The SAD diet, or Standard American Diet, is so loaded with sugar, even in foods we don't think of as sugary or processed like whole grain breads, bagels, pasta, and fruit.
TO YOUR BODY, SUGAR IS SUGAR SUGAR!
It doesn’t matter if we think of it as a ‘natural sugar’ or a ‘processed sugar’, it all gets treated the same.
Have you ever experienced sugar cravings or an addiction to sugar, or know anyone who has?
Well take that craving, and multiply it by 1,000 and that was me growing up and well into my 20s. There is no doubt an undeniable link between my massive intake of sugar over the years to my chronic ear infections as a kid, migraine headaches, IBS, and many physical injuries I suffered as a soccer player. This is what life was like this for as long as I can remember, but it never stopped me from doing the things I was so passionate about like my soccer career.
But over time it began to take its toll, and I tried every fad diet you can think of to try to beat this powerful addiction and all of the health consequences it caused…
To no avail…
Whenever I tried to quit sugar, my will power only got me so far and it never sustained itself - Why?
I always associated stopping sugar with pain.
Sugar is 100 times more addictive than cocaine, and is one of the most acidic substances you can put in your body.
Unless you hit rock bottom, associating pain with a behavior change, especially overcoming sugar, doesn’t work.
This is when I realized there had to be a better way.
When I first heard about the alkaline diet, my diet consisted of 70/30 in favor of foods loaded with sugar. But something about what I heard CLICKED...
Has that ever happened in your life, when you hear something and you know it’s just right?
The health and energy changes I experienced weren’t overnight and it took a lot of trial and error.
I realized that deprivation would never work, and I started to alkalize my body, starting with a green drink. Continuing with the green drinks, I added wheat grass and mineral salts. One by one, by adding and not taking away, eventually the good outweighed the bad, and in 6 month’s time, I lost 40 pounds, had more energy than I had in my early 20s, and my cravings went away, SMASHING my addiction to sugar!
Since then, I have been able to transform my mindset about food.
It’s a fuel, rather than a craving or addiction.
I tell you this to impress upon you that the moment you commit to alkalizing and adding and tweaking and not detracting – your life will NEVER be the same.
Take a minute to think about these top acid forming foods and how they might be sneaking into your diet in ways you even consider healthy (like salad dressing, peanuts, or yogurt).
Top 15 Acid Forming Foods:
- Sugar
- Soft Drinks / Colas
- Milk / Cheese / Yogurt
- Peanut / Peanut butter
- Carbonated Water
- All Meats
- Coffee
- Ice Cream
- Margarine
- MSG
- Yeast
- Vinegar
- Alcohol
- White Bread / White Pasta
- Fruit Juice (Sweetened)
Deprivation NEVER works when it comes to changing something in your life, no matter what that change may be, especially in regards to your health.
I know firsthand what it takes to overcome adversity and challenges in your health, and I want to save you the years of trial and error it took to get me to where I am today.
That’s why it’s so important to find swaps to replace those acid forming foods you’ve been eating with healthier, alkaline foods.
Top 15 Alkaline Forming Foods:
- Watercress
- Spinach
- Kale
- Cucumber
- Broccoli
- Avocado
- Celery
- Red Bell Pepper
- Swiss Chard
- Lemon / Lime / Grapefruit
- Parsley
- Almonds
- Coconut Oil
- Chinese Cabbage
- Chia
BONUS:
Purslane - an amazing plant (actually classified as a weed) that tastes great in salads and wraps, and has more Omega 3 Fatty Acids than any other plant. In fact, it is the only plant-based Omega that has a readily usable source of EPA, one of the two omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil!
Think of a swap on this list for one of the acid forming foods you’ve enjoyed…
- Raw coconut water or lemon water instead of orange juice
- Almond butter instead of peanut butter
- Avocado oil or coconut oil instead of canola oil
- Coconut Milk or Almond Milk instead of Cows Milk
- Quinoa instead of White Rice
- Herbal Tea instead of Coffee
Once you get in the habit of making swaps, you’ll find it’s easy to make the changes you’ve been trying to make.
If you want to lose weight, improve your sleep, get more energy, improve your digestion, or whatever it may be - it's vitally important that you GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Your body can't burn calories fast enough or give you energy to lose weight if it's too busy working and fighting to neutralize acid to maintain your pH level of 7.365.
Are you ready start making healthy swaps? Take a look at the Get Off Your Acid 7-Day Cleanse.
5 comments
Dear Dr. Gioffre,
Have tried many diets in my lifetime and still trying @ 62! I’m just plain tired out of it all, want my weight not to be an issue anymore. Spent many $$$$$ and time on health research which astounds me, have lost weight but it just takes 1 mistake in 1 day to go off and there I go down that path again. Have had a sweet tooth all my life and after reading your story I know you understand that rollercoaster. .What I want to say to you is a big THANKS for explaining that one piece of information that I never have found…our body holds onto fat to protect our alkaline levels. WOW!
I had read your article on the detox cleanse through the Woman’s World magazine. Have to be honest here and say that is where most of my ‘diets’ have come from over the years but yours was different. It explained the WHY factor and made me feel OK about all my failures over the years, and that I am so grateful to you for all your due diligence.
Will be doing the 7 day detox with the faith and determination to CONQUER!
MANY THANKS.
I see carbonated water listed: I drink San Pellegrino water, a very highly bubbly mineral water. Could somebody explain how that can be acid? I am bewildered by this. Thanks!
This program makes so much sense. But, having a healthy eating program is difficult when hubby does not appreciate it. He wants his meat and pasta! Cooking 2 different meals is not practical. Cooking for him and then abstaining is difficult. I am open for suggestions!
I really like the new alkaline charts. it sure will make things easier. Thank Lois
I have wanted to try eating a more alkaline diet for many years but I have to take Coumadin each day. Is there any way I can do this?