Alkaline diet -
Posted: June 16th, 2017, 2:19 pm
On TMF, I posted my approach to losing weight based on my body shape; basically not needing as much carbohydrate for energy as others might. Well, it worked until the comfort-eating returned and by Christmas last my weight had reverted to over-weight.
To cut a long story, Mrs Bnc has (for her health-reasons) been a strict alkaline diet since 1 January 2017 and has now lost so much weight that she's exceeded the target weight loss that her 'normal' eating means of dieting used to achieve before she started on this path and is now down to a level that she was at in her 20s without any adverse side-effects. Yours truly has also been on the same diet but as not as strict and having lost more than half-a-stone in weight since January I have experienced so many changes for the better that I wish I'd known about the alkaline diet years ago. Mrs Bnc too although she would like her health to return to the stage where she would have the choice is also enthusiastic about the benefits of having moved on. In the meantime, our local food bank has benefited from our clearing out several boxes of grocery items that would otherwise have gone to waste.
The word 'diet' having been commandeered by the slimming industry and nowadays popularly associated with weight loss, I think it essential to remember that it really means the kind of food that a person eats habitually. As a habitual wholefood organic vegetarian, I am perhaps most of the way there which is why I've been able to understand and apply the principles immediately but where my habitual diet was going wrong was in including foods that were over acidic so far as my body is concerned.
Arguably the alkaline diet should be called the 'alkaline-forming diet' because it's not what the food might be before eaten but when it forms acid or alkaline the moment it goes into a person's mouth where the digestive process starts. (Thinking of one's mouth as the opening to the stomach and chewing all food into a liquid slurry before swallowing is a useful way to remember what you can to reduce dependence for processing on the stomach alone.) If you're unfamiliar with the concept - and I forgive myself for my limited knowledge of biology - then basically the body's natural pH balance is slightly alkaline so it makes sense to eat food that is more alkaline-forming in the body so it digested more easily, unlike acid-forming food which takes longer and is harder to digest. The ideal food ratio is 80% alkaline, 20% acid, and typically 70/20% but the typical Western diet is 70% acid, 30% alkaline. 100% extreme either way is not recommended: some acidity is necessary.
There is a limit to the amount of food that the stomach acid can process in one go so whilst the food is queuing to be processed, the fat is stored in the body, and nutrients and constituents are distributed via the blood stream etc around the body. The acidity especially finds its way into the connective tissues between joints and muscles, etc. Generally, inflammation, aches and pains are symptomatic of too much acid build-up in the connective tissues. So by reducing the acidity-forming foods, the surplus fat is converted into energy, and acidity can shift from the connective issues and elsewhere.
Amongst the changes I have experienced are no comfort eating, healthier skin tone, less eye strain, etc. My trouser bely notch test is excellent: at the start of the year the belt on my trousers felt tight at the first notch. Now, I have to pull the belt past the fifth notch before it feels tight. I am also 50% stronger as measured by the weights I can lift at the gym. Actually i do not think I am 50% strong: but what's happened is that the acidity build-up in the connective tissues between the muscles was impeding the flow of energy between the muscles. The muscular strength was there already but it was effort to access it. I am also now able to lift slightly heavier weights than before.
There's a lot of information on line about the alkaline diet but I'd recommend (no connection at all) -
FX Mayr Health Centre in Austria -http://www.original-mayr.com/en/fx-mayr-health-cure-at-lake-woerth.html - which contains a lot of useful info including a free mailing list. Also: "The alkaline cure" by Dr Stephan Domenig (of FX Mayr health centre) is a good book; he and Heinz Erlacher, chef at FX, have written two cookbooks as well - (1) "The Alkaline Cookbook". 100 recipes arranged by seasons; (2) aline Juices & Smoothies" 75 recipes
http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_diet
Bnc
To cut a long story, Mrs Bnc has (for her health-reasons) been a strict alkaline diet since 1 January 2017 and has now lost so much weight that she's exceeded the target weight loss that her 'normal' eating means of dieting used to achieve before she started on this path and is now down to a level that she was at in her 20s without any adverse side-effects. Yours truly has also been on the same diet but as not as strict and having lost more than half-a-stone in weight since January I have experienced so many changes for the better that I wish I'd known about the alkaline diet years ago. Mrs Bnc too although she would like her health to return to the stage where she would have the choice is also enthusiastic about the benefits of having moved on. In the meantime, our local food bank has benefited from our clearing out several boxes of grocery items that would otherwise have gone to waste.
The word 'diet' having been commandeered by the slimming industry and nowadays popularly associated with weight loss, I think it essential to remember that it really means the kind of food that a person eats habitually. As a habitual wholefood organic vegetarian, I am perhaps most of the way there which is why I've been able to understand and apply the principles immediately but where my habitual diet was going wrong was in including foods that were over acidic so far as my body is concerned.
Arguably the alkaline diet should be called the 'alkaline-forming diet' because it's not what the food might be before eaten but when it forms acid or alkaline the moment it goes into a person's mouth where the digestive process starts. (Thinking of one's mouth as the opening to the stomach and chewing all food into a liquid slurry before swallowing is a useful way to remember what you can to reduce dependence for processing on the stomach alone.) If you're unfamiliar with the concept - and I forgive myself for my limited knowledge of biology - then basically the body's natural pH balance is slightly alkaline so it makes sense to eat food that is more alkaline-forming in the body so it digested more easily, unlike acid-forming food which takes longer and is harder to digest. The ideal food ratio is 80% alkaline, 20% acid, and typically 70/20% but the typical Western diet is 70% acid, 30% alkaline. 100% extreme either way is not recommended: some acidity is necessary.
There is a limit to the amount of food that the stomach acid can process in one go so whilst the food is queuing to be processed, the fat is stored in the body, and nutrients and constituents are distributed via the blood stream etc around the body. The acidity especially finds its way into the connective tissues between joints and muscles, etc. Generally, inflammation, aches and pains are symptomatic of too much acid build-up in the connective tissues. So by reducing the acidity-forming foods, the surplus fat is converted into energy, and acidity can shift from the connective issues and elsewhere.
Amongst the changes I have experienced are no comfort eating, healthier skin tone, less eye strain, etc. My trouser bely notch test is excellent: at the start of the year the belt on my trousers felt tight at the first notch. Now, I have to pull the belt past the fifth notch before it feels tight. I am also 50% stronger as measured by the weights I can lift at the gym. Actually i do not think I am 50% strong: but what's happened is that the acidity build-up in the connective tissues between the muscles was impeding the flow of energy between the muscles. The muscular strength was there already but it was effort to access it. I am also now able to lift slightly heavier weights than before.
There's a lot of information on line about the alkaline diet but I'd recommend (no connection at all) -
FX Mayr Health Centre in Austria -http://www.original-mayr.com/en/fx-mayr-health-cure-at-lake-woerth.html - which contains a lot of useful info including a free mailing list. Also: "The alkaline cure" by Dr Stephan Domenig (of FX Mayr health centre) is a good book; he and Heinz Erlacher, chef at FX, have written two cookbooks as well - (1) "The Alkaline Cookbook". 100 recipes arranged by seasons; (2) aline Juices & Smoothies" 75 recipes
http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_diet
Bnc