Each and every person living in the UK is facing a myriad of health and lifestyle challenges every day.

We are constantly being fed new information about what is healthy and what is unhealthy while thousands of us try to deal with problems ranging from obesity to fatigue to life threatening diseases.

The alkalarian approach to diet offers a simple, basic understanding of what causes the body to become out of balance. Through what has become the typical Western diet largely based around meat, dairy, sugars, alcohol, saturated fats and caffeine, millions of us have created a hostile, acidic environment within our bodies.

The pH level of our internal fluids affects every living cell in our bodies and the effect that over-acidification can have upon the health of our bodies is immense, with a chronically over acidic pH creating an extremely negative environment which affects all cellular functions from the beatings of the heart to the neural workings of the brain.

When our pH level is unbalanced, almost any area of our bodies can be negatively affected creating results such as cancer, heart disease, obesity, weight problems, allergies, fatigue and premature aging as well as problems with our nervous system, cardiovascular system and muscles.

Where to Start

To begin to alkalise it is important to start consuming alkalising foods and drinks while eliminating acidifying foods and drinks from your diet. As a rough guide you should try to include some of the following:

Foods that Alkalize:

• Vegetables: Spinach, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumber, lettuce, courgette, cabbage, greens, swede, squash (summer, butternut, yellow etc), peppers, chili, tomato, onion, garlic, chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans, spring onion, root ginger

• Salads: Lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber, nuts (aside from peanuts and cashews), seeds, avocado, carrots etc.

• Herbs & Spices: Basil, parsley, mint, coriander, ginger, cumin etc.

• Essential Fats: Flax/Linseed, Evening Primrose, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil or an oil blend such as Udo' Choice

• Fruits: ONLY - Lemons, Lime, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Tomato, Avocado - all other fruits to be used quite sparingly

• Grasses: Wheat, barley, kamut, lemon, shave etc.

• Sprouts: Alfalfa, mung bean, broccoli, radish, wheat, lentil, fenugreek etc.

• Dips and Sauces: Pesto, hummus, tahini, guacamole etc.

Foods that Acidify:

• Sugar
• Dairy Products
• Meat (aside from occasional coldwater fish)
• Caffeine
• Tobacco
• Wheat (aside from sprouts or wheatgrass)
• Fruit (apart from those mentioned above)
• Bad fats (saturated, transfatty acids, hydrogenated)
• Junk/ Processed foods
• Fizzy drinks
• Peanuts and Cashews
• Pasta and White Rice
• Condiments

The most effective way to reverse the trend of over-acidification is to cleanse the body of toxins and rapidly create an alkaline environment in which the body can heal itself. Cleansing is a natural, holistic method of healing in which the body detoxifies itself and regenerates healthy vibrant cells, effectively becoming more alkalized.

For some people, cleansing can put an individual one year ahead in the healing process!

This is a very brieif outline of the most important principles of an alkaline diet. We highly recommend you read both The pH Miracle and Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill to gain a full understanding of an alkaline lifestyle.