Sugar is not the Only Killer - with Your Online Pilates Coach

Did you ever wear a ring and notice that it left a grey mark on your finger? Do you have bad breath especially in the morning? Get heartburn easily?

If you’re like most people in the U.S., your body has become a too acidic. Your cells have a pH level which is below the best balance for optimal function. So why is that a problem? Too much acid will:

• decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients
• make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness
• decrease its ability to repair damaged cells
• decrease its ability to detoxify heavy metals
• decrease the energy production in the cells
• make tumor cells thrive

Before panicking, there are many things you can do today to lower your pH. Count this blog as a blessing! Your body can be “fixed” and maintained. You don’t have to memorize an entire food chart. Just understand what generally falls into each category. Science disagrees on some classifications but the extremes are clear.

If you are working out regularly or doing pilates exercises with me, you are producing more acid for your body to attempt to neutralize. Acidic bodies don't have as much energy. If your taking "power drinks" like Red Bull or Mountain Dew, or 5 Hour Energy, you probably see a pattern of crashing with exhaustion or a tendency to "sleep in."

You may want to pick up some pH test strips from the drug store if you are really concerned. The higher the pH number, the more alkaline your body is. And that’s a good thing.

It is important to note that some foods may seem acidic, but in the body, they are alkaline forming. Take a fruit like a lemon. It is certainly acid. But when the body digests it, it has the effect of raising your PH or "alkalizing." Now you know there is a difference between alkaline forming foods and just plain alkaline foods.

Also, the alkalinity or acidity of food can change depending if it is eaten raw or cooked. Most veggies help the body to alkalize if eaten raw, and some veggies are considered less acidic if eaten with their skins, like potatoes.

Our pH level is all about what we’ve been putting into our bodies over time. The All American diet is extremely acidic. If you are implementing my messages in the articles thus far, your pH balance is certainly improving! Keeping your blood sugar level stabile means not taking in lots of high GI foods.

Here are some easy ways to further alkalize your system:

• Start out by really pushing alkaline producing foods and drinks, while eliminating the acid producers.

To get your pH numbers up, be deliberate about choosing alkalizing foods. Buy and drink alkalizing water. Remove artificial sweeteners from your home if possible. Use stevia, if anything. Take a few weeks without alcohol if you drink regularly. Lower your coffee intake. Eat proteins like whey (not isolate), yogurt, and raw almonds. Keep fresh veggies cleaned, sliced, and out in the open and munch on them throughout the day. Refer to the complete chart I’ve included below.

The general direction for choosing alkalizing foods is to increase most fruits, colorful vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbal seasonings (not salt), seeds and nuts. This goes along with our new way of eating! Remember not to add any high GI fruit (these keep our body in a fat storing mode).

• Add back acid producers carefully.

You can still eat beef or drink coffee, for example. We just need to set limits here. Get ready for my next blog, “The New Shop.” It will give you habit upgrades that will help you and yours for the long term!

We all need good fat and protein. Most of these are acid producing foods. Try eating more of the medium acid producers. For example, chicken (without the skin) is much less acid producing than beef. Add the fantastic habit of keeping crunchy delicious fresh veggies available, and that alone will go a long way toward maintaining a nice pH level.

•  Add minerals.

 If you have been acidic for a while, your cells are likely depleted of many important minerals and trace minerals. You can drink mineral water and keep eating veggies, and take chelated absorbable minerals like calcium, magnesium, and even trace minerals like chromium and copper. A combination mineral supplement which has been made more absorbable through chelation is best.

• The easy one: Drink more water.

You can buy alkalizing water, but just staying well hydrated throughout the day helps balance the pH of your cells. Clean and flush bad metals from the body. Help your cells to absorb the good minerals you will be taking.

If you are not in the habit of staying hydrated, try keeping clean water at room temperature reachable throughout the day. Don’t give yourself a quota of water consumption. Judge whether you are well hydrated by how often you need to use the bathroom. I know it can be an annoyance but we need to get up and stretch and move while working! Getting up for a quick bathroom break allows us to do that.

I’m not going to tell you how often you should be going but it should interrupt other things during the day. If you don’t remember the last time you went, your not doing so well.

Here is the best list I have found to help you understand which foods work best. Please remember, high glycemic foods are not good options. Notice that they are mostly located in the high acid producing category anyway.

Let’s look at some foods ranging from alkalizing to high acid producing.

Extremely Alkaline or alkaline forming:
Lemons, watermelon, Cantaloupe, cayenne, celery, dates, figs, kelp, limes, mango, melons, papaya, parsley, seaweeds, seedless grapes (sweet), watercress.

Asparagus, fruit juices, kiwifruit, passion fruit, pears (sweet), pineapple, raisins, umeboshi plums, and vegetable juices.

Moderately Alkaline:
Apples (sweet or sour), alfalfa sprouts, apricots, avocados, bananas (ripe), currants, dates, figs (fresh), garlic, grapefruit, grapes (less sweet or sour), guavas, herbs (leafy green), lettuce (leafy green), nectarine, peaches (sweet), pears (less sweet), peas (fresh, sweet), pumpkin (sweet), sea salt (vegetable).

Beans (fresh, green), beets, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, carob, cauliflower, ginger (fresh), lettuce (pale green), oranges, peaches (less sweet), peas (less sweet), potatoes (with skin), pumpkin (less sweet), raspberries, strawberries, squash, sweet corn (fresh), turnip, vinegar (apple cider).

Slightly Alkaline:
Almonds, artichokes (jerusalem), brussel sprouts, cherries, coconut (fresh), cucumbers, eggplant, honey (raw), leeks, mushrooms, okra, olives (ripe), onions, pickles (homemade), radishes, sea salt, spices, tomatoes (sweet), vinegar (sweet brown rice).

Chestnuts (dry, roasted), egg yolks (soft cooked), essene bread, goat's milk and whey (raw), mayonnaise (homemade), olive oil, sesame seeds (whole), soy beans (dry), soy cheese, soy milk, sprouted grains, tofu, tomatoes (less sweet), and yeast (nutritional flakes).

Neutral:
Butter (fresh, unsalted), cream (fresh, raw), cow's milk and whey (raw), margine, oils (except olive), and yogurt (plain).

Moderately Acidic:
Bananas (green), barley (rye), blueberries, bran, butter, cereals (unrefined), cheeses, crackers (unrefined rye, rice and wheat), cranberries, dried beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo), dry coconut, egg whites, eggs whole (cooked hard), fructose, goat's milk (homogenized), honey (pasteurized), ketchup, maple syrup (unprocessed), milk (homogenized).

Molasses (unsulfured and organic), most nuts, mustard, oats (rye, organic), olives (pickled), pasta (whole grain), pastry (whole grain and honey), plums, popcorn (with salt and/or butter), potatoes, prunes, rice (basmati and brown), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), soy sauce, and wheat bread (sprouted organic).

Extremely Acidic: Artificial sweeteners, beef, beer, breads, brown sugar, carbonated soft drinks, cereals (refined), chocolate, cigarettes and tobacco, coffee, cream of wheat (unrefined), custard (with white sugar), deer, drugs, fish, flour (white, wheat), fruit juices with sugar, jams, jellies, lamb.

Liquor, maple syrup (processed), molasses (sulphured), pasta (white), pastries and cakes from white flour, pickles (commercial), pork, poultry, seafood, sugar (white), table salt (refined and iodized), tea (black), white bread, white vinegar (processed), whole wheat foods, wine, and yogurt (sweetened).

You now have enough basic understanding to help you to move in a better direction of balance throughout your body. I know it's a lot to take in. If it's a bit much, just focus on keeping those fresh veggies available, drinking more water, and choosing low acid protein.

Take home point: Not spiking your blood sugar or letting it dip is again confirmed as our most healthy lifestyle upgrade and gives the most bang for the buck!

You can comment here or more directly from the contact us page on my fitness membership. Pass this on to a loved one or friend who may benefit!