Lovely Friend,I am so encouraged that you have been reading my blog and have become inspired with my journey. This has been my goal. I have shared before that my original plan was to wait to write this blog until my beach body was ready; but the truth is that it is easier to understand the journey when you walk it. So join me as I walk, slowly, but surely!
I have been chatting with a couple of you about where I started and what I am doing on this journey. And that will certainly be my next blog post, but for today I want to share with you 10 lunches that I have eaten recently. It may seem a little out of order that I would share this before I share my starting point, but if you are like me, if something works you wanted to start yesterday. Wanting to start right away is one thing, but absorbing and sorting the information that often comes when beginning a new lifestyle is another. For this very reason, I am giving you a quick, no-think starting point before I start delivering the ins and outs of what I have done.
For all of these recipes I have chosen to use organic ingredients, not because they have more vitamins and minerals, but because they do not have the toxic pesticides and other chemicals on them. I have also looked at the labels very carefully to ensure that no extra ingredients like sugar or oils are present. I created these lunches using the pH chart (that I found on "Air, Water, Life") as a guide to help me balance acidic and alkaline ingredients and I am including the pH of each ingredient in parenthesis. My goal is to make sure that each lunch has more alkaline ingredients than acidic to keep my body oxygenated and healthy.
10 Clean Eating Lunches That Are pH Balanced:
1. 2 Slices of Cooked Turkey Bacon (5.5), 1 Handful of Raw Almonds (8.0), 1/2 of a Raw Green Apple (8.0), and 1 Large Raw Carrot (8.5)
2. 2 Scrambled Eggs (6.5) Topped with a Handful of Sautéed Spinach (6.5) and a Sprinkle of Sea Salt (7.5), 1 Cup of Fresh Pineapple (9.0), and 1/2 of a Small Sliced Raw Cucumber (9.0)
3. 1 Cup of Cooked Black-Eyed Peas (6.0) with 1/2 of a Cooked Jalapeño Pepper (8.0) and a Sprinkle of Sea Salt (7.5), 1 Cup of Cooked Broccoli (7.5) with a Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice (10.0) and a Sprinkle of Sea Salt (7.5), and 1 Cup of Fresh Sliced Peaches (8.0).
4. 1 Small Cooked Sweet Potato (9.0) with Sprinkle of Sea Salt (7.5), Salad- 1 Cup of Spring Mix Lettuce (8.5) and 1/2 of a Small Sliced Tomato (8.0) Topped with 1 Tbsp of Olive Oil (8.0) and 1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice (10.0), and 1 Cup of Fresh Grapes (8.5).
5. 4 Ounces of Sliced Turkey from the Deli (5.5), 1 Cup of Raw Broccoli (9.5), and 1 Cup of Mixed Berries (7.5).
6. 1 Cup of Quinoa (7.5) Mixed with the Zest and Juice of 1/4 Lemon (10.0) 1/2 Tsp Raw Finely Chopped Garlic (8.5) and 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley (9.0), 1 Cup Sautéed Yellow Squash (7.5), and1/2 of a Small Sliced Raw Cucumber (9.0) with Dressing- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (10.0), 1 Tbsp Grainy Mustard (5.5), and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil (8.0).
7. 4 Ounces of Grilled Chicken (5.5) Seasoned with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (10.0) and Black Pepper (6.0), 1 Cup of Wild Rice (8.0), and 1 Cup of Cooked Green Beans (8.5).
8. 2 Cups of Raw Spinach (10.0) Topped with 4 Ounces of Grilled Chicken (5.5) Seasoned with Asian Marinade- 1 Tbsp Raw Honey (7.0), 1/2 Tsp Raw Crated Garlic(8.5), and 1/2 Tsp Raw Grated Ginger(8.5), and a Dash of Cayenne Pepper (8.5), Also Topped with a Handful of Fresh Sliced Strawberries (7.5), and Salad Dressing- 1 Tsp Sesame Oil (5.5), 1 Tsp Sesame Seeds (8.0), 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar (6.5), and 1 Tbsp Raw Honey (7.0).
9. 2 Cups of Chopped Romaine Lettuce (8.5) Topped with Guacamole- 1 Avocado (8.0), Juice of 1/2 of a Lemo) (10.0), 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro (9.0), 1/2 Jalapeno Pepper (8.0) 1 Clove of Fresh Garlic (8.5) and a Pinch of Sea Salt (7.5), and 1 Cup of Fresh Blueberries (7.5).
10. 4 Ounces of Sauteed Shrimp (6.0) Seasoned with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (10.0) and 1 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley (9.0), 1 Cup of Brown Rice (7.0) Seasoned with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice (10.0) and 1 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Cilantro (9.0), and 1 Cup of Multi-Color Sliced Fresh Bell Peppers (8.0).
I hope that you enjoy these lunches and that they give you a head start on beginning a pH balanced life!
Giving it my all,
Jess
**Disclaimer- I have tried to design lunches that are pH balanced based on the material that I have provided, but I do not claim to be a doctor, chemist, or any other form of scientist. This blog is for informational purposes only and not intended to treat, diagnose, or prevent any diseases. Please consult your physician with any medical questions.
You do realize that what you eat has literally no impact on your body's pH outside of your stomach - right? I also take issue with your description of organic food. Technically all food is composed of chemicals and organic food still uses "bad chemicals" like pesticides they are just organic approved pesticides.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment! I appreciate your honesty and I can tell that you are an individual that searches for the truth in regards to health. We must have a kindred spirit, because I am also on the search for optimal health for both myself and my family. I do appreciate your patience with me because I am still learning how to eat responsibly and, as I stated above, I am not in the scientific field. However, what I have discovered is that food can affect our body’s pH environment and that this idea is still not widely accepted by American mainstream medicine. It has been said that “Only a fool does the same thing expecting different results.” In regards to this idea, I do believe that as Americans we have continually chosen to eat unhealthy and yet we are wondering why our nation has become so sick and fat. I unfortunately have been a part of this statistic and am working to change that through the most natural food possible.
DeleteDuring my research I ran across this article that I think you will find enlightening on your search for the truth. For your convenience I have pulled out some statements that acknowledge that a balanced acid-alkaline diet is appropriate for improving health or preventing some diseases.
“Excess dietary protein with high acid renal load may decrease bone density if not buffered by ingestion of supplements or food that are alkali rich. However, adequate protein is necessary for the prevention of osteoporosis and sarcopenia; therefore, increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables may be necessary rather than reducing protein.”
“A three year study looking at a diet rich in potassium, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as a reduced acid load, resulted in the preservation of muscle mass in older men and women.”
“Alkaline diets may result in a number of health benefits as outlined below
1. Increased fruits and vegetables in an alkaline diet would improve the K/Na ratio and may benefit bone health, reduce muscle wasting, as well as mitigate other chronic diseases such as hypertension and strokes.
2. The resultant increase in growth hormone with an alkaline diet may improve many outcomes from cardiovascular health to memory and cognition.
3. An increase in intracellular magnesium, which is required for the function of many enzyme systems, is another added benefit of the alkaline diet. Available magnesium, which is required to activate vitamin D, would result in numerous added benefits in the vitamin D apocrine/exocrine systems.
4. Alkalinity may result in added benefit for some chemotherapeutic agents that require a higher pH.”
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195546/
Author: Gerry K. Schwalfenberg
DeleteIn regards to the organic food category, you are correct in pointing out that the term organic can be tricky. In fact, organic food can be grown using certain synthetic-free pesticides. But there are also smaller organic farms that truly use no pesticides at all. In particular, there is a farm where I live that will post about a week before they spray so that families can pick non-sprayed food if they would like. I know when I garden at home, I do not use any pesticides or chemicals whatsoever, just sun and water. Like I stated above, when it comes to the USDA organic does not always mean truly pesticide free and I thank you for clarifying this for other readers. However, what I do believe is that the organic food is monitored and healthier than conventional. Here is the USDA definition of organic and also an article that backs up your claim about organic food. Thanks again for your input!
Below is the definition of USDA organic:
“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”
“Organic certification is currently the best and most trustworthy system we have for regulating the production and sale of clean, chemical-free food -- it is important that readers be aware of the fact that chemicals are still sometimes used on organic foods”
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/039710_organic_product_pesticide_residents.html#ixzz3T7AhabZZ
Thanks for the response. I am not contending the fact that as described your diet is probably "more healthy" than the traditional American diet. I am contending that it's "health benefits" are due to the diet manipulating your body's pH. More fruits and vegetables are generally always considered a good option but I take issue with the idea that eating a lemon will increase your body's pH to 10. If this diet works, it most likely works because you are cutting calories and eating more nutritious foods, not because it alters your body's pH. True there are multiple areas on your body with variable pH, but I'm assuming the diet is targeting something a little more impactful than altering skin, urine, or stomach pH. Blood pH is very stable and if it were to change dramatically you would die, which can happen (diabetic ketoacidosis). The paper you cited is a review paper with no primary data. It makes statements about pH being important (which of course is true) but doesn't really provide much in the way of data, I will continue to look at individual citations in the review as I have time. In special cases like disease some pH in our bodies probably do change, but I would challenge you to find any data that eating a lemon would raise body pH to 10. Or maybe a better idea would be to describe what you, or the people promoting this diet, mean when they say "body pH"? I am not against eating a better diet, I just don't like ones based in pseudoscience.
DeleteTrue some organic food may not use any pesticides, but I do not think organic food is inherently "healthier" or better for that matter. Pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals are fairly ubiquitous in our environment, albeit at low concentrations, so even if you ate food without pesticides your probably still exposed to them through the environment. A major point here is that the dose makes the toxin, there are countless things both synthetic and natural that can kill you if the concentration is high enough. But thankfully it usually isn't - it's generally not even close enough to have a biologically relevant effect Plants also synthesize a lot of "toxic" chemicals because they don't like being eaten. In fact a lot of plants have been bred to have negligible amounts of these chemicals, like cyanide in almonds. Organic or not plants still produce defense compounds, some that can probably make you sick or kill you. I am pretty sure bioengineered plants can be grown organically - there is nothing inherently wrong with them and "organically grown" is a process of growing something, not the starting product. Plant products of ionizing radiation are undoubtedly grown organically, a lot of plant varieties were created through this method (Ruby Red Grapefruit). What the USDA statement probably means is that the plants they are growing organically now are not currently subjected to radiation or bioengineering. But technically they can use cultivars that were created previously by these methods. Another keyword in that statement is "most conventional pesticides", that means they can use some. All of this doesn't really bother me, but it may be problematic for you. I think organic food is not "healthier" than conventional food. Organic food is more expensive and cannot meet the yield (in most cases) of conventional farming. Organically grown food may be more environmentally sustainable or less destructive, but that is still up for debate. Even if I concede this point i don't think organic food is really that good, if you care about the environment there are a lot of other things that would have to be done for this to even matter. I can provide other references if you wish, but here is one review about organic food. In summary, I don't think organic food is worse than conventional (except maybe price), but I don't think it is better either. And food grown yourself probably is better, but that may be an argument for fresh food, not necessarily organic food.
Deletehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19640946
Thank you again for citing what you think! It seems that I have miscommunicated what I mean and love that I have an opportunity to clarify. First, I want to start out by confirming that this is a highly controversial topic that you and I both could spend hours researching and discussing. I do get that part of this and my goal in writing this blog was never to claim that I have all the answers. My goal with writing my blog is to journal my personal health decisions and inspire others to make a positive change! My prior health choices have sucked, to put it quite frankly, and this way of thinking has helped me to understand food and make better choices for my body. The second point that I would like to make is that, in general, American medicine leans more towards fixing health issues through medicines rather than diet. I personally have PCOS and hypothyroidism and have had them for years. My PCP does recommend some diet and exercise to improve my health but blows over that and writes me a script for the next pill that will "fix" my problem. Just from my own personal experiences with myself and family members, pill popping seems to be the mainstream form of medicine rather than diet change! Again, I have stated that I am certainly not in the scientific field but know that eating apH balanced diet can prevent and heal diseases much better than modern medicine. God created our bodies beautifully, and therefore created the medicine that we need, in the form of food. The third point that I would like to make is a clarifying one. I certainly do not believe that a lemon can raise your body pH to 10 and I giggle at the absurdity of that statement. I never intended to convince anyone that this would happen. Rather, my point is to prevent my diet from being highly acidic and overworking the organs that do such an amazing job filtering! I totally agree that our blood pH is hard to affect because, as you pointed out, our bodies have been so perfectly designed by God to keep our blood in such a perfect balance, no matter what we do. However, what we do, over time, can have negative consequences. Those filtering organs such as the liver and kidneys can get overworked and disease can set in. Now the great thing about our bodies, much like our Savior, is that they were designed to be forgiving! My body has experienced years of poor choices which has caused major breakouts on my face, irregular menstruation, weight gain, low energy, and severe stomach cramping following eating. I am happy to report that although my weight loss has been minor, my body has responded beautifully to the balance. My skin is clear, menstruation is regular (which my OBGYN even confirmed was due to my dietary changes!), energy is waaay up, and I no longer have any tummy troubles!!! I do realize that every persons body is different and that they respond in different ways, but eating this way is truly healing my body from the inside out! Now the fourth point that I would like to make also deals with the food combinations. When I created those combinations, I was showing the pH to try to model that I was combining alkaline and acidic foods to create a meal that was neutral or pretty close to it. This is the thinking that changed for me! Trying to balance my meals so that my body was not filtering as much waste as it has been is my goal when creating meals. Weight loss is an obvious goal for me because my body could never be at optimal health at this weight, but the health improvement are my bigger goal!
DeleteI agree that with our American food market we have little control over the choices that are offered, including organic, but my goal is to do everything I can to try to get the healthiest available option! I still do eat conventional when I cannot find an organic or fresh option but would like to choose something with the least amount of "junk" in them. I know that you disagree, but I can tell the difference in the breakdown of the food when I choose to purchase conventional versus organic. My organic food always breaks down more quickly which causes me to infer that it is doing the same in my body. Also, when you look at foods such as apples for example, conventional are very shiny, whereas, organic look very dull. There is an obvious difference physical appearance between the two and I don't want the extra "shiny" in my diet. I again, thank you for your comments, and although we may disagree on certain points, I invite you to continue reading and following my journey. I certainly don't have it all figured out, but want to encourage others to improve their health as I improve mine!
DeleteI forgot to mention the diet that I am "promoting". I did want to clarify that I am promoting eating a balanced diet as the new way of living, first and foremost! My goal is to encourage others to join me on this walk and take the adventure together. For so long, "a diet" has been just that, a single solitary event. But now, I am promoting "my diet" the journey to health and wellness that will never end for me. I am promoting that I will have to daily CHOOSE to eat balanced and leave toxins such as sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, dairy, soy, ect. The main idea of my blog, is to encourage others to eat a balanced and healthy diet as a new way of living! I did share how I began my diet with a program, yes. I have had several friends ask me about it so I thought I would write a post to share with everyone what I did. I shared what I did and on that page even added that this could be done without these products but wanted to share MY experiences. Often the experience of others can be so valuable in making our own health choices and I certainly want to inspire others to start wherever they are to improve their health. I also chose to put the contact information for the diet on a separate clickable page so that it was not there in the readers face, but rather a link that could be followed if more information was desired. I do appreciate your sharing and do believe that we learn through discussion (I was a fifth grade teacher in my former life!).
DeleteI'm a little confused, so do you think that what you eat can change your body pH significantly? Or not? The body pH question I raised was due to your picture (above) charting the different food types and how they affect body pH. If you don't think eating these foods changes your body's pH then we are in agreement. The bit about waste, toxins, and energy seems a bit pseudosciency. Eating a healthier diet will improve how you feel, especially if you were eating a poor diet. There is nothing magical about this, it has been well studied. Also sugar is not a toxin, it is actually necessary for your existence. The whole god thing you have going with your diet seems unnecessary, how is it that our bodies are perfectly designed? People die all the time from our bodies failing at something. Cancer, diabetes, bacterial, and viral infections kill, cripple, and disable people all the time - how is this good design? Or would you suggest that all health problems be solved with diet? Diet can affect health, but it is not a cure-all. And doctors probably prescribe pills for health problems because people are lazy and impatient and changing lifestyle is incredibly hard to do. This does not mean modern medicine is a failure, plenty of things can be successfully treated because of modern medicine. In general feeling better about a lifestyle change is not necessarily due to it actually working, people feel bad sometimes and then they get better - this is life. It may also have to do with your expectations of feeling better - which can affect how you feel. I agree with your point that a balanced healthier diet is probably better for people and you can promote that....I don't think pseudoscience should be wrapped up with this promotion. Pseudoscience can negatively affect people and lessen their critical thinking skills. Lose the stuff about pH body balancing, toxins, diet cures, and perfect design and I think we would probably agree. In summary, if you care to respond to these 3 questions it would help me understand what you are talking about.
Delete1. Do you think what we eat significantly affects our body pH?
2. Do you think diet can cure or fix major medical issues like cancer?
3. Do you think you can lose weight simply by reducing calorie intake?
Yes, I do consider our bodies perfectly designed and I suppose that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. This is waaay off topic, but I worked with children in my classroom with exceptionalities (or what you call disabilities). Some of the exceptionalities had no explainable reason but I would not have considered these children anything but perfectly designed. Other children had exceptionalities that were the result of their parents poor choices and unfortunately suffered from their mistakes. I realize that never of these statements has anything to do with food, but I did want to make it clear that I do believe that God created us perfectly. The wonderful thing is the more time I spend with God, the more that I understand his character. There is no way that I can ever fully grasp his complexity, but being in His presence can explain so much! I just wanted to make this piece clear.
DeleteI do believe that you have done your job of doing your best to inform me of your opinion that has been formed based on the research that you have done. You are truly an inspiration because you are willing to search for the truth at all costs! I do want to emphasize that I am still learning and will always be learning as new research becomes available! I do understand that you have issues with the way that I have termed ideas within my blog, but I am using these terms to catalog my journey and the choices that I am making within my family. I am not trying to convince you to agree with me at all. I can accept that two people disagree! I am trying to use them how I see fit and have stated within my blog that I am certainly no expert and do not have a medical background. In fact, I have my degree in teaching, which is far from a medical background.
To address your questions, I noticed that you have purposefully written them in yes/no format, but the truth is that these questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. I will do my best to explain my opinion behind each of them. We are having a persuasive type discussion, but in the end, each of these are just opinions. The great thing about our world is that we have free will and the right to form different opinions. How boring would our world be if we all thought the same way! I am certainly glad that you are making sure that my critical thinking skills are good and sharpened and not dulled by what I read. The fact is, there is a ton of research out there about a myriad of nutrition topics and we certainly have to use our critical thinking skills to choose what to believe. I am certainly not trying to dumb anyone down and could get on my soapbox about how our public education system is doing that perfectly fine! So...
Delete1. I do believe that what we eat over time can affect our pH. Typically the affects are more in the negative realm, rather than positive. Eating those highly acidic foods cause our detoxing organs to work overtime which can lead to disease. I do not believe that is happens overnight or anything like that, but I do think that highly acidic food can create a disease breeding environment. Our food within this nation has gotten faker and faker and unfortunately cancer and other diseases are common place in our culture.
2. I am not sure if diet can fix "major" issues but I know that it can fix minor ones. One other thing that diet can definitely do is help to prevent major diseases. This is the part of the journey that I am on, prevention.
3.You have asked me a question about weight which is a minor part of my journey. My main focus is health, but since you have asked a very specific question, I will supply a very specific answer. Yes, I think that reducing caloric intake can allow the body to lose some weight. My diet could consist of 2 Wendy's kids meals with a cheeseburger and fries for lunch and dinner and a kids size vanilla frosty for breakfast for only 1190 calories a day. Do I think that you could lose weight on this, yes, because you are consuming less calories. However, for health purposes, I do not believe that all calories are equal! I do believe that balancing my meat with alkaline raw vegetables does play a vital role in my body correcting its issues and getting healthier.