Let’s talk about Alkalinity, Acidity & Inflammation! Yeah!

I know, I know…this topic probably sounds like it has nothing to do with you or your fitness goals. Am I getting too ‘technical’ on you? Well deal! Because you need to know about ‘getting more alkaline’ and getting out of an acidic and toxic and inflamed state. So take a few minutes out of your day and read on. (Next post will be about the ‘constricting’ and ‘expanding’ properties of food, I promise).
Blood pH Level ranges from low pH (acidic) to high pH (alkaline). Our body fights to keep our blood pH level between 7.35-7.45 via its internal regulating systems. If the blood pH dips below 7.35 it turns too acidic (acidosis) and above 7.45 too alkaline. So why do I care about this?

“A diet rich in alkaline foods help reduce inflammation in the body…chronic inflammation can negatively impact your health. Experts seem to agree that one of the first ways to reduce inflammation is by assessing your diet and adding in alkaline foods and removing the acid ones.” While, it’s said that acidosis leads to diseases, brain fog, poor mood, irritability, poor digestion, low energy, excess weight, aches and pains and it is said that cancers thrive in an acid state…so this is why pH is so important. Once I got the acid-forming products out of my life, my quality of life improved, do you want to improve your quality of life?

So, what do you do? Counteract acidity by consuming foods that bring your pH up to the alkaline side of the scale. The average western-diet is acid-forming. Coffee, animal meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, bread (even whole wheat), pistachios, peanuts, butter, margarine, artificial sweeteners, sugar, beer, liquor, wine, canned food, microwaved food, processed foods are all foods to stay away from because they are highly acidic! Click this link–> Look on the internet for a chart of acid-alkaline foods.

Almost all vegetables are GREAT for you and alkaline forming, fruits are to be eaten in moderation. Fruits that are alkaline forming are avocados, fresh lemon & limes. Almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and sesame seeds are alkaline forming too. Flax seed and Olive oil are alkaline. Get a pressure cooker, and start cooking up your grains and beans/legumes from their whole and untouched/unprocessed states. Such as whole buckwheat groats and lentils which are on the alkaline side of the spectrum. Again, look up a chart online and make note of what is acid and alkaline forming.

You may read this and say to yourself that getting rid of these ‘foods’ or changing the way I eat to be more ‘alkaline’ would be too difficult. But let me ask you this, “is there not more to life than the food we eat and the clothing we wear…?”. The food you eat should be the fuel to power you through your day!

Is it not harder to go to the gym, stick to your exercise routine 100% day-in and day-out and not see results because you haven’t changed your diet in a way to align with what you want to achieve with your health and fitness? Is it not absolutely frustrating when you feel like crap when you wake up in the morning, and you have a whole day ahead of you of work and errands and life to deal with? Wouldn’t you like to wake up and feel ready to take on the day? Sleep better? Feel energized after a meal instead of tired and weighed down? Walk out your door, look up at the sky and see ‘true blue’ for the first time? Be so clear-minded and on-point that you tackle work stress, work problems and work duties like you’ve never been able to before? Shed excess weight that you can’t seem to lose no matter what exercise routine you do, no matter how many minutes you walk/run a day, no matter how many spin classes you do, or crazy starvation diets you put your body through?

YOU CAN achieve optimal wellness, YOU CAN experience a better quality of life, it all depends on whether you MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO, whether or not you decide that you’re fed up with feeling like crap everyday and you decide that you’re ready to make the changes you need to make to achieve your goals. We all hit rock bottom at some point, but if I were you I’d start before I hit rock bottom.

Once I learn something, I implement it into my life in a way that will make a positive impact on my well being. How can you learn something that is life-changing and not use that new information in how you live your life? Many people out there read about and learn things that could make a positive impact on their well being and the environment, yet they just move on and don’t do anything about it, they are numb, maybe they’re scared, maybe they haven’t hit rock bottom yet. Don’t be numb, don’t wait until you hit rock bottom, don’t wait until you get some horrible health diagnosis from your doctor, you were given life…one life…to be ALIVE, feel ALIVE and see ‘true blue’!

 

This may be controversial, some may reject this topic, I don’t care and don’t knock it until you try it. What I do care about is helping others ‘see the light’. I’m sharing what I know and learn in hopes to help others have a better quality of life. Take what you will from what I tell you, but just remember you were given one life…to live, be well, and do well…

 

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or a doctor. What I write in my blogposts is simply information that I have gathered over the years from reading and researching several health related topics from credible resources as well as personal experiences. I urge you to consult with a physician before changing your diet. The purpose of my blogposts are to share my experiences and fitness knowledge with everyone I possibly can to help others in their journey to improve their state of well-being.

Health & Happiness,

Natty Mac

30 Day Vegan/Macrobiotic Challenge…the experiment begins!

Don’t judge or come up with an opinion about something until you’ve tried it! This is something I’ve had to remind myself when researching different healthful approaches to nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits and/or programs.
SO…I’m embarking on 30 day challenge to see how taking a vegan/macrobiotics/whole & unprocessed foods approach to living will affect my energy levels, wellness, physique, lean muscle mass, body fat%, mental functioning, bodily systems/organs, physical fitness levels and so on.

I already consumed products somewhat ‘vegan’ for the better half of my days Monday -Friday. Oatmeal/vegan protein powder for breakfast, smoothie w/vegan protein powder and a salad for lunch, steamed veggies w/eggs or poultry or fish for dinner. So as you can see, for the most part, dinner was where I included animal product. So instead of eggs/poultry/fish/meat, I just needed to eat grains/legumes/beans/nuts/seeds in place of these animal products. Well, there is much more to it than that I found out!

I know that you need to eat a combination of seeds/nuts/beans/legumes/grains throughout the day when not including animal proteins/products in order to get sufficient minerals/vitamins/protein. However, since I do much more strength training than the average person, I really needed to monitor my macro-nutrient intake.

So I wrote down all of my ‘food options’, divided them up into categories (beans/legumes, grains, greens/vegetables, nuts/seeds/healthy fats, ‘superfoods’ & fruits, and ‘seasoning’). ‘WHOLE’ grains like brown rice, quinoa, and amaranth are a main staple for this diet plan. Greens & non-starchy veggies will also play a big role in the 30 Day Challenge. Greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and veggies such as carrots, cauliflower, onions, cucumbers, celery, daikon, and cabbage. Beans/legumes like lentils, chickpeas, adzuki and tofu are about 10% of daily diet. Seeds & nuts such as flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, and walnuts as well as healthy fats such as avocados, olive oil, and sesame oil are important as well but used in moderation. My ‘superfoods’ & fruits list consists of prunes, currants, Dulse flakes, dates, cacao powder, apples, wakame seaweed, kombu seaweed and Nori. Finally, ‘seasonings’ used sparingly such as miso paste & miso mayo, apple cider or ume vinegar, tamari, sea salt, dates, cacao powder, and as much fresh herbs as I want like cilantro, mint, parsley, and basil to add flavor to dishes.

Once I compiled a large list, I found out that most things like the grains and beans would need to be soaked and then cooked in a pressure cooker (pressure cooker cuts cooking time down by A LOT). I needed to avoid my processed products that I so dearly love (LOL), such as my protein powders, vitamins/minerals, fiber supplements, and caffeine such as coffee and also avoid using sweeteners as much as possible, also no alcohol. Also, I have to give up my beloved oatmeal for breakfast, but I’m replacing it with quinoa which I love!

I have already started to wean myself off of my coffee habit and incorporate more grains/beans/seeds and less protein powder. I thought I’d feel weak, but instead I’m slowly feeling clearer minded and more like my body is really using every bit of the food I eat to fuel my activities until my next meal. I’m still experimenting with correct daily amounts of grains/seeds/beans/legumes to ensure I have enough protein/calories by the end of the day. Like anything new, you learn as you go!

This 30 Day Challenge for me will be to experiment with ‘whole foods’ to see if my physical fitness levels & lean muscle mass can remain the same or even improve without the use of supplements such as protein powder or vitamin/mineral/other supplements. There are ‘vegan bodybuilders’ out there, so I know it is possible to achieve improvements in lean muscle mass while maintaining low body fat% but…from the vegan’s I’ve researched they did use vegan protein supplements and other supplements. So this will be a testament to see how I do with going completely ‘whole foods’ & as unprocessed as possible.

My Goal: To stick to the rules! This is a 30 Day cleanse/makeover/challenge and in no way do I plan on restricting my diet to this extreme after the 30 days is finished…BUT, I plan on taking a lot of what I learned and implementing it in my nutrition & lifestyle habits post-30 day challenge. Will I stay ‘vegan’? To be completely truthful…I doubt it…nothing personal to any ‘vegans’ but it seems very restricted and I don’t do well with extremes. I do want to lower the impact I have on the planet and the types of products I use to be of no harm to animals…we will see how much ‘veganism/macrobiotic’ I keep with me after the 30 days, how about that?

My other goal: To help you see how veganism/macrobiotic/whole foods/unprocessed foods can make a positive impact on your health and to possibly help others wean themselves off of a highly processed, junk food, red meat, artificial sweeteners/flavor/additives, pesticide/fertilizer/hormone/gmo ridden diet and ‘take a walk on the wild side’ and transition to more whole foods because all-in-all, I think that if your diet includes a majority of whole, unprocessed foods you will improve & experience a higher level of wellness!

Wish me luck & questions/comments/suggestions are appreciated & welcome!

Health & Happiness,

Natty Mac 😉