Although the food pyramid was updated to “my plate” in May 2011, and recommendations such as covering half your plate in fruits and vegetables and reducing the amount of grains were implemented, it still doesn’t quite hit the target.
Americans spend more on healthcare than any other industrialized country, yet we remain among the sickest. There’s a fast food restaurant on nearly every main street corner, and the majority of the shelves at the grocery store are packed with unhealthy processed foods. Obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diet and lifestyle diseases remain at all time highs, and as a nation we are more sedentary than we’ve ever been before.
Studies have been done on the healthiest and longest-living people in the world–the Hunza, the Vilcabama, the Abkhasia and the Okinawa people–to learn their secrets. They eat a largely alkaline diet using freshly picked organically grown fruit and vegetables, keep active with daily walks and climbs, and many also drink naturally ionized alkaline water from uncontaminated fresh-flowing rivers and streams.
What is the alkaline diet?
The alkaline diet is comprised of 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. Alkaline foods include most vegetables, non-sweet fruits, healthy oils, beans, nuts and seeds, while acidic foods include meat, dairy, and processed foods. People who follow an alkaline diet may experience weight loss, more energy and overall improved health. It is a largely vegan diet that is meant to be a lifestyle and not just a fad or crash diet. The alkaline diet has finally hit Hollywood and has captured the interest of stars such as Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Alkaline diet pioneer Dr. Robert O. Young advocates a C.O.W.S. plan which includes the following:
C – Chlorophyll, Clay and Cleansing (green plant foods, green vegetable juices, liquid chlorophyll, and montmorillonite clay)
O – Oils (2-3 ounces of unsaturated oil from avocado, hemp, pomegranate, pumpkin, flax or olive sources.)
W – Water (ionized alkaline water with a pH of 9.5)
S – Salt (increase in sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium mineral salts)
In addition to dietary changes, Dr. Young also recommends one hour of daily alkaline exercise and 30 minutes a day of sunshine.
You’ve likely been taught to avoid salt and oil and direct sunlight, so these recommendations may come as a shock. But your body needs healthy salts and oils to thrive, as well as the vitamin D that sunshine provides. We offer alkaline recipes, food charts, and shopping guides for those who are interested in trying an alkaline diet and lifestyle for themselves.
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