Alkaline Recipes for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! But like so many of us who are trying to maintain a healthy, alkaline diet, that turkey, those mashed potatoes and that pumpkin pie can wreak havoc on our efforts. Today I'm going to share some Thanksgiving-appropriate alkaline recipes that you don't have to feel too bad indulging in next Thursday.

Appetizers

I highly recommend starting with a big salad and an alkaline soup, filling your body with nutrient-dense foods before heading to the main course. This will fill you up and you can eat small portions of the rest of the acidic foods. Here is a great salad and soup that will bring a touch of sophistication to any Thanksgiving table:

Crispy Autumn Kale Salad 
(Recipe courtesy of HowSweetEats)

Pumpkin and Leek Soup
(Recipe courtesy of HillbillyHousewife)

Thanksgiving Turkey

Ok, so while meat is acid-producing in the body, I suggest going easy on your turkey helpings. I would strive to maintain a 60/40 ratio of alkaline to acidic foods during big holiday feast.

However, soaking your bird in alkaline water for 30 minutes prior to roasting will help in getting a perfectly tender turkey and I'm sure it can't hurt your alkalinity.

Here is a good recipe you can follow:
Rosemary Turkey
(Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes)

Side Dishes

Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans
(Recipe courtesy of Epicurious)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes and Cinnamon
(Recipe courtesy of JuliasAlbum)

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie
(Recipe courtesy of MyNaturalFamily)

Drink 

Here's a very feestive, refreshing drink using alkaline water:

Cranberry Spritzer
(Recipe courtesy of TyentUSA)

Try out these some or all of these recipes this Thanksgiving and let me know how it turns out.

Why do the Kangen Water Ionizers Cost so Much?

If you've done any research on water ionizers you've probably noticed that you can get a top-notch, high-quality machine for anywhere from $1000 to $3000. But when you look at getting a Kangen ionizer you're looking at spending a cool $4000. Why is that? Is their technology and product that much better? Let's take a look.

For the basic Kangen, again, you're looking at $4000. This is for a 7-plate water ionizer. The reason it's so much more expensive than, say, the Nexus Smart 7P Water Ionizer, which is priced at $1495.00,  is because it's a Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) company. Any product you buy from a company like this, such as Mary Kay or Scentsy, you are going to pay at least double for the product.

Why do MLM Products Cost So Much More?

With an MLM company not only does the person you are directly buying from earn a commission, but so do the people above them. That's the allure of signing up as a distributor for one of these companies - you sign people up below you and you earn a percentage off of what they sell. This can then lead to a residual income so many of us desire as we get closer and closer to retirement. And some people do really well at this type of business. However, if you're looking for the best product at the best price, I highly recommend cutting out the middle men and purchasing directly from the company, or if that isn't possible, from a company that buys directly from the manufacturer.

With the Kangen company, there are a total of eight, yes, 8 people, who get paid each time a Kangen machine gets sold. In order to make enough to pay all of these distributors and make enough profit, their prices have to be higher.

The reason given for a higher price is the larger plates in the water ionizer and therefore more platinum needed. However, as talked about in great detail in this blog article, that is most definitely not always a guarantee of better.

For example, with the Jupiter Athena water ionizer you are getting a product that is above and beyond the comparable Kangen ionizer, the SD501. I have a demo of both machines here in this video demonstration I produced.

The Jupiter Athena water ionizer is a better product and much more affordable, coming in at a whopping $1500 less than the Enagic Kangen SD501.

With all this said, I highly recommend doing all the research you want on water ionizers. I have a plethora of information, articles, research, videos, etc available on my website and my YouTube page. I am not biased to one machine or one company and only want to provide accurate information on the best water ionizers out there. I have spent a lot of time collecting data, analyzing ionizers, comparing them and also looking at the integrity of each company and I hope you take the time to get enlightened on this vast subject. Please let me know if you have any questions; I am more than happy to answer them.

Is the Paleo Diet Alkaline or Acidic?

The Paleo diet is catching on like wild fire. Although it’s been around since the 1970s it is currently becoming more and more popular. Search “Paleo” on Pinterest and you will find thousands of pins directing you to thousands of websites that promote the diet, give recipes and tips on how to succeed with the diet, tell you why you should live the Paleo lifestyle and others’ success with switching to a Paleo regimen. But is it alkaline? If you are eating meat as a staple wouldn’t that make it more acidic than alkaline? Let’s go over this in more detail.

Foods Allowed/Not Allowed on the Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet generally consists of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy fats/oils, spices and herbs. 

Foods that are not allowed on the Paleo diet are cereal grains, legumes (including peanuts), dairy, refined sugars, potatoes, processed foods, salt or refined vegetable oils.

Alkaline Vs. Acidic Foods

While animal protein is a main constituent of the Paleo lifestyle, so is an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. This balance of acid/alkaline foods keeps your body at an optimal level. Foods such as grains and sugars are way more acidic than animal protein and raise the acidity of the body far more than meat.

Part of the Paleo diet is also a high fat content. In fact, you eat more calories in fat than you do carbohydrates or protein. And fat is a very alkalizing food. Fat acts as an alkaline buffer, much the same way as insulin. When you load the body with a meal full of sugars and simple carbs your body releases insulin in order to neutralize the spiked levels of sugar. Good fats do the same thing!

Alkaline Water and the Paleo Diet

In order to bolster your new Paleo lifestyle I highly recommend drinking plenty of alkaline ionized water each day. The Paleo diet calls for roughly 7 servings of leafy egreen vegetables. And in case this doesn't happen every day, I highly recommend drinking plenty of ionized water. This will aid in keeping your body alkaline and in ensuring the toxins are flushed out of your body as you switch over to a more clean diet.

Alkaline Pumpkin-Coconut Soup

Not only should you be drinking alkaline ionized water to maintain a healthy, alkaline body, but you should also try to eat a greater percentage of alkaline foods. Today I’m sharing a delicious recipe for you.  It is really yummy and very appropriate to autumn.

Pumpkin is very alkaline and potatoes are, too. Pumpkins are also rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron and fiber, as well as beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant!

Ingredients:

2-lb pumpkin

6 cups of water (preferably alkaline ionized water)

1 cup of coconut milk (low- or full-fat)

5 oz of potatoes

2 large onions

3 oz of leeks

1 handful of fresh parsley

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp of sea salt

4 tbsp of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Chop up pumpkin, potatoes, onions and leeks into small pieces.

Heat the olive oil in a big pot and sauté the onion for several minutes until translucent.

Add water, pumpkin, potatoes and leeks to the pot with the onions and oil. Boil until very tender.

Add coconut milk and, using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy.

Season with salt and cayenne pepper and then add the parsley. Enjoy!

I will be sharing alkaline recipes more often for you to try. When you try it, snap a picture and share it along with your comment either on here or on my Facebook page. I would love to know how it turns out!   

(Recipe courtesy of Balance pH Diet)

Cancer and Alkaline Ionized Water

“When cancer patients come into my office … their bodies are almost always very acidic and toxic. My first task is to get their tissues to alkalinize with alkaline water and alkaline foods.” — Dr. Don Colbert, M.D., author, The Seven Pillars of Health

Body pH and Disease

Most diseases, bacteria and viruses cannot sustain life in a well-oxygenated environment. These pathogens die off when the environment they are in reach a pH of 7.6. When your body becomes too acidic, these pathogens can start growing.

An acidic body starts killing its own healthy cells, has a weakened immune system and cannot fight off disease as well as a more alkaline body.

A medical doctor by the name of Dr. Otto Warburg was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1931 for his tremendous discoveries in Medicine. He discovered that cancer cells are not fueled by oxygen as normal cells are. The high levels of oxygen that are found in healthy, alkaline bodies are toxic to cancers. He found that cancers get their energy from sugars and a process of fermentation in acidic environments. He proved empirically the relationship between cancers, acidic body pH, and cellular oxygen starvation. His findings demonstrated that cancers are merely a symptom of acidosis, and therefore it is impossible to truly cure any cancer without first curing the underlying acidosis.

Creating an Alkaline Body

Drinking alkaline ionized water contributes in three ways to creating a more alkaline body.

1) The antioxidant property of the water helps get rid of free radicals in the body that destroy healthy tissue and cells.

2) The micro-clustered water molecules of the alkaline water are far easier for your body to absorb, which helps flush out toxins from your body that lead to an acidic environment.

3) Alkaline water helps balance the pH of the body, making it more alkaline and less acidic. It has an abundance of ionic alkaline minerals and these are more available for your body to use in making it more alkaline.

In this article here I have more research done on this topic, along with quotes from reputable sources, so I highly suggest taking a look at that as well. Doctors/Experts

And I, of course, highly recommend you invest in an electric water ionizer for your continued health and the continued health of your family.  

Eating an Alkaline Diet in Addition to Drinking Plenty of Alkaline Water

There is no bigger change to your daily routine that I can make than drinking plenty of alkaline ionized water. However, there are additional steps to take in your overall diet that will further help the alkalinity of your body. And that next step is to start eating more alkaline foods. So, let's go over that today.

Alkalizing Foods

There are two kinds of foods when it comes to alkalinity: Acid-forming foods and alkaline-forming foods. It is recommended that you eat a ratio of 80% alkaline-forming foods to 20% acid-forming foods. But I would suggest starting on a gradient, incorporating more and more alkaline foods into your diet.

Now an important datum to have is just because the food is acidic, e.g. lemons, does not mean that it is automatically an acid-forming food. The opposite is also true – for example, sugar is alkaline outside of the body, but the reactions it causes inside the body classifies it as an acid-forming food.

"All natural foods contain both acid and alkaline-forming elements," says the Conscious Living Center. "In some, acid-forming elements dominate; in others, alkaline-forming elements dominate. According to modern biochemistry, it is not the organic matter of foods that leave acid or alkaline residues in the body. The inorganic matter (sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium) determines the acidity or alkalinity of the body fluids."

Alkaline Foods to Start Incorporating

Here is a short list of the most common alkaline-forming foods:

Almonds

Asparagus

Avocados

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Coconut

Cucumber

Garlic

Ginger

Grapefruit

Green beans

Lemons

Olive oil

Onions

Peppers

Quinoa

Spinach

Sweet potatoes

Tomatoes

Here is a short list of alkaline-forming foods to start avoiding:

Sodas

Alcohol

Pasta

Most breads

Popcorn

Rice

Sugary foods

Click here for a full acid/alkaline report and diet.

I would recommend starting out by adding lots of good fruits and vegetables to your diet while cutting out the obvious alkaline foods such as soft drinks, alcohol and grains.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions on what I went over today.

Good luck in eating healthier in addition to drinking plenty of alkaline water!

Why Soda Is so Harmful to Your Health

We have all enjoyed a cold glass of Coke or Pepsi. It tastes so good, can it really be THAT bad for you? Well, let's go over what happens when you drink such an acidic drink like soda.

The pH Scale

The pH scale ranges from 0-14, with 0 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Our bodies need to maintain a pH as close to 7.4 as possible for optimum health. If it becomes too acidic or too alkaline, different functions of the body can't take place.

It can be difficult for the body to maintain this pH level given the large amounts of acid-producing foods in our diets. Doctors actually began researching the effects of acid-producing and alkaline-producing foods on our bodies in the early 1900s.

As you can see by the picture below, the closer the food gets to the bottom of the pH scale the more acidic it becomes. And it's acidity grows exponentially. A food that has a pH of 2 is 1,000,000 times more acidic than a food that has a pH of 8!

The Effects of Soda and Other Soft Drinks

Coca-Cola has a pH of about 2.5. This is very, very acidic. About 50,000 times more acidic than tap water.

Your body is working second after second, minute after minute to maintain a healthy pH level. But if we add drinks and foods into our bodies that are acid-producing, the body has to work even harder to maintain that 7.4 pH level. So, what does the body do when it isn't receiving the proper nutrition to keep it at this level? It will take alkali minerals, such as calcium from your bones, to stabilize itself. The body will actually take calcium from your bones and teeth or magnesium from your bones and cells in order to preserve itself. This definitely explains why America is the leading country in terms of osteoporosis, yet we consume the most calcium on the planet, by way of milk and dairy products, calcium supplements, etc. And this is also a huge contributing factor to the amount of obesity in America.

But I Drink Diet Soda – No Calories

This leads us to the next alkali mineral that your body will leach if it needs to keep it at a balanced pH: Iodine. Iodine is a mineral that helps the thyroid function. Your thyroid, the gland responsible for your metabolism, can't properly function without a sufficient amount of iodine. So, even if you're drinking a diet soda with zero calories, you're still flooding your body with an acidic drink that triggers certain mechanisms in the body to use the iodine to maintain a balanced pH.

Here's another blog I wrote that goes over this, too.

Here is a video that goes over this in a way anyone can understand.

How to Determine Your Acidity Level

Here are some symptoms of being too acidic:

Are you chronically fatigued?

Do you run out of breath easily?

Do you find yourself sighing or taking deep breaths for no apparent reason?

Do your muscles cramp up after walking short distances? 

Do you sometimes feel you just can't get enough air? 

These are signs that your body is too acidic.

You can also test the pH of your saliva or urine. We offer a free 80-pieced pH test kit! 

What to Do Next

Kick the soda habit and replace it with alkaline ionized water to help your body maintain your healthy pH level! And watch as the weight comes off and you regain a healthy, energetic body!

Good luck!

What Exactly Are Free Radicals And What Does Ionized Water Have To Do With Them?

Free Radicals

Free radicals are everywhere. They are in the air, our bodies, water and all the material around us. They are what cause rust to eat away at your car, your apples or bananas to brown, paint to fade, etc. And even more importantly, they are what cause age-related illnesses, cancer, strokes, heart attacks and numerous other diseases.

So, simply speaking, what exactly is a “free radical”? Let's start with an atom.

At the center of an atom you have the nucleus, which is composed of protons and neutrons (except for hydrogen – hydrogen is the only element that doesn't have neutrons). Circling the nucleus you have layers, or shells, of electrons. The first layer has 2 electrons when full, the second shell, if it's complete will have 8, the third shell will have 18, and so on. Let's take the simplest of atoms, the hydrogen atom. It has in its nucleus 1 proton and circling it, it has 1 electron. Since there is one of each proton and electron, there is no electric charge in this atom.

Every element on the periodic table is neutral, meaning it has the same amount of electrons going around the same number of protons in the nucleus. Tracking so far?

Now let's say we take a sodium atom (abbreviated Na). It has in its first shell two electrons. In its second shell it has 8 electrons, which makes that shell complete. Now in its outermost shell it only has 1 electron. These atoms want to have paired up electrons and the sodium atom has an unpaired electron. What does that mean? Well, let's say we take a chlorine (Cl) atom. In chlorine's outermost shell it only has 7 electrons. It needs 8 in order to be complete and have all electrons paired. Ok, so let's say we put these two atoms in proximity, what will happen? The unpaired electron that the sodium atom has will give that extra electron away to the chlorine atom so that they are both even. Ta-Da!

But, wait. That means that now the sodium atom has one less electron than it does protons. That makes it positively charged. More protons = positively charged. More electrons = negatively charged. So the sodium atom is now a positive ion and the chlorine atom is a negative ion.

Hold on, What is an Ion?

An ion is an atom that has either gained or lost electrons, therefore becoming either positively or negatively charged. Simple.

Now what does this have to do with free radicals, you ask. Let us take a molecule, which is made up of multiple atoms. If there are unpaired electrons, it will actively search out electrons it can “steal” from other molecules. So, let's say there are free radicals in your body, which there always is, but let's say there is an excess of them. They will attack healthy tissue by “stealing” electrons from them in order to complete their outer shells. This then causes the molecules it “stole” from to become free radicals, too, which causes them to seek out electrons and thus turning other molecules into free radicals. This then can cause a chain reaction that can lead to the destruction of that healthy tissue. Bad news.

What is Ionized Water?

Ok, so the water molecules that have been processed through the electronic water ionizer have been split. Water, chemically speaking, is called H2O, right? So that means it has 2 hydrogen atoms bonded, or stuck to, 1 oxygen atom. Now, when the water is put through your water ionizer, the H2O molecule is split to leave the oxygen atom, which normally has 8 electrons and 8 protons, attached to one of the hydrogen atoms, which has 1 electron and 1 proton. But, it was split in such a way that the hydrogen atom it was split from didn't take it's electron with it. Therefore the lone hydrogen atom has just one proton, making it positively charged (remember more protons than electrons = positively charged). And the hydrogen and oxygen atoms that are stuck together have 10 electrons but only 9 protons, which means they are negatively charged (more electrons than protons = negatively charged).

Ionized Water and Free Radicals

Ok, so now we have these negatively ionized water molecules with an excess of electrons, right? And remember those pesky free radicals in search of an electron to “steal”? Welllll...... the ionized water can supply these free radicals with their needed electron so they don't leach it from your body! Pretty awesome, right? I think so, too!

This is why ionized water is so extremely important to your health and why I work tirelessly to educate everyone regarding it. Since I have started drinking ionized water over 20 years ago, the successes I have seen with it have been nothing short of miraculous! Really! Check out my successes here that customers over the years have sent me. And read my own personal testimonial here.

 Please feel free to browse my website, learn what you can about ionized water, watch my videos, and of course feel free to contact me with any questions or if you need help.  

Replace Some of Those Harsh Cleaning Agents with Acidic Ionized Water

Did you know that you can use the acidic ionized water from your water ionizer for cleaning and disinfecting? You can!

All water ionizers make three different kinds of water: Alkaline, acidic and purified. We all know that we drink and cook with the alkaline ionized water. But many don't know they can use the acidic water to clean and disinfect. This is a great feature for those wanting to avoid the harsh chemicals under the kitchen sink. Imagine not having to keep all those toxic chemicals in the house, especially if you have kids and pets. Plus think of all the money you will be saving!

A pH level of 4 will kill germs after a few seconds, but a pH of 2.7 will kill them on contact. All while not destroying your skin or making it hard to breathe. I don't know about anyone else, but using bleach or Tilex's Mold and Mildew is an assault on my lungs! Who wants that?!

Now I'm sure it may seem odd at first since the water doesn't suds up or look like your typical soapy products, but don't fret! The acidic water is killing the bacteria that you don't want lingering around your bathroom, kitchen, floors, etc.

All you have to do is fill a spray bottle with the acidic ionized water and you have yourself a powerful disinfectant capable of killing bacteria, fungus, viruses and microbes.

The acidity of the water can lose its strength after a while, so I highly recommend dispensing it right before you plan on using it.

Here are some uses for the acid water:

* Rinse your fruits and vegetables with them after purchasing from the grocery store. This will kill any bacteria and fungus, as well as remove pesticides. This will help extend the life of your produce.

* Spray your stove and counter tops with the acid water and wipe down with a dry cloth or paper towel to disinfect after handling raw meat.

* Rinse everyone's toothbrush with the acid water to disinfect the brushes.

* Use to disinfect cutting boards.

* Add to your washing machine to freshen your clothes and make them fluffier.

* Lightly mist on your keyboards to disinfect.

* Wipe down your cell phone and land line phones to disinfect them.

* If you have a bed wetter in the house, spray down the affected area to disinfect and get rid of the odor.

The list goes on and on.

So, tell me, what other uses can you think of for the acid water? Comment below!

Jessica's Journey to Further Weight Loss with Alkaline Ionized Water

Jessica's Journey to Further Weight Loss with Alkaline Ionized Water

Jessica has already lost 40 pounds on her own in the last 6 months. But now that the holidays are over she wants to kick her healthy eating habits into high gear and drop another 60 pounds. And this time she's going to be blogging her successes. The main difference in her routine is going to be adding 3-4 quarts of alkaline ionized water to her regimen each day. She is going to track the differences between eating healthy without alkaline ionized water and how adding it to her lifestyle changes is affecting her weight loss and overall health.

Jessica's diet

Prior to changing my eating habits I would eat what I wanted, when I wanted. Fast food, lots of sweets, more soda than I care to admit, very little water each day, chips and dip, fried foods, you name it.

About 1 ½ years ago my mom gave me a book called The No-Grain Diet by Dr. Mercola and it really made sense. This blog isn't here to get into why I chose that diet, but it really hit home on why I was so overweight and why other diets weren't working very well.

I started eating a diet of meat, vegetables, limited fruit, some dairy, nuts, seeds and LOTS of water. The weight just started melting off and I was ecstatic. I have been overweight since about the age of 8 and it has only gotten worse as an adult and especially after having 3 kids. Trust me, it was really hard at the beginning. I was so used to consuming massive amounts of carbs and it took me about a month to be able to feel full without all the breads, biscuits, potatoes, etc.

Before and After the First 40 Pounds

Here is a picture of me before and after my first 40 pounds:

Adding Alkaline Ionized Water to My Diet

I'm really super excited about adding 3-4 quarts of alkaline ionized water daily. I have been doing a lot of research on the benefits of alkaline ionized water and it really is an important factor in maintaining overall health.

I will be using the WellBlue Alkaline+ PH Ionizer Pitcher. It holds 3.5 quarts and I will be drinking a pitcher every day.

Eventually I would like to upgrade to a water ionizer machine that I hook up to my faucet, but while I save up the money for that investment I will be using the pitcher as a portable water ionizer that I can bring to work with me.

Tracking my Successes and Noticeable Differences

Stay tuned and check in each month as I will be writing on my weight loss and all the differences I have noticed since incorporating the alkaline water. I can't wait to see what's in store for me.

I have another 60 pounds to lose and I'm hoping to get it done in about 6-8 months! :)

And if there is anyone out there who would like to start this exciting journey with me, you can reach me at jessica.reel@me.com. I would love to have others follow along with me and encourage each other during this exciting and rewarding time.

I look forward to talking to you all next month!

 Jessica