Whole Foods

I read a health food article in Natural Health Magazine* this past weekend while lounging by the pool at my parents. The article mentioned the percentage of Alkaline foods the average American gets in comparison to Acidic foods. Basically its all about maintaining the body's PH-balances for energy. The "good guys" are Alkaline foods, the "bad guys" are Acidic foods, according to the article.

In the standard American diet, the typical ratio of acidic to alkaline foods is about 80/20. Ideally, you want to have between 60 percent to 80 percent of your foods coming from the alkaline side—and only 20 percent to 40 percent coming from the acidic side. To help you make better choices, hang this handy list on your fridge or stash it in your bag so you make smarter choices at the supermarket. *

The article provided a list of top alkaline and acidic foods and I found it fascinating that all the Alkaline foods were "Daniel Fast"- friendly whereas most of the Acidic foods where foods that were forbidden on the fast.

I am now done with the fast but finding my body is still craving fresh foods as opposed to processed. I also have noticed I feel so much better staying away from coffee and red meat for now.

For your enjoyment I decided to list the Alkaline and Acidic foods below. It included a lot of foods that I never have even thought of buying- such as millet, buckwheat, and kale. Here you go:

Top alkaline foods
Alkaline water
Almonds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, flax seeds
Avocados
Cold-pressed oils such as hemp, flax, borage seed
Grains such as quinoa, wild rice, millet, amaranth, buckwheat
Grasses, especially wheatgrass
Green vegetables, especially kale, spinach, lettuces, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, cabbage and endives
Lemons, limes, grapefruits
Lentils and other beans
Miso
Oil-cured olives
Raw tomatoes (cooked tomatoes are acidic)
Root veggies, such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, jicama, daikon
Seaweed
Sprouts
Stevia

The acidic rundown
Alcohol
Animal protein (red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, dairy)
Chemicals, drugs, cigs, heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives
Coffee (even decaf)
Black tea
Heavily processed foods, no matter their ingredients
Honey, corn syrup, brown sugar, fructose
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard
Some legumes, such as chickpeas, black beans and soybeans
Processed soy products
MSG
Processed oils such as margarine, fake fats, trans fats and refined vegetable oils
Refined grains, wheat and oats
Soda, energy drinks, sport drinks
Table salt (sea salt is a better choice, in moderation)
Salted and roasted nuts
White sugar and sugar substitutes
Yeast and vinegar (with the exception of raw apple cider vinegar)
Soy sauce (use sparingly and choose low-sodium tamari)

I have never tried Stevia but am interested. Artificial sweeteners are not going well with my system after cutting them out for 21 days. I get head aches and get bloated right away... hmmmm- they must be bad! haha. For now I'll just stick to natural sugar.

Workout Today:

Distance: 5 miles

Time: 42min
Weather: Humid, Sunny, Windy (I did a few miles inside on the treadmill)

Question: Do you eat many of the Alkaline foods mentioned above?

*Source

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