New Year, New You

It's that time of year again. you've overindulged and about now you are swearing to never eat sugar again! Oh how I remember those days! I have family and friends asking me left and right what to do to detox their bodies. It is really hard to find a plan that works for everyone and that's because the same thing doesn't work for everyone...... most of the time! The good news is that if you reduce your intake of acid forming foods you'll have a better chance at winning the battle. The good, good news is that alkalizing foods are the same for all people. I thought I would give you a cheat sheet of alkalizing foods and acid forming foods. If you stick to the alkalizing foods you will reduce inflammation and be that much closer to more energy, less bloating and maybe we'll drop those darn holiday pounds : )

Your goal should be to have 80% of your diet alkalizing and 20% acidic. Top choices are marked with a *.

ALKALINE FOODS

VEGETABLES

Alfalfa*
Barley Grass*
Beet Greens
Beets, red*
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery*
Chard Greens
Chlorella*
Collard Greens
Cucumber*
Dandelions
Dulce
Edible Flowers
Eggplant
Fermented Veggies
Garlic*
Green Beans
Green Peas
Kale*
Kohlrabi
Lettuce*
Mushrooms
Mustard Greens
Nightshade Veggies
Onions
Parsnips (high glycemic)
Peas
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radishes*
Rutabaga
Sea Veggies*
Spinach, green*
Spirulina*
Sprouts
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes*
Veggie Juices
Watercress
Wheat Grass*
Wild Greens*

ASIAN VEGETABLES

Daikon
Dandelion Root
Kombu
Maitake
Nori
Reishi
Shitake
Umeboshi
Wakame

FRUITS

Apple
Apricot
Avocado*
Berries
Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries, sour*
Coconut, fresh*
Currants
Dates, dried
Figs, dried and raw*
Grapes
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Lemon*
Lime*
Muskmelons
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pear
Raisins
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tangerine
Tomato*
Tropical Fruits
Umeboshi Plums
Watermelon


GRAINS and LEGUMES

Buckwheat*
Chickpeas
Kamut, sparingly
Lima Beans
Lentils
Spelt

PROTEIN

Flax Seeds
Squash Seeds
Sesame Seeds
Millet
Sprouted Seeds
Pine Nuts
Almonds
Chestnuts
Eggs
Tempeh (fermented)
Tofu (fermented)
Rice Protein Powder( I use Vanilla Protein Energizer from Rainbow Light)
Vega Protein Supplements ( Personal addition here. They have great alkalizing products.)
Yogurt, plain, sparingly
Cottage Cheese, sparingly
Pumpkin Seeds, sparingly
Sunflower Seeds, sparingly

SWEETENERS

Stevia

SPICES and SEASONINGS

Caraway Seeds*
Chili Pepper
Cinnamon
Cumin Seeds*
Curry
Fennel Seeds*
Ginger
Herbs (all)
Miso
Mustard
Sea Salt (or himalayan salt)
Tamari ( or Bragg's Liquid Aminos)


OILS and FATS

Coconut Oil (raw)*
Flaxseed Oil*
Olive Oil (Cold-pressed)
Almond Butter, raw

OTHER

Alkaline Antioxidant Water
Apple Cider Vinegar*
Baking Soda*
Bee Pollen
Fresh Fruit Juice
Green Juices
Lecithin Granules
Mineral Water
Molasses, blackstrap
Probiotic Cultures( Xymogen ProbioMax is my top choice)
Soured Dairy Products

Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalizing effect in the system.

For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so, lemons are alkaline forming in the body. Meat leaves a very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid forming.

ACID FORMING FOODS

ANIMAL PROTEIN

Bacon
Beef
Carp
Chicken
Clams
Cod
Corned Beef
Fish
Haddock
Lamb
Lobster
Mussels
Organ Meats
Oyster
Pike
Pork
Prawn
Rabbit
Salmon
Sardines
Sausage
Scallops
Shark fin
Shellfish
Shrimp
Tuna
Turkey
Veal
Venison

GRAINS (People respond to grains differently so I would eliminate them to begin with and add the whole grains* back in slowly and see how your body reacts to them.)

Barley*
Bran, oat and wheat*
Bread, white or wholemeal
Corn
Cornstarch
Crackers, soda
Flour, wheat* and white
Hemp Seed Flour
Macaroni
Noodles
Oatmeal
Oats (rolled)*
Rice (all)
Rice Cakes
Rye
Spaghetti
Wheat Germ
Whole Wheat*

DAIRY

Butter
Cheese
Ice Cream
Ice Milk
Margarine
Milk (especially processed milk)
Yogurt, sweetened

OTHER FOODS

Catsup
Cocoa
Coffee, whaaa
Corn Syrup
Mustard
Soft Drinks
Sugar, White or Brown
Vinegar, white
Wine, sorry : (

This is a general guideline and you alone will be able to gauge which foods make you feel and perform best. I would eat as many of the vegetables in their raw form as you can but feel free to cook them if that's easiest for you. I hope this gives you the jump start you need to start your New Year right!!


Nicole


The above comments were written from my personal opinion and should not be in any way considered medical advise. I urge you to discuss these ideas with your physician and make sure they are beneficial for your own personal situation. Thank you!

Step 1: Fresh Vegetable Juice (Healthy You 2010)

Have you checked your e-mail today? If it's anything like mine it's filled with weight loss overload! Here are a few that were in my inbox today:

"Fast Track to Weight Loss"
"Turn Resolutions in to Reality"
"Unwrap Your Best Body EVER!"
"Get Ready for 2010"

Yep, it's that time of year, the time when all of the get thin quick schemes are bombarding you from all sides. I'm here to tell you, THEY DON'T WORK!!!! Unless you're ready to change permanently by eating clean you will not get the results you're looking for. How about we take it one step at a time, okay? Let's start by giving your liver and digestive system a boost!

Step 1: Add juices to your diet. Nope, not that sugar laden fruit juice! I want you to add fresh squeezed vegetable and fruit juices to your daily menu.

I like to start the day with a shot of juice from a whole lime or lemon or 1/2 an orange followed by two 10-oz glasses of purified water. This alone will immediately stimulate your digestion.

About fifteen minutes after the water and citrus juice drink a large glass of vegetable juice. NOT V8, I'm talking fresh vegetable juice! I would really suggest you invest in a vegetable juicer. It is so much cheaper and healthier to make your own juice than buy pre-bottled juices. I have a Hurom juicer and it is the BEST! You can make your juice with leafy greens, carrots, celery and/or any fresh green herbs( parsley, mint, basil, etc.). The greener the juice the better! I highly suggest that all of your produce be organic. Organic is best, you don't want your liver bogged down filtering out the pesticides. Check the Dirty Dozen list for the top priority organic produce. I like to make my juice with chard, kale, celery, cucumber, a few carrots and parsley. Both celery and parsley have great detoxifying qualities and the carrots add a little sweetness:) Most bottled vegetable juices are flash-pasteurized so a lot of the enzymes are killed in the process, sniff, sniff.....

Check out my collection of JUICE RECIPES!

I usually workout after the vegetable juice then have breakfast.

Oh, what to have for breakfast? Stay tuned and I'll let you know!

Nicole