3 Steps for a More Energised, Healthier You

Eating alkaline food is something I hear a lot about, this is probably because I am a big fan of Natasha Corrett, founder of Honestly Healthy, an alkaline food delivery service and author of some truly amazing alkaline based recipe books (see below). 

And because Evolution Organics is a big fan of anything healthy, I thought I would introduce you to this incredibly beneficial way of eating.

What are the benefits of an alkaline diet? 

An alkaline diet has been shown to have many positive benefits on the body:

• Improve digestion and assimilation of nutrients
• Better and healthier teeth and gums: too much acidic food can cause bacteria to grow at a faster rate
• Slow down the ageing process (an alkaline diet helps you cell repair themselves)
• Help maintain a healthy weight
• Can increase dramatically your energy levels, “clean” cells mean more energy!
• AND give you a better nights sleep

Alkaline, pH, what? 

Here’s the science bit: there are two types of foods, alkaline and acidic. We can test foods and their acidity by measuring their pH levels. The pH scale starts at 1 for acidic food and 14 for extremely alkaline. Water is right in the middle at 7 and the food we consume between 3 and 9.

What about my body? How can I test my pH?

That’s simple and incredibly elegant; pee on pH strip. You can buy them on the Evolution Organics site, follow the link. A good result would be between 6.5 to 7.5.

What can I eat? 

Embarking on an alkaline diet does not mean to cut out completely all acidic foods, just try to eat less of them and increase the amount of alkaline food you consume.

Foods to avoid:

• Fizzy drinks
• Sugar
• Low grade chocolate
• Sweets
• Commercial white bread and pastries

Foods to eat in moderation – 20%:

• Good quality coffee
• Organic dairy (raw is better)
• Organic meat and fish

Food to love and eat lots of – 80%:

• Veggies - Greens such as kale and spinach, carrot, celery, cucumber, asparagus, tomatoes, beetroot, green beans, sweet potatoes and aubergine (and the list goes on…)
• Fruits: lemon, avocado, apple, watermelon, mango, pear and pineapple
• Drinks - Coconut water, homemade almond milk, herbal teas and water
• Grains & pulses: Are generally fine and a great source of vegan protein
• Seeds & nuts: Almonds, flax seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds
• Other: Himalayan salt, coconut oil, dried dates, raw honey

This is a very small list of foods you can eat, there’s so much more out there. Go on the net, and check it out.

So now that you know a little more about the alkaline diet, here are 3 easy steps for a more alkaline lifestyle

1. Start your day with a mug of warm water and ½ lemon.
2. Try to cut down on unhealthy snacks and instead have a homemade green smoothie (made with mostly veggies) with a boost shot such as spirulina, barley grass powder, acai powder, bee pollen, baobab powder, etc
3. At least once a week, have a meat free dinner (if you already have one go for 2!).

I would also recommend Natasha Corrett’s books where you will find tons of healthy alkaline recipes:

• Honestly Healthy in a Hurry
• Honestly Healthy Cleanse
• Honestly Healthy for Life

To finish… a little something from Natasha regarding her approach to the alkaline way of life: “It’s about eating natural, unprocessed and organic food to ensure that the body has all the essential nutrients required for healing, repair and energy production on a daily basis. It’s not about counting calories. It’s rather about focusing on the nutrient density of foods and their bioavailability once digested.” www.honestlyhealthy.co.uk