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If going alkaline or clean keto is new to you, it might seem confusing or complicated to adjust to a healthier, plant-based lifestyle.
One reason why is there is so much conflicting information out there! One health expert will tell you an ingredient is good for you, and the next will say it’s bad! Who do you trust? And what advice do you go with?
But the truth is, any lifestyle change is all about making smart choices consistently – with no rocket science degree required.
This is all common sense stuff. Eat the food your body craves for health and wellness.
For example, it doesn’t matter what diet you look at – ketogenic, Mediterranean, vegetarian, vegan, paleo, and so on… The ONE thing these diets all have in common is a lot of GREEN VEGETABLES!
So today, I’m going to give you 7 of my best, easiest tips on how to successfully make the change from an acidic diet so you can lose weight, get energized, and experience fewer aches and pains.
Let’s get started with a quick primer on what makes a food alkaline or acidic.
Why Does It Matter If a Food Is Acidic or Alkaline?
A lemon has a pH of 2.4, which makes it HIGHLY acidic, but when we put lemon in our water or tea, we know it is good for us. Why? Because while it’s a citric ACID outside of the body, it is highly alkaline-forming once INSIDE the body.
The same goes for spinach, with a pH of 6.4, putting it on the acidic side of the scale, but as Popeye knows, spinach makes you strong and energizes your body because it is alkaline-forming.
Why? Well part of it is mineral content, or how much magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, and other minerals a food has. These are minerals necessary for your body to process all nutrients on a cellular level.
The more minerals a food has, the more alkalinity it gives you.
The other part of the answer is sugar content. Foods with more sugar are less alkaline. Same if a food is high in yeast, is fermented, contains fungi, or is highly refined, then it’s also acidic.
More Minerals = More Alkaline
More Sugar = More Acid
So for example, most fruit is acidic because it is high in sugar. Fruit is high in minerals, though, so low sugar fruits like avocados, tomatoes, lemons, limes, grapefruits, coconuts, and pomegranates are alkaline.
Processed foods like chips might be low in sugar, but they are also low in minerals, so they are acidic (not to mention, they are usually cooked with inflammatory vegetable oils)!
By thinking about how high in minerals and sugar any given food is, you can pretty well guess whether it’s acidic or alkaline. Then you can make a smart, informed decision about whether or not to eat it.
My 7 Favorite Tips to Go Alkaline and Clean Keto
Tip 1: Don’t think of it as a diet.
While we may talk about the alkaline diet or the keto diet, actually living them is NOT a diet. This is not about 30 days and then back to whatever you were eating before, or only eating “shakes” with who-knows-what ingredients until you’ve lost 10 pounds. Nope. This is different.
You are making a LIFESTYLE change. No crashing and burning here. The idea is to make small changes, one after another after another, and keep them up for the rest of your long, healthy life!
Does that mean you’ll never indulge in another slice of birthday cake again? Or a steak or whatever your idea of indulging is? No, not at all.
You can have those things on occasion – with no sense of failure or guilt – because then you’re right back at it with your next meal.
Now, I’m going to let you in on a secret about that cake, fries, or whatever you think you’ll miss… Chances are, once you stop eating those foods, when you do eat them, you’re going to feel the difference.
You may experience a headache, stomachache, or other symptoms, but for myself and many people who have transitioned to a healthier lifestyle, sooner or later, we decide most of those foods aren’t worth it. I feel so GREAT eating alkaline. Why would I eat any other way?
But if you’re not there yet, don’t stress about that now. In fact, it’s not even something that you will stress about once you are there – that is the exciting road ahead!
Tip 2: Moderation. Not deprivation!
Depriving yourself of things you want never works. Kelly Ripa is a perfect example of this. When she came to me, Kelly was looking for a solution to her aches and pains because every other specialist she saw could not get her results. The one thing she could not get on board with was giving up coffee. She said, “If I have to give up coffee, I won’t do it.”
And I said, “That’s fine. Eat alkaline with everything you put in your mouth other than your morning coffee, and you’ll still move forward, progress, feel better, and reduce acidity and inflammation.
And guess what? That’s EXACTLY what she did, and her aches and pains went away. She felt amazing…in just 3 days! Watch Kelly talk about moderation, not deprivation.
Now Kelly uses our Acid-Kicking Coffee Alkalizer to enjoy her coffee while getting acid-fighting minerals, pure Himalayan pink mineral salts, plant-based, clean keto fats, and enzymes to optimize brain-boosting energy, suppress hunger, and burn body fat all day long.
So rather than focusing on what you’re NOT eating, I encourage you to focus on what you ARE eating. By slowly adding nutrient-dense foods and habits into your lifestyle, eventually the good will outweigh the bad. That kind of moderation will sustain itself. And your body will thank you for it.
Tip 3: Keep it simple.
Some people get caught up in all of the details of going alkaline. But it doesn’t need to be complicated. After all, this is the benefit of not having to count calories, or fat grams, or net carbs! Those days are OVER.
Stay super hydrated with water. Eat more raw, organic greens, healthy fats, veggies, nuts, and seeds. Eat less sugar, dairy, meat, soda, and coffee.
It’s that simple and you will be amazed at how quickly you can reclaim your health and energy.
Tip 4: Avoid the 3 P's.
What are the 3 P’s? Packaged, prepared, and processed foods.
Processed foods are not only acidic, they are usually high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, as well as gluten, which is not in line with keto. So your body has to do a lot of work to recover from even a small snack. Think of it this way: Processed on the outside… Process on your insides.
Here is another one of my mottos – if you can’t pronounce it, you can’t digest it!, You’re better off eating whole, plant-based foods that look like the form nature created them in. The more you do that – the more alkaline and healthy you will be.
Tip 5: Know your body.
The more you move toward the alkaline and clean keto lifestyle, the easier this one will get. Pay attention to what your body is telling you… Are you bloated? Feeling brain fog? Tired?
How about after eating that pizza? Did you feel better or worse? Likewise, how about after that green salad with lots of veggies, chickpeas, and avocado? Did you feel a spring in your step? Did you avoid the late afternoon crash that hits after a heavy lunch?
Greens are the MOST critical food to add when transitioning to this lifestyle. They are cleansing and detoxifying, low in sugar, and high in minerals. You also want to get plenty of healthy, plant-based fats that will heal your inflammation and nourish your body.
Tip 6: Begin a daily exercise routine.
You already know that exercise is important for fighting all kinds of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. But do you know why?
Sweat excretes toxins from the body. As your blood is pumping oxygen at a greater rate with increased activity, it’s also carrying away toxins from your muscles and lymphatic system and preparing to usher them of your body.
So find what you love doing to work up a sweat, and do more of it! Rule of thumb – whatever exercise you choose to do, you should always be able to maintain a conversation. By doing so, it will alkalize your body, not acidify it.
If you don’t currently exercise at all, you can start with something as simple as going on a daily walk or a couple of crunches, squats, or even a swim, which is so good for your spine and your joints.
A little bit of exercise is certainly better than no exercise at all, so even just squeezing in a short session is better than doing nothing. It’s all about consistency.
Tip 7: Use the 80/20 rule.
This final tip is a savior to most people. Here, I am giving you permission to have some acidic, non-ketogenic foods, if you so desire!
When you think about what you eat now, how much of it is alkaline? And how much is acidic?
80% acidic to 20% alkaline? That’s where I was when I first learned about the importance of eating alkaline.
Now I’m eating the opposite: 80% alkaline and 20% (or less) acidic foods. That’s what you want to aim for, but you can work your way to that incrementally.
First, strive for 50/50, then 60/40, and so on. That’s the way to make it last because you won’t feel like it’s a huge lifestyle change. It’s small.
That’s the same reason I don’t tell you to eat 100% alkaline and clean keto. It’s hard to sustain that and most people will rebel against it, sooner or later.
The great thing about striving for 80/20 is that when you notice that your 80/20 lifestyle has come closer to 60/40… you can course correct. Again, no guilt or feeling like you failed. Just time to do a cleanse or detox and get back on track.
The best way to make sure you get enough healthy fats every day is to take a good omega-3 supplement. It’s very difficult to eat a diet rich enough in omega-3, and unless you eat salmon 3 meals a day, you are deficient without a supplement.
Our Alkamind Daily Omega-3 is the best quality supplement on the planet. It’s the ONLY one with the ideal 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA in a highly concentrated form. So you can take less and get more benefit from it. Plus it’s heavy metal free and guaranteed for potency and freshness, so no fishy taste.
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GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl
