Top 10 Tips To Help You Reclaim Your Health

We are all born with a very high alkaline blood ph of 7.4. Over the years as we age this ph level gets more acidic. An acidic environment is like a magnet for all diseases. It also speeds up the aging process. So if the aging process is to be slowed down and lost years regained then one must work towards a high alkaline blood ph.

Alkaline blood can be achieved only by consuming alkaline food and drinking alkaline water. What we eat is who we are. So if one eats vegetables like broccoli, watercress, spinach and carrots, and so on we will be making our alkaline blood better. On the other hand consuming acidic foods leaves our blood acidic. All the toxins from within our body are expelled out of the urine or by sweating. So if these toxins do not get a release, our body cells fall prey to them and begin ageing. Ever wondered why younger people are more energetic that older ones. Well! The answer is simple. Younger people carry more hydroxyl ions than hydrogen ions. The former gives oxygen while the later is an oxygen taker. More oxygen means added energy. There is thus a great need to eat alkaline foods so as to release more oxygen and thus derive more energy from it. Alkaline blood simply keeps the oxygen levels high in our arteries and so prevents the cells from degeneration and therefore aging.

Another good example of benefits of alkaline blood is arthritis and gout prevention as well as cure. Uric acid is not easily dissolvable. Water, alcohol as well as ether all fail to dissolve uric acid, but it easily dissolves in alkaline salts and alkaline water. Thus alkaline blood helps rid the body of uric acid which is the root cause of arthritis and gout. These ailments are caused by uric acid deposits between the joints of the body. The older we get the more likely we are to suffer from arthritis and similar diseases. This is because the older we gets the more our alkaline blood drops its alkalinity thus resulting in uric acid deposits in the body.

When our body gets sluggish and weak we refer to it as the aging process. But this aging is caused by deposits of acids at various points in the body. If we can rid the body of the various wastes and toxins we shall be able to slow down the aging process. This is called anti aging. Only alkaline blood will be able to flush all the toxins and wastes out of the body. Therefore an alkaline blood ph of at least 7.4 must be maintained. To maintain a high alkaline blood ph at least 80% of our total food intake must comprise of alkaline foods and no more than a maximum of 20 % acidic foods

To sum up it would be best to say that alkaline blood is in direct indirect proportion to aging. The more the alkalinity of blood the less we will age.

“We are as only healthy as the river we swim in”

So try these simple steps to help reclaim your health and slow down the aging process….

1. 1.           Take alkalizing Salts

You may take sodium bicarbonate or alkalsing salts to help reduce the acidity in muscles and the blood. Bicarb soda also provides the body with a power boost, thus increasing its endurance. For the latter reason, sports personnel and kettlebellers are recommended to have diets which are rich with this alkaline salt. Research shows that the intake of sodium carbonate reduces work-related stress, thus avoiding the psychological dangers that prolonged stress can present.

1. 2.           Drink your greens

To stay in balance and to maintain vibrant health we must take a green drink to make up for the lack of fruit and vegetables in our diets. This will help prevent diseases like cancer, obesity and heart disease. Green drinks contain grasses like wheat grass, barley grass and alfalfa and also sprouted grains, and green vegetables which infuse your body with easily absorbed vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

1. 3.           Drink Clean Filtered water every day

Drinking clean water filter reduces chlorine and chlorine compounds as well as other undesirable flavours that may be present in tap water. Heavy metals in tap water, such as lead and copper that can be caused by household plumbing pipes, are also reduced. The elimination of lead and copper in tap water is desirable to protect human health.

1. 4.           Get to bed and asleep by 10:30pm

If we don’t get to bed and asleep by 10:30pm we start releasing a chemical called cortisol which is a stress hormone. In a nutshell this is the main cause of stress and weight gain. So having late nights in front of the TV will send your cortisol levels out of balance and you can expect some pretty nasty consequences! Cortisol is a hormone released as part of the stress response in the human body as part of the in built ‘fight or flight syndrome’

Elevated cortisol levels are associated with:

-       Increase cravings and appetite

-       Increased body fat

-       Decreased muscle mass

-       Decreased bone density

-       Increased anxiety

-       Increased depression

-       Mood swings

-       Reduced libido

-       Impaired immune response

-       Memory and learning impairment

-       Increased PMS symptoms

-       Increased menopausal side effects

1. 5.           Eat 80% raw Organic Food

Try eating 80% raw food without eating processed foods and takeaways. Go for organic uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed.

Heating food above 118 degrees F is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and “life force” of food.

Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw.

What are the Benefits of the Raw Food Diet?

Proponents of the raw food diet believe it has numerous health benefits, including:

• Increased energy
• Improved skin appearance
• Better digestion
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of heart disease

1. 6.           Take a Vitamin D Supplement

Scientists first discovered Vitamin D in preventing Cancer 20 years ago. So take a vitamin D supplement to help you improve your immune system and prevent getting a flu virus. It is also essential for absorbing calcium and phosphorous, which are essential for bone and tooth growth. For those that crave carbs and sugary foods it is known that people are lacking in Vitamin D. For us British take 2000 IU a day in Summer and 4-6000 IU in Winter and eat oily fish including the skins! 3 times a week.

1. 7.           Take magnesium

Some one deficient in Magnesium may be prone to diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. So Magnesium is vital for optimum health. Magnesium helps open up the cells and to bring in nutrients and take around 1000g a day.

1. 8.           Selenium with Iodine

Selenium and iodine are two minerals which are critically important in the proper functioning of the thyroid. While the importance of iodine has been known a long time, the importance of selenium has only been discovered and explored since 1990. Much research is presently being conducted on the functions of these two minerals in thyroid function and it is becoming clear that there is an interaction between the two. Iodine has a seemingly simple role in the thyroid-it is incorporated into the thyroid hormone molecule.

Iodine is found in the thyroid, breast and ovaries. Taking iodine with Selenium will help detox the body and get rid of chlorine and fluoride. It is found in the soil and in fish and high doses are found in seaweed!

 According to the World Health Organization, iodine deficiency affects 72% of the world’s population. But iodine is important in the role for protecting cells from the chemical and toxic load that has reached unprecedented levels in our environment. Heavy metals, environmental pollutants, pesticides, out-gassing furniture, carpets, pollutants, pesticides, estrogen, and many other cancer causing pollutants also compete for these iodine receptors.  These toxins compromise iodine levels needed to support thyroid function, cellular metabolism, hormonal balance, and many other cellular functions. Selenium is essential for the production of testosterone and taking both together in low doses will help people with low thyroid or high thyroids.

1. 9.           Vitamin C

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a nutrient that is required in the human diet. Humans are unable to synthesis vitamin C; therefore, it must be attained from supplements or a balanced diet. Vitamin C is vital for the formation and maintenance of connective tissue, amino acid metabolism and protection from chemicals.

10.  Take Leithicin

Lecithin is an important phospholipid needed by all living cells. Lecithin is produced within our own bodies, and can be found in the major organs: the heart, the liver, and the kidneys. Lecithin aids in maintaining our overall health and is utilized by every cell in our bodies. Though it is produced within our own bodies, we do not always consume enough of the foods that provide the nutrition needed to produce adequate amounts. Lecithin can be found in many foods such as: cabbage, cauliflower, garbanzo beans, soy beans, split peas, organic meat, seeds, nuts and eggs. Today’s average diet. However, does not provide enough lecithin to successfully protect or cells and allow lecithin to reap its benefits. As a result, lecithin supplementation is necessary for overall health and prevention of many conditions and diseases. Of its many benefits, lecithin has been proven to decrease cholesterol, promote cardiovascular health, restore damaged livers and improve the brain’s memory function.

One way lecithin aids in preventing or reversing certain diseases and conditions is that since it is predominately comprised of fat itself, it adheres to our cell and nerve linings, forming a sheath, and prevents cholesterol and other fats from sticking. Lecithin can be purshased from your local health food shop.

p.s. Don’t forget to tell your friends about our Kettlebell classes, personal training and Kettlebell Concepts Courses!

Jamie Lloyd BSc RKC CKT- FMD

http://www.russiankettlebellsuk.com

So I’ve discovered the one caveat to eating raw, if you are just starting out  and suffer from IBS and stress is triggering an attack, large amounts of solid veggies and nuts is a bad and very uncomfortable idea….The stress started early last week, by tuesday night my stomach was in such distress I felt like dying….maybe the broccoli salad for lunch wasn’t the best idea….and like a well trained animal I made it worse by falling back on my old standbys of  eating just about anything…after all I already feel sick…what does it matter what I eat…. The stress thankfully is over today, but it is going to take a while to repair the damage.   Not sure what to eat at this point as just about everything produces gas which just aggravates the stomach pain especially if it is cold.  If I can make it through to the weekend I’ll try a juice & broth fast as it has helped in the past.  

Anyone have some nice soothing food ideas?

Well there is less than 2 months to go until the Royal Victoria Marathon.  I’ve been using the level 1 of the  treadmill trainer program to build up my distance.  I really like how the program has multiple parts.  I set up my mp3 to repeat the 20 & 30 second sections a couple of times and I seem to be able to avoid triggering the fibromyalgia pain.  Went and saw a kinesiologist (sp?) on the recommendation of my chiro and was told that a lot of the pain in my calves & shins is from fallen arches.  I’m going to get a pair of orthotics to see if that helps.  I would love to be able to run without pain…what a thought….

With the marathon in mind, my main goal this week is to get in 4 running sessions.  And now that the heat wave has broken, I’ll actually be able to get back on the treadmill and make the goal a reality this week…

Will keep you updated on the progress on reintroducing some veggies back into my diet….

Okay, so I got three days of fresh pressed juices in for this week, and I ate greens for most of the day yesterday.  I had a liver booster twice and a flu fighter once.  Not too bad for jumping back on the wagon halfway through the week.   What I mean by that is that my “week” starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.  Unfortunately for my  quest to eat for energy, I’ve taken off for the beach and a weekend of likely bad food choices, but as I mentioned in my comment to the blog post about moderation, “everything in moderation, including moderation.”

Oh, and on another note.  My friend Janet is working on Eating for Energy herself.  She just started this week.  She is having a bit of a hard time with the whole vegetable thing.  Any recipes you can offer up that will help a vegetable hater eat for energy would be greatly appreciated.

Greetings from Sydney Australia!!!

OK, so here I am venturing into raw foods in a bigger way than ever before.  I have dabbled a bit with it in past – in fact right before my wedding I trimmed down and was looking the best & leanest I had ever done in my life….but that was nearly 8 years ago now….two kids, too much wine, cheese & restuarants it later….

Right now…

I am on week 4 and have done fairly well in sticking to the 80% raw goal. I am to stick to the Eating for Energy snacks pretty much all the time but working on 3 meals a day x 7 leaving me roughly with 4 meals a week that I can ‘play’ with as my free meals (or simply just enjoy those things I still dont think I can live without at this point).  I certainly have found it easier than I thought I would & find I am craving raw foods over non -raw previous craves!

I have even incorporated raw into meals for my family, although I do still find myself cooking most days something for kids and husband. But greens and vegies have always been big winners at my place so at least the transistion to partial raw on the plate has been easy enough.  

Wheres the warm food?

Biggest challlenge I have right now is that it is winter here in Sydney – although not as cold as our northern hemisphere friends it is pretty cold for us right now at 16 / 17 degrees each day….. sometimes I just want something warm to help warm me up….especially for dinner when it dark & colder – I have succumbed to a few bites here and there & roasted vegies with chickpeas on the weekend as one of my ‘free’ 20%  meals (it was soooo yummy)…but the last few days a bowl of cold raw soup has left me wishing it could be warmed up a bit first!

Whoa… So lots of people in the northern hemisphere are experiencing a major heat wave right now. It is HOT—like “go out for ice cream” hot. Just because I’m eating a mainly raw vegan diet doesn’t mean that I’m going to miss out on the ice cream. No way. But I don’t want the dairy or the sugar or any of the other junk that goes into traditional ice cream.

What I want is this, and it’s made  of wholesome raw ingredients:

Frozen bananas

Raspberries

Cacao nibs

Yup. That’s it.

Frozen bananas make an incredible substitute for ice cream. I run them plain through my Champion juicer with the blank plate, but you can also make banana ice cream with a high-speed blender or food processor. If you need to add a little liquid to make the frozen banana blend, I suggest a bit of almond milk or coconut milk. A drop of vanilla extract is another nice touch.

What’s that—you’re a chocolate fan? Combine a sliced frozen banana (or two), a spoonful of cacao powder, and a bit of maple syrup (enough to blend smoothly). It’s delicious!

Stay cool, folks!

For many people, bread is simply bread. It is white and it comes from the grocery store. It is used for sandwiches and toast, and little else. It is brand name and cheaply prices, pre-sliced and the less time you take to actually read the ingredients, the better off you’ll be.

Of course, most people who eat a raw food diet, or even a somewhat healthy diet, would not touch that bleached white bread with a ten foot bread knife. It is full of chemicals and artificial everything, as is as close to a nutritional wasteland as you can find in the pastry section of a supermarket.

Some people will simply switch to a different kind of bread – be it rye, whole wheat, or some other variation. But instead of looking for something else in the grocery store to fill the place of that phony bread, why not go a completely different – and incredibly healthy – direction and try to make your own sprouted grain bread.

Of course, the first question people will ask, when told about sprouted grain bread, is not questions about the preparation, the cost or ever a description of what exactly such a bread would look like. No, the first question, inevitably, is the question of just how good would bread like this taste?

Is sprouted bread good? If you are talking taste, then the answer is yes. Instead of consuming a baked mass of processed and bleached wheat that offers very little in the way of flavor or texture, a slice of sprouted bread is like the difference between a light bulb and the sun. Sprouted breads can be made from a single source of sprouted grain if you want a particular flavor, or from a variety of germinated nuts and seeds if you want to experience a variety within every bite.

If you are asking if sprouted grain bread is good for you, the answer once again is yes. The average mass-produced loaf of bread offers little in the way of nutrients, unless the producer has added in a few vitamins after the fact to try to make their product “health conscious”. Raw sprouted breads, on the other hand, have all of the vitamins and nutrients found in the young plants used to produce the bread. None have been killed off in the cooking process, and nothing good has been bleached away. Sprouted breads contain living food enzymes to aide in digestion and absorption; fiber to keep the body regular; and for those who suffer from wheat or gluten allergies, there are many forms of sprouted breads that can be eaten without fear of causing a negative reaction.

And if you are asking if sprouted grain bread is good for everyday use, the answer is a very big yes. This sort of homemade bread can be used for anything you would normally use bread for. You can make your own sandwiches for lunches, serve it with pasta at dinner, or load it up with homemade nut butter for a tasty snack any time of the day.

When it comes to looking great – at any age – it isn’t about the makeup that you use, the color you put into your hair, or the clothes that you wear. Simply put, if you consume bad choices in food, your skin and your body will show it, and no matter what else you do, your looks will suffer for it.

Processed sugars, abundant salts and unnatural chemicals can do damage to your skin and your hair, and leave you looking worse for wear. But if you take the time to do a little research, you will find that there are plenty of foods out there that can actually help with your daily beauty regimen.

Two of the most important parts of your food that will affect how you look are the fats and the water content of your meals. While we have a tendency to consider fats to be a bad thing when it comes to healthy foods, there are indeed good and bad types of fat that you can eat.

Want an example of consumable fat that will wear on your looks?

Try modern dairy products. These overly processed fats are treated to remove many of the helpful bacteria that originally were present and can be helpful to digestion, and all you are left with is a high fat liquid that might help with your calcium daily requirements, but sure won’t help you to look good.

So, how about an example of a good type of fat for your looks? What if I told you that there was a fruit that you have probably only ever eaten as a mushy, overly spiced paste; one that can be sliced over salad, blended into smoothies, and used dozens of other ways; one whose buttery texture and rich, delicious taste is due to an abundance of wonderful natural and raw fats; and one that can help your skin to glow and your hair to shine?

You might think that was too much to ask of any fruit, but avocados can do all of this, and more. The natural raw fats contained in avocados help to feed your skin and make it glow, and provide your body with a natural source of vitamin E and antioxidants.

But fat is only a part of the story. In order for your skin to really look its best, you need to make sure that you are properly hydrated. Skin that is starved for moisture not only looks bad, but is bad for your body. The skin acts as a natural sponge for water, holding it in reserve for other parts of the body. When hydration levels drop, the water is drawn inwards to those vital organs, leaving your skin parched. Thirsty skin will look dry, flushed and droopy, accentuating any existing wrinkles and age spots.

Other than a big glass of water, you can rehydrate your skin and rejuvenate your appearance with any number of water-dense fruits, such as grapefruit or watermelon. A single serving of grapefruit is over 90% water, which can easily be absorbed by the body and used to refill the sponge that is your skin, leaving it looking plump and full, smoothing out any wrinkles and giving you a healthy, even glow.

I know you have probably looked at all sorts of diets and interesting eating plans out there, and they have all probably claimed to be the best diet ever. However, many of these diets have no proof to back up those claims, other than a few mumbled references to studies done elsewhere, and some customer feedback clips.

Now, if that is all it takes to create the best diet ever, I could probably come up with something somewhat convincing based on pretty much any food product or supplement that I want to sell more of. Anyone who has ever launched a new diet pill or energy capsule has pretty much done this, of course, in an effort to convince you that their product will give you the results you are looking for.

That is not to say that there is no validity to their claims, but the best diet ever? I think that term ought to be reserved for something truly amazing. Something that helps you to meet your weight management and energy goals, tastes great, is good for you, and doesn’t break the bank in the meantime. Something that is easy to prepare, does not include proprietary products that you can only get from one source, and something that you feel happy with now, and for the rest of your life.

If you follow that line of thinking, you will see that eating a raw food diet may indeed be following the best diet you could ever find.

For starters, a raw diet can help you to achieve any number of weight management and health goals. If you want to slim down, drop a few inches or otherwise decrease your overall weight, a raw food diet can help you with that. If you want to bulk up or add muscle, a properly calibrated raw food diet can assist you. If you want to eat for energy, raw foods can give you the fuel that you need to perform at your peak. No other diet or eating plan can accomplish that like the variety and abundance of raw foods can.

Raw foods also taste wonderful. Many of the foods we eat that are cooked have to have additional spices or salt or sugar added to them to bring them back up to a level of flavor that we enjoy. But if you bite into a fresh kiwi fruit, you will never think to yourself “hey, this could use some extra sugar…” Raw foods are bright and fresh not only in appearance, but in flavor.

And no one owns the rights to raw foods. There is not one company who controls the world’s supply of avocados, and can mark up the price and restrict the places to get one. Raw foods can be bought at any grocery store, any roadside produce stand or grown in any garden. No one will restrict what you can have, any time you want it when it comes to raw foods.

For my money, these are just a few reasons that the raw foods diet is truly the best diet you could possibly follow.

After feeling tired all the time, Eating for Energy has opened my eyes. I wear glasses and yesterday I told Pierrette(my darling wife) that often I had the impression of seeing right through them as though they were not there.

Yuri Elkaim has made me realize that eating was only a small part of the equation. The mind is so preoccupied with making us happy and healthy that is consumes most of the energy it receives to keep our stomach and digestive system moving forward.

My question with Eating for Energy has always been,”What happens when my mind keeps some of that energy to do other things?”

If you apply the principles of learning why and how food affects your metabolism and your energy levels the results will boggle your mind. Now, it will not happen overnight, but close. Yuri says that to apply only 10% of his teachings will change your life dramatically. He is so right, now imagine applying 20%?

I know you might all think I am a bit crazy and that’s alright, maybe I am just a  bit, but boy what a feeling it is to have other things to work on, read about, discuss with and live for than just what my next fast food meal is going to come from.

The greatest thing I have learned, besides all the physical stuff I had no idea about, was the power of my mind. I feel in Perfect Health for the first time in my life and I am 58 going on 30. I am being sarcastic here but I hope you will excuse my enthusiasm. I just hope that Eating for Energy can do for you what it has done to me.

The mind is a great tool I had forgotten all about. I was just to busy eating poorly and misusing my body. My Mind and Spirit had been falling in the waste basket. Don’t let it happen to you. Read Eating for Energy as though your life depended on it. If you do not agree, let me know. I am very excited about you being as thrilled as I am today.

Pierre & Pierrette Trudel: from http://www.theequest.com

Thee Quest Perfect Health

As I walked over one of the two bridges crossing  the Sturgeon River there was a sudden quietness I had not noticed before. It was as though time had stopped and I could hear my heart pound and my breathing was deep and serene. Walking was having an effect on me  I could not have imagined.

Eating for Energy has given me this energy I had not expected. I was not concerned about my health or my body. My mind was revealing all these feelings I had never had before. I was in a peaceful state of mind. This was a new me, a rejuvenated me, a person that seemed to be talking to me as I peacefully continued my walk.

After 50 days of following advice from this incredible Eating for Energy book I am able to walk 10 kilometers in only 90 minutes and I feel so incredibly energized. I would not of been able to do this 10, 20 or even 30 years ago.

The energy I have inside my body  comes from eating the right foods and knowing why I am eating them. I started to walk to keep my mind alert and to have the time to think alone and discovered that my best friend was walking with me.

I truly believe that eating for energy is exactly what it is. I have this energy level I have not had since I was a teen. The book explains the changes that occur within your metabolism and what to expect from these changes.

Your Body, Mind and Spirit are finally working as a unit. You are not tired all the time. Your mind is clear and obviously you also feel the results in every inch of your body.

When your mind is alert it does not have to spend so much time worrying about your physical health and therefore can concentrate more on the life ahead of you. I know I seem confused at times, but all this energy needs to speak and tell the world how great I feel.

I am in control and I know it. That is the revelation you can feel if you decide to finally take care of you. My body has been taking to much energy from my Mind and Spirit for years. I can see clearly for the first time in many years.

Who Do You Talk to? I love to talk to my best friend when I walk and you guessed it. That best friend is ME.

What do you listen to? I follow my heart and I listen to the guidance I get from Eating for Energy. Listen to your heart and you will know what I am talking about. I hope you get to feel how I feel.

Food for thought

Pierre & Pierrette Trudel: from http://www.theequest.com