Sue's Nutrition BuzzMay 2011 - Sue's Nutrition Buzz

A TWIST to the Alkaline Diet

Sunithi Selvaraj, RD @ 26.05.2011 Detox 100 comments

Am going on a long vacation soon and I really like to “pig out” on vacations … so I think it’s time to shed a couple of pounds ( all of which I will most certainly put back on… when I am vacationing ) so tomorrow on, am going to start ” MY” version of the alkaline diet which never fails to make me lose some extra pounds.

An alkaline diet is basically one that changes the PH of your body to a more alkaline body type, putting it into a more healthy mode. To see a typical alkaline diet…. check out the links below. My problem however is that I find it difficult to entirely follow all the principles of the diet for an extended period of time. I like dairy, fruit, nuts, chocolate and fish which you must typically eat less of when you strictly follow the alkaline diet. So last summer I came up with a ” cheat version ” of the diet and tried it out on myself and it worked great. I even tested myself using alkaline strips. My version below.

Basically, you’re trying to make your body more alkaline so the lbs will just drop off.
If you go online… you’ll find a lot of lists under alkaline foods… check them out. I have provided a few links below. They may be a little stringent in terms of what to eat and what not to eat…but here are some easy cheat tips ( not given in those diet plans ) that will alkalize your body quickly without strictly following the alkaline diets. Using these cheat tips, you can eat a more normal sort of a diet and still be alkaline.

First thing in the morning and last thing in the night… Drink a glass of water with 1/4 tsp of sodium bicarbonate in it. Go easy on it starting with once a day since it could upset your stomach .Once used to it -try it two times a day. Do not use Na bicarb if you have high BP (Blood Pressure)
Drink water spiked with lime / lemon juice (no sugar) as often as you can. Once you start drinking lemon water, it will become a second nature.
There is also Alkaline water which has a PH of 9.5 which will make your body very alkaline. I have provided a link below if you want to try it
Drink at least 3-4 glasses of fresh juice per day (no sugar ). This will drastically alkalize your body. Fruit and Veggie juices should be made using a juicer. It has to be non pasteurized juice which is not generally sold in stores. Good Alkaline juices are cucumber, celery, tomatoes, citrus etc. If you’re diabetic you’re better off with veggie juices. If you want to dispense with the chore of juicing, you could get 32 oz (4 glasses) of fresh made juice at Robeks for just $5.99.
Avoid soda, coffee, chocolate and too much meat (these create acid) at least for some time. Tea is OK. Green tea or Oolong tea will boost metabolism.
Take a spirulina supplement or any other green food supplement – Wheat Grass, Liquid Chlorophyll or anything similar. If Aloe vera juice is available – that’s great too. These speed up the PH becoming alkaline.
Apart from that just eat a healthy diet with emphasis on veggies and fruit and more fish and egg since these are less acidic than other meats. Try to avoid foods that are very highly acidic. See lists on Internet or on the links provided below.

It will take a week or two for your body to switch to the alkaline mode, but once it does… you’ll automatically shed 2-3 lbs per week. Include exercise and drink at least 8 glasses of water.

Important to follow the cheat tips like the Na bicarbonate … Good to get a juicer with a large feeder …easier to juice. Costco had a good one “Jack Lalanne juicer“$ 100.00. Very large feeder…no need to cut up apples and carrots etc…Easier to clean up etc.

After the wt loss, don’t have to be as strict with the diet, but continue the juice at least 2 times per day to maintain an alkaline PH.

As in all types of diets, this may or may not work for you. Give it a shot if you wish and feel free to email or ask me any questions…. Happy alkalizing …!!

Update : please glance through the comments . I have answered some questions that are related to the article which you may find useful.

Click on the Links

benefits of the alkaline diet and lists of alkaline and acidic foods

Alkaline water

Alkaline water Kangen

Alkaline vs Acidic Foods
Alkaline recipes
Home made alkalizing formula using baking soda
PH of brands of Mineral water
Alkaline Vs Acidic sugars

Watch this video to get a better understanding of the ” Alkaline Diet”

Applying the 5 and 20 rule to read FOOD LABELS

Sunithi Selvaraj, RD @ 23.05.2011 Uncategorized 70 comments

To all my readers …. Apologies for the total lack of blogging for so long. It was an extremely busy, high stress month … but back to blogging now.

Reading food labels has been on my mind a lot … could be because am currently creating food labels of some recipes for my church recipe book (which by the way is a pretty awesome cook book with tons of great recipes. If anyone wants a copy when it ‘s ready - ping me)

If you’re like me and like to get in and out of the supermarket in a short time, how do you browse through the numerous boxes and products on the aisles and make sure you’re getting what you want in terms of Nutrients? Food labels are meant to guide you through that process, but making sure you can figure out how that label works is important. Am going to give you a couple of tips which hopefully will make things little easier.

First look at Serving Size and servings per container (look at label above as a reference). Calorie and Nutrient information is for 1 serving only, so if the box/ product says 2 servings / container and you plan to eat the whole box you have to multiply X 2 to get the right values. Caution, some products can hold up to 6 servings / container so if you plan on eating the whole box, do the math.

Next, after you glance at the calories and fat content, look at the % DV (Daily Value) which is the amount of a nutrient in one serving compared to the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) based on a 2000 calorie diet. In simple terms what the % DV tells you is the percent of a particular nutrient you’re getting from that product. For example if you’re getting 45% of calcium as in the label below, you can gauge that you only have to get another 55% calcium from other foods through the day, to reach your goal of 100%.

Then you apply the ‘5 and 20′ rule to the nutrients. General rule of thumb- anything that’s 5 % and below is a poor source of that nutrient, anything that’s 20 % and above is a high source and anything in between is a medium source.

Nutrients that you want get a lot of in your diet like calcium, fiber, maybe protein aim for 20 % or above. Nutrients that you want to get less of in your diet like Saturated fat, Sodium , maybe Carbs( if you’re on a low carb diet) aim for 5% or below or the numbers in between 5 and 20. I don’t have to say that you probably should not be looking for fiber in a Dairy product or Calcium in a cereal box (unless fortified) etc, so use the rule “in context “of the nutrient – if that makes sense. So next time you’re at the grocery store use the 5 and 20 rule to guide you effortlessly down the aisles and watch as healthy food products magically appear in your cart. Just a note, Also look out for words like “partially hydrogenated“, “trans fat“and steer clear of products that have them. Personally, if a product has too many ingredients, especially ones that I don’t understand I usually pass on it. Happy Grocery shopping – and take time to read the labels.