It’s not easy being green for Kermit the Frog but it sure is popular –and easier than ever –these days to “go green.” Paint, flowerpots, paper, shoes, cars and hundreds of other items we use every day are produced in environmentally friendly ways. We care about the environment around us, and judging from the statistics, not a moment too soon.
Your inner environment could benefit from a green movement too; especially those who eat meat, who find it hard to get 9 servings of fruits and veggies into our diets every day, and let’s not forget those—like me—who count caffeine and adult beverages among our closest friends. These habits, otherwise fine on the surface, are all acid producing and as such can increase the aging process. Aging as in wrinkles, bone loss, and digestive upsets to name a few.
The nutritional approach for protecting against too much acid is known as acid/alkaline balance. For years this was considered a fringe concept, one only “health nuts” cared about. As scientists learn more and our diets include more convenience foods, animal proteins, dairy, and sugar—all acid producers—mainstream health practitioners have come to see getting this right as an important component of healthy aging.
If our basic western diet is acid forming, what can be done to restore balance?
Do we have to give up all that good stuff? Hell no! Instead, Go green.
Vegetables are alkalizing, greens especially so. Coconuts are too, (don’t fear the fat), likewise almonds, avocados, dates and more. If you have plenty of alkalizing food in your diet your body has plenty of reserves to work with when a high acid meal arrives.
Consider what happens to your bones when your alkaline reserves are low.
Bones rely on a slightly alkaline blood ph to maintain their calcium stores. Too much acid, whether created by what we eat, stress, or prescription drugs, has to be balanced out. To do this our brilliantly designed system robs calcium and other minerals to “buffer” the bones and other organs against the acid.
The greatest store of calcium is in the bones and you want to keep it there.
A study done in San Francisco on 9000 women and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those with chronic acidosis—the name given to high acid blood levels–are at greater risk of bone loss than those with a normal ph.
Don’t despair, just like our global environment, our inner environment can be improved over time by making small changes that won’t hurt a bit to incorporate into your life.
Here’s the easiest thing you can do; drink water with fresh lemon. Lemons and other citrus fruits are considered acidic but in truth they have an alkalizing effect on our inner environment. Start your day with some citrus to boost your alkaline reserves—especially if your last bit of food or beverage before bed was a sugary one—this includes sweetened yogurt, milk, wine, pretzels, whole wheat crackers—they all contain or turn into sugar in your gut.
You drink water throughout the day anyway right? RIGHT? Ok so keep a lemon or lime on hand and squeeze yourself a bone loving, hydrating slug. Hydration alone helps balance things.
Next up but not so easy for some is to increase your greens and all colors of vegetables. Eat some of them raw every day. What to go hardcore? Try adding a scoop of organic green drink powder to water, some juice, or a breakfast smoothie. Not only will it give you lasting energy, it will boost your alkaline storage for the day. If green drinks or gulp, wheat grass, sound too grassy for you—the taste is an acquired one but how many of you got “over” the taste of cigarettes, booze, garlic, tomatoes—don’t despair. Adding a few extra cucumber slices, a handful of spinach leaves, or citrusizing your water will begin the process of bringing your blood ph closer to neutral.
How to know if you are acid or neutral? Buy ph test strips from your local health food store. You’ll get the most accurate result by testing when you pee vs using your saliva. This is less accurate than a blood test but it’s a great place to start, not to mention very low cost and convenient.
The importance of monitoring our acid levels cannot be underestimated as it relates to our health for the long haul. This article is an introduction and enough to get you moving in the right direction. If you want to learn more, About.com comes to the rescue. I would love to recommend one expert but I’ve not found that person yet but the above author gives a good overview with more history of the theory as it relates to us today.
Next time you are recycling or considering a green purchase to help the planet make sure you’ve done something green for you too.
© Copyright 2011 – Gregory Anne Cox The Feelbetter Cos. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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About the Author: Gregory Anne Cox is a certified life coach who has been dishing up all-you-can-eat servings of women’s health and nutrition information for years. Her Mind and Body Tune Up Tips weekly audio postcards give short bites of information that will help transform your daily choices so you live your best midlife. Sign up for free. You can find out more at MidlifeWithAVengeance, send her an email, or call her at (631) 728-2456. This article is copyrighted and you may feel free to use it as long as you include this paragraph when publishing it.
