This is a delicious and alkaline recipe using tofu and spinach as the main ingredients. It has got a lovely texture and an interesting flavour given by the variety of spices used in this recipe.

Tofu is a great alternative to meat and contains a low amount of calories. It also contains large amounts of iron and little fat. Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in magnesium and/or calcium.

Spinach as we know is highly alkalising and has a high nutritional value. It is extremely rich in antioxidants and is a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Mangenese, Zink and Iron, just to name a few.

We hope you enjoy this very tasty dish!

Tofu with Indian Spinach

Serves 2

Ingredients

200 g Tofu, cut into cubes
1 onion, cut into fine pieces
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp rapeseed- or grapeseed oil
300 g spinach, washed and cut into rough pieces
2 tomatoes, skinned and cut into cubes
100 ml coconut milk
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp kurkuma
Chilli powder
Himalayan crystal salt or celtic sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the oil in a Wok pan and gently fry the tofu in there, but be careful not to let it go too brown. Take it out of the Wok and drain it on a kitchen roll paper.

Briefly fry the onion and garlic and add the spinach. Just fry the spinach very briefly until it shrinks in size and push it to the edge of the Wok. By doing this the spinach keeps its fresh green colour.

Add the coconut milk and tomatoes into the middle of the wok. Let it simmer, until the sauce has got the right consistence. Add the other spices in the meantime and use as much of the chilli as you like. Put the tofu into the sauce and let it warm up.

Turn off the heat and push the spinach on top of the tofu.

Enjoy!

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: Diabetes, Lactic Acidosis & the Alkaline Diet

Sadly I have just been diagnosed with diabetes and I also think my worse problem is Lactic Acidosis which is linked to diabetes I believe. I have to look into this a bit more carefully, but would I be right in thinking that by using your products I would lower the lactic acidosis? Also what dietary changes would you recommend?

OK, I’m going to start by challenging your mind-set slightly – if that’s OK! Coming from a place of wanting to help you with your health and well-being, I have to say that a diabetes diagnosis could be the best thing that ever happened to you. You should be on that path by asking these questions about diet and supplements.

Regular readers will know that both Dr. Young (author of “The pH miracle for Diabetes”) and myself have helped patients reverse diabetes (and associated conditions) without the use of any medication.

Diabetes, like any illness, occurs in an acidic body, so lactic and other acidoses are likely to be associated with a diagnosis. Lactic acidosis is usually bought about by a reduction in oxygen delivery to cells. This is likely to be due to poor formation or inter-action of red blood cells. (Live blood analysis should give you a pretty clear idea if this is the case.)

The best way to build healthy red blood cells (and alkalise your body) is to (dramatically!) increase your intake of low sugar, leafy green plant food. This needs to be accompanied by an increased intake of un-refined salt and bicarbonate mineral salts.

Ross’s Energise Alkaline recipe book is packed with ideas on how to start eating and drinking more of this stuff. Supplement wise, I’d recommend starting with a green powder (such as Doc Brocs) and drops that raise the pH mixed in filtered water. 2 to 3 litres a day should start to reduce acidosis.

The other important factor to consider is any medication you have been on. Most medications do promote acidity in the body. Reviewing these if any with a pH aware physician would be advisable.

You should probably also consider using pHour salts (as long as you are not taking regular medication). Mesure your urinary pH using the stix available from Energise and aim to achieve readings above 7 on a regular basis.

Good luck!

Question Two: Exercise/Sports Drinks – Alkaline Alternatives

I am transitioning and am also doing a reasonable amount of exercise. During classes (1 hr) I tend to just drink water, but for long periods of sustained exercise, such as 3-4 hr cycling (cross country) I have previously used energy gels or energy drinks as a boost. As I am transitioning, what would be the best way for me to get an energy boost during exercise, as I presume all classic energy products are acidic? Also, I know that exercise can produce acid in the body – is the best way to get rid of it by effective stretching and plenty of water and green juices? Eventually I want my body to run off its oil system and not sugar/carbs, but am not yet fully ready for this.

Great stuff! I am guessing that you have bought and read “Slow Burn” by Stu Mittleman. His epic world long distance record from San Diego to New York in 56 days (2 back to back marathons every day) came from teaching himself how to burn fat rather than sugar. In that book he outlines the mindset required to do it as much as the diet plan. Although it’s out of print you can usually order a copy on Amazon.

Your analysis of gels and energy drinks is accurate. You could certainly use powdered greens and pH drops mixed with water to sustain you on longer rides. The only slight challenge is that the greens do bring your drink nearer to food status and it can get “held up” in the stomach. Water is generally absorbed lower down in the large intestine, so be careful that you remain hydrated while consuming greens. Mixing it at a weak concentration can help. I believe that Stu Mittleman actually used green powder capsules rather than a mixed powder, which he washed down with alkalised water.

Exercise will produce acids. Most of these are eliminated through sweat and increased respiration rate. Again I’d recommend a green powder and pH drops to help recovery. Green juice is an alternative. I’d use a glass or two of pHour salts too to help re-mineralise and alkalise too. You could use the supplement that Dr. Young and Stu Mittlleman have developed for Inner Light called Alka-blast instead.

Although a bit old and carried out on horses and dogs(!), this 1995 paper from the Journal of nutrition should give you further re-assurance that you are on the right track: click here to read!

Here’s something more recent on the effectiveness of using baking soda to enhance athletic performance: click here to read!

pHour salts contains sodium bicarbonate and other minerals in bicarbonate form.

Question Three: Being a Coeliac and the Alkaline Diet

I have one problem I am a celiac. Can you give some advice on this problem and living an alkaline life?

Aiming to avoid gluten containing grains (wheat, oats, rye and barley) can be compatible with an alkalising regime. In fact a regime based heavily around living, green, low sugar plant foods is the best way to promote and restore digestive health.

It might seem, as a diagnosed celiac, that you need to follow a more extreme version of the alkalising regime, particularly if you want to avoid animal protein. There may be an element of truth in that, but I would say that by doing so you potentially stand to gain more, in terms of health improvements than those who can afford to take things a bit more gently…

The foundation of healthy eating is big plates (or bowls) of fresh raw vegetables with sprouted beans, pulses or seeds. Add healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, hemp oil along with salt, pepper and lemon juice and you have a delicious, gluten free healthy building block for any meal. If you bought a de-hydrator you could make some falafel or flax seed crackers to go with it. Most of the recipes in the Energise Alkaline recipe book are also gluten free.

You really should be fine with a green powder supplements (such as Doc Brocs) that contain grasses from the grains that are thought to cause the erosion of the finger-like projections (called villi) in your intestines, but if consuming them concerns you (or caused a reaction) the pHruits & pHoliage powder that Energise sell does not contain any grasses. Mix that with puripHy and water.

On a broader note, I think it likely that there are other factors at play than just gliadin in causing erosion of the villi. Acids from grains may be part of the problem, but other acidic food stuffs could be contributors too. Alkalising with diet and green juices (including cabbage – mixed with cucumber and celery, to make it more palatable) should help you to re-build a healthy digestive tract. Using pHour salts should help the biological transformation of food into blood, through helping “break down” food and therefore make it more easily absorbed.

Rice and gluten free pasta could be used as accompaniments to meals. You may find that sprouted grains are ok, but you would want to build up your intestinal health with green plant foods and juices before trying this, monitoring any reactions carefully.

Question Four: Is Tofu Safe?

I am concerned about the use of Tofu. As I understand it, the phytates in unfermented soya inhibit the uptake of minerals. Since we are all reckoned to be short of minerals, can this be a useful food item?

Well…… this question has really made me stop, think, read and reflect. So thank you for that! Soya (from which tofu is made) is, arguably one of the more controversial food substances on the planet. Some researchers suggest that it is protective against degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardio-vascular disease and menstrual syndromes, while others suggest a link between reduced male fertility and even brain degeneration. Proving any of these claims conclusively is hard because of the potentially confounding effects of other foods eaten alongside tofu or soya.

The dietary goal of “alkalising” will effectively lead to increased mineral levels through reduced excretion. This is because the body uses minerals such as calcium and magnesium in order to buffer (neutralise) dietary and metabolic acids.

It is quite usual, for people to start eating less animal protein when they start following an alkalising dietary programme. This can leave a bit of a “hole” and the high levels of protein and oil found in soya beans can seem like a healthy way to plug the gap. The reality is that soya, whether it be milk or tofu, is likely to be less acidifying than most animal protein sources. Additionally, being a bean, it contains fibre, which meat, cheese, eggs and fish do not.

It is true that both soybeans and tofu do contain measurable levels of phytic acid. Grains, beans and pulses all do! Linseeds, sesame seeds and brazil nuts have higher levels, while oats, chickpeas and lentils have lower levels. Phytic acid binds to minerals easily and makes them insoluble. Once insoluble, they cannot be absorbed in the gut.

Cooking beans (as usually occurs to make soya milk, from which tofu is made) reduces phytic acid levels. Additionally most tofu is made by coagulating soya milk using calcium sulphate, which increases the amount of calcium that it contains.

If however you want to be super-keen and super alkalising, the best bet really is to sprout your soya beans and eat them raw. This will reduce phytic acid acid markedly and preserve the energetic qualities that further contribute to the alkalising effect of raw foods.

Clinically I don’t have problem recommending occasional tofu consumption to people as a meat substitute, but do have concerns that over consumption of cooked soya products (milk & tofu) could be un-wise.

I hope this goes some way towards answering your question. I feel it raises some important issues. Non-commercial, Government funded research in this area would be welcome. Discovering just to what extent tofu consumption might effect mineral balance is an important question for all of us.

Question Five: Pregnancy Symptoms & the Alkaline Diet

I am 8 months pregnant. I have low iron and supplementation isn’t really working- Can chlorophyll help iron deficiency? I really wish I could somehow read or find more information on pregnancy symptoms and acidity- like morning sickness, weight gain, low iron, fatigue- are these types of symptoms causes of acidosis? hormones?

Many years ago I heard the French Doctor Michel Odent (known primarily for promoting water birthing) explaining how the volume of blood increases during pregnancy. This, he stated, is the cause for the apparent anaemia so often witnessed during pregnancy, rather than an actual reduction in iron levels.

Having said that, I am conscious of many reported cases of increased consumption of green plant foods and bicarbonate salts (in combination) leading to increased haemoglobin (the iron containing protein in red blood cells) production. I have witnessed patients experiencing hair loss (considered a classic symptom of iron deficiency) reverse the condition with more green vegetables and salt.

It is a bit tricky to find stuff on alkalising and pregnancy but the solutions to imbalances should still lie in promoting alkalinity. Read Dr. Young’s explanation of the cause of nausea here!

When you are pregnant you really just want to be as healthily as possible. There’s no disputing that eating plenty of fresh (ideally raw) veg is good for you – so pack it in (to your tummy)!

These articles and videos featuring respected figures in the raw food world, relating to pregnancy may help too: Click here to view articles and videos!

This article may help: Click here to read!

Do some internet search around Julie Mennella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia (mentioned in the article) too.

Remember that green powder and pH drops can help work as a quick fix way if preparing fresh veg seems daunting!

Note: this not intended to diagnose or treat and professional health care should be sought in case of any doubt.

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...

DELICIOUS! I love this dip. It is so quick and easy to make and contains a heap of the wonderful nutrients I always look for in my day: omega 3, omega 6, fibre, iron, protein, selenium and the wonderfully alkaline minerals potassium, manganese, calcium & magnesium. Not only are avocados a potent source of monounsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid, which has recently been proven to offer significant protection against breast cancer, but it is also a very concentrated dietary source of the carotenoid lutein; it also contains measurable amounts of related carotenoids (zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene) plus significant quantities of tocopherols (vitamin E).

In the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers Diplock, Charleux, Crozier-Willi et al found that people consuming diets rich in carotenoids from natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier and have lower mortality from a number of chronic illnesses.

An extra bonus is that one of the other great food sources of these carotenoids is tomatoes, which also feature in this wonderful recipe.

So this is a dip I make every few days and always have available in my fridge for snacks, wraps and salads. People often ask me what they should snack on that is alkaline and this is a great example – when you’ve got a great flavour like this you can just dip veggies, healthy tortillas, use it in wraps, put it on sprouted bread, flavour-up your salads…it makes dozens of quick snacks so much more flavoursome!

Smooth and Alkaline Avocado & Tofu Dip

Makes 1 Bowl

Ingredients

1 avocado
1/2 pack of silken tofu
1 large tomato
1 clove of garlic
1 small onion (try brown or red)
Some fresh parsley (if available, but not vital)
Freshly ground black pepper and Himalayan/sea salt

Instructions

Easy – just peel and core the avocado, roughly chop the tofu, tomato, garlic and onion, rip up the parsley and throw it all into a blender and blend until smooth!

If you want to thin it out a little you can add a little olive or avocado oil and some filtered water until you get the consistency you like. Or you can have it thick and rich. You can also make it as chunky or smooth as you like by blending for less or more time!

Enjoy this and I promise you will get addicted!

Ross

About Ross Bridgeford

Ross is known as THE Alkaline Diet Expert...especially when it comes to implementation and making the alkaline diet REAL in your life. He has been living, learning, teaching, coaching and loving the alkaline lifestyle since 2004 and has written over 600 articles, alkaline recipes, videos and guides on how to live alkaline and stay alkaline for life. Ross loves life in Brisbane, Australia (although is a proud Englishman) and is healthily-obsessed with nutrition, fitness and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

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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...

This is a super-salad. My meat-eating friends are forever challenging me to make a salad that fills me up, and doesn’t leave me hungry again in half an hour. They don’t believe it is possible. I promise you it is. And here is one of my creations.

I work out, I work hard and I need to be filled! I am a hungry young man! This salad doesn’t disappoint. It is tasty, filling, delicious and highly alkaline!

I use a mix of different leaves, but you can just use whatever you’ve got handy (apart from iceberg, which I thoroughly dislike!). So here it is:

The Fill-You-Up Alkaline Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 Handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 Handful of rocket leaves
1 Handful of cos lettuce
1 Handful of lamb’s lettuce (note: use whatever leaves you have)
100g tofu
1 serve of quinoa
½ can of chickpeas
1 avocado
1 handful of seeds & nuts (I used sesame, sunflower and pumpkin)
6 cherry tomatoes
½ cucumber
½ green or red pepper
Olive oil (& coconut oil if you have it)
Lemon
Himalayan/Sea salt & black pepper

Instructions

Lightly fry off the tofu in coconut oil (coconut is the only safe oil to cook with) and make the quinoa to the packet’s instructions (usually 1 part quinoa, 2 parts water, boiled and then simmered until the water evaporates, about 10 minutes).

Now prepare the salad by washing everything thoroughly and chopping to how you like it. I prefer to rip my salad leaves – makes it more rustic. Mix everything together with the juice of half a lemon and a drizzle of olive, hemp, avocado or Udo’s Choice oil and serve.

Feel full and happy.

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...

Breakfast is always a hard one, especially when you are first starting out. At first glance, you check out the list of acid/alkaline foods and think – WHAT AM I GOING TO HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?! BROCCOLI?!

Well, while I must admit I have had steamed broccoli for breakfast on more than a few occasions, you don’t have to. In fact, breakfast has become my favourite meal of the day because the more I’ve learned to alkalise and compromise (both in terms of living a perfect alkaline life and living a debauched, unhealthy life) the more I have learned to find ways to make breakfast so much more exciting than just cereal and toast.

And this is one of my favourites. I first had scrambled tofu at The Galleon in St Kilda, Melbourne and loved it (as well as their sweet potato & basil cakes but that’s another story) and since then I’ve been making it at home for me and the missus and anyone who stops over.

So here it is, the next beautiful alkaline meal from me:

Scrambled Tofu & Tomato

Serves 2

Ingredients

285g Regular firm tofu
1 Tablespoon coconut oil (or a drizzle of olive oil – coconut is better)
2 Tomatoes (or a handful of cherry tomatoes)
1/2 Brown onion (or red if you fancy)
½ Small red pepper
Pinch of turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper
Himalayan/Sea salt
A little basil

Instructions

This is really easy, and really quick. Simply crumble the tofu in your hands into a bowl. Now chop and quickly fry off the onion and dice the pepper and do the same.

Now dice the tomatoes and throw these in with the tofu and a pinch of tumeric. Grind in your pepper and salt and cook until the tofu is warm and ready. Right at the last throw in some torn basil leaves and serve!

I like to serve it on some toasted, sprouted bread and with some baby spinach leaves drizzled with olive oil.

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...