Transitioning to a Raw or Alkaline Diet

A raw or alkaline diet is part of a healthy lifestyle

An important part of a healthy lifestyle is the diet you choose. You may want to consider transitioning to a more alkaline diet as it is the diet which best supports your body’s natural pH. An alkaline diet is one in which the overall balance is approaching 80% alkaline-forming to 20% acid-forming foods based on volume. You don’t need to get out the measuring cups and scales but rather, just kind of visually check your plate and realize the more alkaline-forming foods there are the better. Alkaline foods include most fruits, vegetables (especially green leafy vegetables) and many nuts and seeds. Foods that are acid-forming include dairy, red meats, alcohol, processed foods like cake, cookies and chips and soda. A diet that is high in acid-forming foods can mimic allergy symptoms, reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood and lower daily energy levels.

First take a look at your current diet. Evaluate the way you typically eat. You can use a chart or list, many of which are readily available, that details which foods are acid and which foods are alkaline. Write down your food intake under two columns, one for acid and one for alkaline, to see what your current consumption looks like in terms of balance. If you consume a lot of processed foods, your overall balance will be somewhat acidic. If you consume a lot of vegetables and fresh food, your balance will, more than likely, be a bit on the alkaline side. How you make that transition is the key to your ongoing success.

    Juicing can add enjoyment as you

       transition to a more alkaline diet.

Choose some foods to add and some foods to subtract. I like to begin by adding beneficial alkaline foods. Come at this from a positive, adding point of view and then think about what to delete. You know which foods are bad but it can be difficult to let some things go without first developing a taste for some of the better foods. Take your time. Trying to completely change your diet all at once may be setting yourself up for failure. There are some people that can do it and you probably know it if you are one of those people. For the rest of us, attempting a task like that cold turkey can be overwhelming and is more likely to produce negative results. When transitioning to a healthy, more alkaline diet, start with a few key foods. Replace one snack of cookies or chips every day with a raw vegetable plate or with fresh juice from your juicer or blender, for example. Did you know that when you eat a steak and potato dinner you will be digesting that food for 8 to 12 hours? If you replace that potato with a fresh salad, the time in your stomach would be reduced to 4 or 5 hours. Then, later on, maybe replace the steak with wild salmon. While the fish is still a meat, it is much healthier than the steak. These are great beginning steps. Small changes will allow you time to find enjoyment in new, more alkalizing foods and provide you with even more motivation to keep making healthy changes.

Pay attention to how your body feels. If you are aware of the positive changes taking place with regard to your comfort level; ie improved digestion (less gas and bloating), increased energy and reduced sluggishness, you will feel you have accomplished something positive and you will be motivated to add to those positive feelings. Write down how you feel after eating acidic foods and compare it to how you feel after eating alkaline foods. Notice that an acidic diet often produces allergy-like symptoms, including runny nose, brain fog and unexplained tiredness. Even as you transition, some people report there can be a brief detoxification period where mild flu-like symptoms may occur but overall you should expect to feel much better.

Hydration is key. You should drink as many as 10 – 15 glasses of water a day Also once a day drink lemon juice water by adding ½ lemon in 1 cup of water. This helps in cleaning the digestive system and reduces excess acid in the body. Believe it or not, the citrus fruits, although they may be acidic themselves, are alkaline-forming in your body upon digestion.

It is always important to stay hydrated when

you are transitioning to a raw diet.

Exercise is also important for anyone who wishes to have a healthy lifestyle. A little bit of exercise goes a long way to making your transition to a raw, more alkaline diet and a healthy lifestyle a smoother, more enjoyable one. Good exercise is will increase blood flow and help with digestion and elimination. Our bodies were not meant to be sedentary. We were meant to move.

Set realistic, reachable goals for yourself as you transition. Decide on a time frame in which you would like to have converted your diet but be flexible. You are doing something positive for yourself. There is no failure here if you just don’t quit. Three to six months is a reasonable length of time in which to make incremental dietary changes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis but be flexible. Changes in diet that happen slowly and produce tangible results are more likely to become healthy lifestyle habits that stick with you for the long term.

A raw, more alkaline diet is arguably the best choice for regaining your health and energy. If you would like a little more information on what is involved in transitioning to a raw more alkaline diet, you might like to check out this FREE 6-part e-course called 'Raw Food 101'. There is also a great book available called 'Eating for Energy' to take you step by step through the transition and really set you up to win. Check it out here.

You can enjoy your food while you are

transitioning to a healthy diet