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Published on Friday, 19 October 2012 19:02
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Written by Linda Cusmanos
Alkalizing your Meals
Much of our daily food intake is high in acid and what I mean by this is the ph balance of our meals. Even if you eat whole foods, cook at home and take in a lot of produce you still have ph balances in the food items which can vary. Many times we tend to lean toward foods higher in acid. If your ph balances are not optimal you are inviting health issues, poor quality of mood and nagging discomforts such as aches and pains in joints which are worse than normal or are not normal to you at all.
Hydration is always going to aid in the benefit of a balanced ph level but one of the key things is to be aware of balancing the food items and ensuring that you include some alkalizing foods in your daily food intake. Minerals are a key.
As a competitor this is even more crucial to me and with various health issues I have learned to pay more attention to my ph balance in my diet. In applying these same key elements to the learning of my clients I have found it to aid greatly in fitness results, fat loss and muscle gains. Competitors tend to be on higher protein diets which are higher in acid and most times we go into ketosis state in order to get to single digit body fat levels. Post competition I like to take a week or 2 and concentrate on boosting the alkaline in my diet. During the protein increase I do add milk thistle to my meal plan.
Endurance athletes experience less lactic acid and longer tolerance before the ‘burn’ hits when the diet is higher in alkaline foods. It is also proven that higher acid diets tend to affect bone density which is something we all deal with at some point of our aging.
You can use ph sticks to check your balance, we each vary slightly but is around the 7 mark which you want to fall. You can consult your doctor to get more detailed into your personal situation. Those of you on medications may have a difference due to the effects of the drugs on your ph balance.
Processed foods, darker fruits like cranberries, plums are higher in acid as are most refine foods and simple carbs or starches but oranges are alkaline as are most other fruits, see link below for a list of more acidic foods, these should be the lower portion of choices in meals. It is very easy to add spinach, beets, broccoli, apples or almonds to your daily food intake. Adding chili pepper, curry, ginger or sea salt also adds to the alkalinity in your meals. I love adding Apple Cider Vinegar to my foods, another alkaline choice.
You need a very high percentage of alkaline choices to get this boost, above 75% of the foods you eat so take your time to learn how to incorporate more alkaline choices and eventually it will be a lifestyle habit that you don’t have to think about. You will feel the difference in your daily life, exercise and bo
dy functions.
This link takes you to an in-depth list of acid and alkaline food items.
© Linda Cusmano www.lindacusmano.com
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