The pH Miracle

Tai Chi Man has been reading lots about the health benefits of eating certain foods to alkalinise the body. Most of what we eat is acid-forming in the body which in turn creates weight problems, illness and disease. Take some of the things which form the standard diet - coffee, meat, dairy - and research shows that they are acid-forming.

We currently have two books from the library by Robert and Shelley Young - The pH Miracle and The pH Miracle for Weight Loss. Both are good, but I think I'd like to buy the second one - not only does it have a list of foods and their alkaline/acid effect on the body, but it has an excellent rebounding (small trampoline) workout and a lot of recipes.

This weekend, Tai Chi Man and I are undergoing a three day juice cleanse. We are drinking diluted green juice (that I make in my juicer with salad greens, parsley, celery and cucumber) and lots of water and Barlean's Greens powder. One of the staples of the alkalinising program is "green drink" which we call Nile Water! To a litre of water, I add a teaspoon of the green powder, the juice of half a lime and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. I am drinking three litres of the Nile Water each day plus two litres of plain water, plus my fresh juice.

I'm glad that we're both doing this cleanse, because it helps to have support. Most of the time I feel fine, but I have noticed a little weakness in the muscles which is a sign of detoxifying.

After the three days, we will be eating only alkalinising foods for at least a month. For us, this won't be as hard as it would be for someone eating the usual omnivorous diet. Being vegan, we don't eat meat, fish and dairy, and we don't drink coffee or black tea. However sweet fruits have always been a favourite of mine, and those are out. Some nuts and grains are also out.

After a period of eating just alkalinising foods, we will be able to introduce some of the foods from the acidic side of the chart, but keeping them to a maximum of 20% of our diet. It is also recommended that at least half of what you eat is raw, which is fine with me.

I am hoping to see some great results - I already lost a couple of inches in the first day and would love to say goodbye to cellulite forever.