The single measurement most important to your health is the pH of your blood – how acid or alkaline it is. An overly acid environment is at the root of all sickness and disease.

As you know, the earth and your body are both 70% water. Ideally, your plate should match this as closely as possible – that is, 70% of your food should be water based vegetables, fruits, sprouts, and legumes or otherwise alkalizing foods such as almonds, sunflower seeds, soy, and grains.

That’s right – 70%.

Now it’s easy to see that number and say “70%, come on, that’s not possible for me.” However, my hope is that you will see the importance and close the gap from your current alkaline food percentage (average is about 10-30%) and move towards 70%. When you make even a minor adjustment to your current percentage, the reward is immediate quality of life and physiological benefits and staggering long-term health benefits. An added benefit of this shift is that you will no longer crave foods that make you sick and an alkaline diet promotes effortless weight loss when coupled with consistent, easy, aerobic exercise.

You are not eating the wrong things, you are just not eating enough of the right (alkaline) things! pH level affects every cell in our bodies and over-acidity interferes with life itself. When you consistently consume acidic foods, you are literally living in a plague of “microforms,” including yeasts, fungus, and molds, as well as bacteria and viruses. Microforms thrive in an acid environment and literally eat us alive (bummer). Then, they send their waste products (acids) out into the bloodstream, as well as inside the cells, further polluting the system. This is the reason a lot of people get sick right after the holidays. It’s not “going around,” your body is just too acidic to remain healthy. Luckily, there are simple and profound things that you can do to create a healthy environment.

1. Eat a big salad or vegetable soup with as many meals as possible. When you prepare a salad for dinner, why not prepare another salad in a container for lunch? This saves time and money. Also, make sure you cook soups at a medium temperature (118 degrees or lower) so you don’t destroy all the enzymes. Vegetables are a plentiful source of the enzymes that are needed for just about every one of the thousands of chemical activities in the human body.

Also, the most alkalizing fruits are avocado (delicious!), grapefruit, lemon, lemon juice, and tomato so include them as much as possible.

2. Juice or eat more fresh vegetables. Wheat grass gets my vote for the best food you can possibly consume. It is able to absorb 92 of the 102 minerals available in the soil (such as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium) and contains large amounts of Vitamin A, B, C and E.

Additionally, cucumber, broccoli, spinach, sprouts, celery, green pepper, green beans, asparagus, or any other green vegetable that appeals to you is wonderful. Instead of cooking vegetables in oil – steam them lightly and then add olive oil to them.

4. Eat less red meat. Getting meat out of your diet is painless when you go gradually. Beef, pork and lamb should be phased out of your diet first and then (if you choose) you can shoot for chicken and then turkey. There is plenty of protein in vegetables. How do you think gorillas and elephants get so strong? For occasional animal protein, I recommend trout or salmon as they are relatively safe, and they are rich in Omega-3 oils, which are essential fatty acids.

5. Phase out or otherwise minimize sugar, sugary cereals, desserts and acid addictions like coffee ,soda, and gas station energy drinks. Green tea is a wonderful, alkalizing alternative to coffee .

6. Drink at least 50 ounces of water daily (ideally with lemon juice in it) and take a pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin. High-quality supplements will help you achieve and maintain pH balance.

7. Cook and prepare your own food more frequently. Who is going to create a healthier meal for you – you or a corporation? Again, it is easy to say “you have no idea, I don’t have the time.” I believe we make time for the things we love – so do not hesitate to make a little more time for something that is very important to your life – your body!

The power of alkalinity is yours when you go green and consciously choose and prepare your foods. While it may be different than what you see advertised on TV, it is possible to eat a salad or vegetable soup with every meal – or at a minimum – SOMETHING green. When you go to the grocery store, sometimes you should go to the vegetable section…and that’s it! If you get this right, and just a couple other things – like essential fatty acids and aerobic exercise – your health will likely be amazing for your entire life and people will ask YOU why you have so much energy and feel so great all the time! Salad anyone?

http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php

It is very easy to get caught up in training for your sport and day to day activities and not pay much attention to what you are putting into your body. As a former First Team All-Academic Pac-10 steeplechaser for the UCLA Track & Field Team, I often went through my days without planning meals or giving nutrition much thought at all. As an athlete, putting in countless hours of training with much at stake, it makes sense to maximize your chances of success in all ethical ways.

It is surprising how clear nutritional science is on the benefits of a core nutrition program in both protecting health and maximizing athletic performance, yet it is something that is so under the radar. I did not receive any training on nutrition at UCLA, and looking back, my running career suffered as a result. The good news is that it is relatively easy to take your health to the next level and some of the benefits that people experience are a stronger immune system, increased energy levels, quicker recover and improved brain function. To that point, when I implemented a core nutrition program a few years ago, I noticed it first in races, where I ran personal bests in the marathon and half marathon at age 31 (and then again as a 32 year old) and had better recovery time than when I was a student at UCLA.

Here are six nutritional tips you can utilize to give yourself the “slight edge” over your competition and feel increased strength and vitality along the way.

1. Establish the habit of drinking 10 oz purified water first thing in the morning and steadily throughout the day. Ideally you should shoot for half of your body weight in ounces daily (i.e. if you weigh 150lbs – 75 ounces daily is a great standard).

2. You’ve heard it your whole life and here it is, the #1 health habit you could ever develop; eat six serving of vegetables daily. Why? They are rich in antioxidants which help to prevent oxidative damage (aging) of your cells. You should also regularly include three low-sugar members from the fruit category; avocado, tomato and bell pepper.

3. Consume dark leafy greens, such as spinach, daily. Greens are made of chlorophyll and heal and cleanse your organs while destroying harmful substances. They also promote bodily homeostasis, give you lots of insoluble fiber that rids your body of toxins, and greens are alkaline which promotes healthy cells and improved recovery.

4. Processed carbohydrates are largely to blame for our countries health woes and MUST be minimized. Fast food, instant everything, enriched bleached flour, chips, bagels and baked goods are marketed to us incessantly and are convenient choices. The problem with these high-glycemic “foods” is that they spike your blood sugar levels, do not provide sustainable energy, and leave you hungry for more when your blood sugar rapidly drops back down. Focus on a balance of low-glycemic carbohydrates (such as – whole grains, pasta, greek yogurt, vegetables, fruits), lean sources of protein (organic chicken, grass fed beef, salmon, almonds, vegetables), and healthy fats (fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts) as a foundation of your diet and you will have more sustainable energy throughout your day.

5. Take a pharmaceutical grade, absorbable multi-vitamin, everyday, even if your diet is ideal. Quality supplements help to prevent sickness and disease, fill in the gaps in your diet, minimize oxidative (free radical) damage, and enable you to recover more quickly from workouts.

6. Educate yourself and keep updating your nutritional strategies. You will find it very empowering to know the benefits of your little bit of extra effort and attention. Some great books on the topic are “The pH Miracle,” “Healthy for Life,” and “The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.” Two great DVD’s are “Food, Inc.” and “Super Size Me.”

Incorporating even one of these habits into your daily routine will have a tremendous benefit to you in your athletic endeavors and beyond. Incorporating all of them into your active and athletic lifestyle will put your health above and beyond your peers, enable you to maximize your athletic talents and most importantly, will drastically reduce your chances of developing chronic degenerative disease.

You will find that when your health and energy levels improve, your athletic performance and every other area of your life will improve simultaneously. Also, the positive influence that you will have for those in your peer group will have an impact greater than you know. So I challenge you, to give yourself the “slight edge” of optimal nutrition and you will reap the benefits immediately and for the rest of your life.