Lack Of Strength and Flu On The Alkaline Diet!

I’ve been on the alkaline diet for a while and have lost 21 pounds in weight making me 12 stone 7lb. I am 36 years old and haven’t weighed this since I was 18 years old! I am blown away by the weight loss, and how healthy my insides feel. As an IBS sufferer all my life I can honestly say that all of my symptoms have been relieved. I used to have constant bloating and the pain I was in 24/7 trying to hold in “wind” in public is something I’ve almost forgotten about. On the down side though I have never felt so weak. I seem to be lacking enthusiasm and strength. I have also had the flu 2 weeks ago and was off work for 4 days. Now I don’t know if I was going to get the flu anyway or not, or whether following this diet would have left my immune system slightly deficient I don’t know, I’m not a nutrition expert. I welcome your advice.

Well …. great work! Remember that acids stored in body tissue (fat!) have to pass through the blood in order to be eliminated. This can give you flu like symptoms and leave you feeling weak.

I would encourage you to keep doing everything you can to eliminate the acid. That would mean continuing with your diet, 3 – 4 litres a day of alkaline water with greens, gentle enjoyable exercise and skin brushing. Colonic hydrotherapy or enemas, using clay and skin brushing may also help.

Ensuring adequate intake of dark green leafy vegetables, their juices and wheatgrass juice should help build haemoglobin and therefore energy levels. Avocados, hemp oil and nuts and seeds should provide calories. Sprouted seeds, beans, pulses and grains are alkalising and calorific too. The pHlavor spray can help energise you too.

Please Note: The answers above do not replace the advice of a qualified physician.

Another set of great questions and great answers! 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...

Note: again my work is appearing plagairised across the web on some highly respected sites (surprising). Please let me know in the comments below if you see this article used elsewhere without attribution to me as the author. Thanks, Ross.

This one single, simple mistake you could be making with your health could be the biggest mistake you can make:

Not consuming enough alkaline minerals on a daily basis could be the single most damaging thing you could possibly do to your health. And yet 99% of us never get enough.

The good news is that in this article I am going to outline exactly how you can guarantee you will get enough, every day.

Plus, as you will know if you’re a regular reader of my blog, I am big on finding scientific proof to back up health claims. And as you read this article in full you will see how my research uncovers the scientific proof that alkaline minerals are critical to your health, and that an absence of sufficient alkaline minerals will not only lead to symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain (or unhealthy weight loss), poor skin and depression, but also insufficient alkaline minerals can certainly lead to cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis and more.

Background: why alkaline minerals and your pH matters

Just as your temperature absolutely has to stay at 38.5 degrees (and your body will do whatever it takes to keep it at that level) your body has to maintain a pH of 7.365.

If you eat, drink and live an lifestyle that is over-acid, the stress it puts on your body to maintain this pH of 7.365 directly leads to sickness and disease. Your body is naturally acid forming – your natural bodily processes, metabolism and the body’s removal of wastes and toxins leads to small amounts of acid by-products. To neutralise this we have a small alkaline buffering system that keeps this 7.365 pH level in our blood and other cells.

And this buffer used to be 100% adequate…until our modern lifestyle kicked in.

Now a diet of pizza, coffee, chips, chocolate, soda, alcohol, white bread, cheese, microwave meals, trans-fats and take aways plus a lifestyle of stress, pollution, chemicals and toxins means that we are constantly pushing our body to the max to try and deal with this constant, overwhelming attack of acids.

To put this in context, the pH scale (that runs from 1-14) is logarithmic. This means that pH 6 is 10x more acidic than pH 7, meaning pH 5 is 100x times more acidic than pH 7 and pH 4 is 1000x more acidic.

Coke has a pH of between 2 and 3 – pH 2.5 is almost 50,000 times more acidic than neutral water, and you need 32 glasses of neutral (pH 7) water to counteract the consumption of one glass of Cola.

So you can see how a diet filled with meats, dairy, fizzy drinks, alcohol etc would quickly deplete these buffers.

The Scientific Proof That Alkaline Minerals Are Critical To Your Health

Recent scientific research into human health, sickness & disease has shown with increasing evidence that living an acid-lifestyle is extremely detrimental to health & that by living alkaline you can increase your health, energy, vitality, immune system, youthfulness and protect yourself from disease.

As recently as October 2009, a Cambridge University study published in the highly respected British Journal of Nutrition stated:

The concept of diet-induced ‘acidosis’ as a cause of disease has been a subject of interest for more than a century. The present article reviews the history of our evolving understanding of physiological pH, the physiological support for the concept of ‘acidosis’, the causes of acidosis, how it is recognised, its short-term effects as well as the long-term clinical relevance of preventative measures, and the research support for normalisation of pH.

The available research makes a compelling case that diet-induced acidosis…is a real phenomenon, and has a significant, clinical, long-term pathophysiological effect that should be recognised and potentially counterbalanced by dietary means.¹

The researchers, Pizzornoa, Frassettoa and Katzinger have clearly identified that acidosis (increased acidity in the blood – pH below 7.365) is a very real threat to our health.

Furthermore, my research has shown that the effects of acidosis can directly contribute to various cancers^{2, 3, 12}, arthritis⁴, osteoporosis⁵, cardiovascular disease⁶, diabetes⁷, depression/psychological disfunctions⁸, Crohn’s disease⁹, kidney disease¹⁰. Yes, all of the top five killers in Western society and a whole heap more. Furthermore, my experience and the experience of those who have used my twelve week Alkaline Diet Course have given me significant proof that living alkaline also leads to weight/fat loss, muscle gain (also scientifically proven¹¹), energy increases, libido increases, skin improvements and more.

Sound interesting?

Earlier in this article I mentioned that scientific references and proof are very important to me, and I know they are to you too so here are a few extracts and sources for the claims I’ve made above. You can see a full reference list at the bottom of this page.

Alkaline Diet & Cancer

Alkaline Minerals Prevent Cancer Growth
In March 2009, Robey, Baggett, Kirkpatrick et al published a paper in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal proving that alkaline minerals (in this case NaHCO3 – sodium bicarbonate) that raise the extracellular pH of cancer tumor cells and prevent metastasis. Their research shows that the pH of the tumors are always acidic and by using highly alkaline minerals to raise the pH – the growth of the cancer (and involvement of lymph nodes) is prevented.

Source: Cancer Research 69, 2260, March 15, 2009

Cancer Thrives in an Acidic Environment
Also in Cancer Research Journal, in 2006, Gatenby, Gawlinski et al researched and discovered that “chronic exposure of normal tissue to an acidic microenvironment produces toxicity by: (a) normal cell death… and (b) extracellular matrix degradation”. They proffer that glucose imbalance (an acid lifestlye) leads to a chronically acidic microenvironment (the normal cells and molecules that surround a tumor cell) which provides the perfect base for cancer.

Source: Cancer Research 66, 5216-5223, May 15, 2006

Acidosis & Osteoporosis

Alkaline Minerals Prevent Osteoporosis

A recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol 94, No 1 96-102, 2009) has provided further evidence that the consumption of and supplementation with alkaline minerals is essential for good health. The objective of the study was to understand the effect of alkaline minerals (potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and potassium chloride) on bone health – specifically, the ability of these alkaline minerals to slow the bone resorption rate and calcium excretion.

The participants who were taking the bicarbonate supplements had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion when compared to the control group. This means that when taking the alkaline minerals, bones remained stronger and healthier.

Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol 94, No 1 96-102, 2009)

Cardiovascular Disease & the Alkaline Diet

Alkaline Minerals Critical to Prevention of CVD

In the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Joseph Campbell provides a thorough review of the scientific literature surrounding minerals and disease and highlights that the alkaline minerals, magnesium and calcium, are critical to the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). He also highlights that “Excessive consumption of acid producing foods, results in metabolic acidosis. When this occurs, the parathyroid hormone stimulates the removal of calcium from the bones and teeth (osteolysis), to buffer or neutralize the excess acidity. After many years, such calcium loss results in depleted bone, bone weakness and structure.”

Source: Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 10, No. 3 & 4, 1995

Arthritis & Alkalinity

Alkaline Mineral Supplementation Decreases Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

This incredible study from Institute for Prevention and Nutrition (Germany) provided clear and unquestionable evidence that using an alkaline mineral supplement (30g daily) reduced pain and increased movement in patients with moderately active Rheumatoid Arthritis over a 12-week period.

Source: The Open Nutrition Journal, 2008, 2, 100-105

Do you want to safeguard yourself from degenerative diseases while living with more energy, a lean, fit body, great skin, youthfulness and vitality?

How You Can Guarantee Your Health With Alkaline Minerals

The above studies prove, without question, that having sufficient alkaline mineral buffers to neutralise dietary, lifestyle and metabolic acids is critical to maintaining excellent health, energy and vitality and to the prevention of degenerative disease.

It is also highlighted in several of these studies that using an alkaline mineral supplement is an effective way of guaranteeing your daily intake of alkaline minerals is sufficient.

The efficacy of using a mineral supplement (and these supplements providing a usable form of these minerals) is further supported by this June 2009 study published in the Nutrition Journal, “Effect of a supplement rich in alkaline minerals on acid-base balance in humans”. The study concluded “that the ingestion of a multimineral supplement is associated with both a significant increase in blood and urinary pH”.

If you want to guarantee you have sufficient alkaline minerals then supplementation is a smart choice

My Favourite Alkaline Minerals

I’ve been working and researching in the alkaline diet field for five or six years now and have seen a lot of supplements come and go, and the one thing that determines whether a supplement will be successful or not is: does it work.

Poor quality supplements get found out very quickly.

With that in mind, these are the two alkaline mineral supplements that I personally recommend to you. I have been using these personally for at least four years now and I truly believe that they are incredibly effective.

pHion Balance: Alkaline Minerals

Almost instantly neutralises harmful acids. pHion Alkaline Minerals contains all five primary alkaline minerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and iron. Once these mineral buffers hit the system, they quickly neutralise excess acids. This is my personal #1 choice for an alkaline mineral supplement.

Another bonus of this supplement is that it makes green drinks taste better when mixed together!

Click here for more information on Alkaline Minerals

Jarrow: Mineral Balance

A comprehensive multi-mineral formula that will aid your pH balance and gives your body at least 100% RDI of all of the most essential alkaline minerals.

Click here for more information on Mineral Balance

Diet Comes First

You should always aim to get an abundance of nutrients from whole foods – there are no shortcuts here. This is just essential.

To make sure you’re getting plenty of alkaline minerals in your life I believe you should both consume good quality (pref organic) fresh, vibrant, healthy, high-water content, often raw foods PLUS I believe that you should supplement this to ensure that you always have a safety net. It is SO important to get enough of the right minerals every day that I fully believe in supplementation in this case.

This is particularly important if you have been out of balance, because there will be a lot of repair, detoxification and tidying up to do in your blood and other cells, so providing your body with an abundance of alkaline minerals is one of the very best things you can do.

Here’s the whole food sources:

1. POTASSIUM:
• Avocado
• Spinach
• Soybeans
• Lentils
• Swiss Chard
• Tomatos
• Broccoli
• Squash
• Cucumber
• Sweet Potato
• Beetroot
• Greens
• Carrots
• Kidney Beans
2. MAGNESIUM:
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Spinach
• Soybeans
• Swiss Chard
• Salmon
• Broccoli
• Cucumber
• Sunflower Seeds
• Navy Beans
• Pumpkin
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Quinoa
• Almonds
• Brown Rice
3. CALCIUM:
• Basil
• Turnip
• Thyme
• Spinach
• Greens
• Kelp
• Broccoli
• Swiss Chard/Silverbeet
• Romaine Lettuce
• Kale
• Celery
• Cabbage
• Squash
• Green Beans
• Asparagus
• Brussel Sprouts
• Garlic
4. SODIUM:
• Avocado
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Greens
• Parsley
• Peppers
• Radish
• Sunflower Seeds
• Sweet Potato
• Turnip
• Beets

Note on Sodium:

We are talking about proper, pure sodium, not table salt or the salt added to refined foods. According to Dr Young:

Today’s common table salt is a poison that has nothing in common with natural liquid colloidal salt. Most common table salt is made up of chemicals that pollute your body and wreak havoc on your health. Your table salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride
and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health challenges in your body. [see the full article here]

Sodium is essential in the body, and the above listed alkaline vegetables provide you with a good, clean source of this important salt.

SUMMARY

In this article I have proven that consuming sufficient alkaline minerals is essential to good health. Your body really needs you to minimise the acids you consume and keep putting alkali in. When we consume acids, your body uses the alkaline substances in your body (calcium from bones, for example) to neutralise these acids which causes havoc. The body only has a very tiny supply of alkaline buffers and so by giving the body an abundance of alkalinity we not only ease this burden but also give the body the tools it needs to work optimally.

The four main alkaline minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (clean, not refined table salt). These are abundant in fresh vegetables (particularly greens), and we advise you to eat plenty each day!

We also recommend two supplements. In the short-medium term these will help undo any previous damage and assist in detoxifying the body of acids, molds and fungus and in the long-term will help to maintain this alkaline balance, giving you a daily safety net to ensure you get enough of these minerals day-in-day-out.

Sources & References:

¹ Diet-induced acidosis: is it real and clinically relevant? British Journal of Nutrition Cambridge University Press; Joseph Pizzornoa, Lynda A. Frassettoa and Joseph Katzingera
²Acid-Mediated Tumor Invasion: a Multidisciplinary Study; Cancer Research 66, 5216-5223, May 15, 2006; Robert A. Gatenby, Edward T. Gawlinski, Arthur F. Gmitro, Brant Kaylor and Robert J. Gillies
³The Potential Role of Systemic Buffers in Reducing Intratumoral Extracellular pH and Acid-Mediated Invasion; Cancer Research 69, 2677, March 15, 2009; Ariosto S. Silva, Jose A. Yunes, Robert J. Gillies and Robert A. Gatenby
⁴Alkaline Mineral Supplementation Decreases Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients; The Open Nutrition Journal, 2008, 2, 100-105; Regina Maria Cseuz, Istvan Barna, Tamas Bender and Ju?rgen Vormann
⁵Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women; The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 94, No. 1 96-102; Bess Dawson-Hughes, Susan S. Harris, Nancy J. Palermo, Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa, Helen M. Rasmussen and Gerard E. Dallal
⁶Minerals and Disease; Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 10, No. 3 & 4, 1995; Joseph D. Campbell
⁷Preservative Effect of Electrolyzed Reduced Water on Pancreatic b -Cell Mass in Diabetic db/db Mice; Biol. Pharm. Bull. 30(2) 234—236 (2007); Mi-Ja KIM, Kyung Hee JUNG, Yoon Kyung UHM, Kang-Hyun LEEM, and Hye Kyung KIM
⁸The Effect of Acid/Alkaline Nutrition on Psychophysiological Function; Int J Biosocial Res. Vol. 9(2); 182-202, 1987; Rudolf A. Wiley
⁹Severe Osteomalacia Associated with Renal Tubular Acidosis in Crohn’s Disease; Digestive Diseases & Sciences, Vol 31, No 3, March 1986; Rui MM Victorino, Margarida B Lucas, Miguel Carneiro de Moura
¹⁰Metabolic acidosis of CKD: diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and treatment; American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Volume 45, Issue 6, Pages 978-993 J. Kraut, I. Kurtz
¹¹Lean Tissue: Alkaline diets favor lean tissue mass in older adults; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 3, 662-665, March 2008; Bess Dawson-Hughes, Susan S Harris and Lisa Ceglia

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...

Can you use baking soda to make your body alkaline?

This question keeps coming up (most recently in our brand new forum / message board) – but also from customer emails and comments on other posts in the blog. People want to know:

Instead of pH drops or pHour Salts - can I just use normal baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in water to alkalise my body?

This is a big question, which could have a big impact on people who are trying to alkalise and energise themselves and so I’ve gone to a big man (in stature, not size!) to get the answer. Thankfully I’ve got a good working relationship with Dr. Young now and so I went to him with this very question last week. His response was:

Most all sodium bicarbonates on the market contain anti-caking agents which are toxic – such as aliminium. There are 3 other mineral salts (magnesium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and calcium bicarbonate) which are important and not in other products but in pHour salts.

Why are these other salts important?

Dr Young goes on to say:

A combination of four powerful bicarbonate mineral salts (sodium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and calcium bicarbonate) are anti-oxidant, anti-aging and maintain the alkaline design of the body from both the inside out and the outside in.

These four antioxidant/anti-aging mineral salts are naturally occurring in all fluids of the body. Specifically, they may aid in the reduction of dietary and metabolic acidity helping to maintain the alkaline design of the human, animal or plant body and slowdown or reverse the aging or decay process.

I believe that each of these four salts are all highly alkalising, but each do have a different role in the body. While it is great to get sodium bicarbonate, the power of having all four salts is far greater than just one in isolation.

So in short:

1. Supermarket sodium bicarbonate contains toxins such as aluminium
2. Having a range of salts is far superior to having just one salt

Personally I’m going to continue with the pHour Salts because I’ve had fantastic results so far, including a marked increase in my energy levels, better digestion and clearer skin. I love it!

Want some? Click here for more information on pHour Salts

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...