Posts Tagged ‘pH balance’

Alkalizing with a Magimix le Duo juicer

Friday, May 7th, 2010

When we are looking to alkalize our diet one of the most effective options that we can pursue is to drink more fresh fruit and vegetable juice. I use a Magimix le Duo juicer on a daily basis to create things like carrot, orange and ginger juice and apple, spinach and ginger juice. It is easy to consume four, five or even six portions of fruit and veg in one juice. Of course, making a juice actually removes all the fiber. This is the juice pulp that is thrown away. However with it does leave you with is a drink that is dense in nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

So the question becomes, what type of juicer would be best suited to your needs. Personally I am a big fan of centrifugal juicers like the Magimix le Duo and the Breville BJE200XL machine. This is because they can help you to quickly make a great tasting fruit and vegetable juice. On top of this they are also fairly easy to clean up after use.

The main issue regarding purchasing your own juicer is to ensure that you actually use it. It would be a big waste of money to buy one with grand hopes but then just letting it sit in a kitchen cupboard. There are a lot of great points to owning your own juicing machine. These include your own health benefits; economic benefits; and environmental benefits. Some pretty large claims for a simple juicer!

Let me be clear about what I mean. When you own your own juicer you will be able to make your own nutrient rich fruit and vegetable drinks which is good for your health. Once you have purchased your own juicer all you then have to buy is the fruit and vegetables that you want to juice. This can be cheaper than purchasing ready made fruit and vegetable drinks. Further, environmental benefits include the fact that the only waste is fruit and vegetable pulp that can be used in the garden.

The Juice Fiend provides an interesting Magimix le Duo review that you may find interesting.

alkalizing diet options

Friday, October 9th, 2009

Alkalizing your body is a simple way to start becoming healthier and giving your body the nutrients it needs to make you feel energetic and motivated throughout the day. It is easy to alkalize and the benefits are worth many times the effort it involves.

The alkaline acid diet is straight forward. All it suggests is increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed in your diet. This is because these are alkaline foods that help improve the pH balance of the body.

Steps to alkalize the body are wide ranging. One area that is easy to work on is snacking. Rather than eating chocolate and having a can of soda if we just replace one of these snacks a day with a glass of water and a piece or two of fruit we are actually doubling up on the alkalizing effect. Firstly, by not eating and drinking the acid forming chocolate and carbonated drink and secondly by consuming alkalizing fruit and pH neutral water we are helping our body by giving it nutrition and an alkalizing boost.

Another option that we can implement is to slowly increase the amount of vegetables we have at meal times. Concentrating on vegetables that you like to eat and find easy to prepare might be a good way to start. A big part of the appeal of acid foods is their convenience and it has to be said, many of them do taste good. However we all know that smoking is bad for the health. The same is true for nutrient vacant foods. Sodas taste nice but they have no real nutritional benefit for us and further then can have a detrimental effect on our teeth, bones and weight. The high levels of sugars can also be problematic for people concerned about their weight as well as cause issues regarding diabetes. So moving away from these acid forming drinks and simply having water instead can be great for our alkalinity and health. The following post further details the harmful effects acid foods have on our bodies.

Some vegetables I like to eat include grilled eggplant which I often include in my meal at breakfast. I also often steam up broccoli and carrots which usually lasts for a few days and can be re-heated and included with almost any meal.

Perhaps the easiest way to get an alkalizing kick is to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices. Rather than eating, when we juice we extract all the liquid and leave the fiber. This means it is possible to have the juice from six oranges (which makes about a pint) whereas actually eating six oranges would be much more of an ordeal.

Taking better care of our bodies is important for everyone, not just those interested in weight loss. Unless we have to loose weight for medical reasons, I believe that a feeling of well being and happiness with ourselves is more important than the number of kilograms we weigh. The alkaline acid diet, with its focus on consuming plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables has this as a core aim. Simply gradually reducing the percentage of acidic foodstuffs in our diet and trying to consume a bit more fresh produce can have an amazing effect on the way we feel. Why not give alkalizing a try?

green alkaline wheatgrass shot

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I first heard of wheat grass years ago from a friend who worked at a juice bar. He told me that if you drink too much of it you vomit because it is so full of nutrition that your stomach cannot handle it! This put me off trying wheatgrass for the longest time.

Since embarking on my alkaline acid diet and getting heaving into juicing I have become much more interested in green alkaline drinks. Wheatgrass is a perfect example of a nutrient rich alkaline booster. I don’t have my own wheatgrass juicer however. When possible I like to buy a wheatgrass shot when I visit juice bars. Some shops suggest that you mix the shot with your fruit juice. Personally I prefer to drink wheatgrass juice seperately and savour the earthen grassy flavour. I’m still undecided as to whether I like the taste of wheatgrass or not. It is certainly distinctive. Knowing that it is beneficial for my body certainly makes me enjoy it more.

wheat-grass

Growing your own wheat grass as well as getting your hands on a specialist masticating juicer seems like an excellent idea. Living in Japan I am keen to see if it is possible to extract juice from rice grass. I have a feeling that rice shoots will produce a highly alkalizing green shot similar to wheatgrass.

If you are currently eating an acid diet typical in the West, stopping off for a wheatgrass drink while not a panecea for all health issues will at least provide your body with a host of minerals and help the pH balance of your body. Consumption of excess acid foods if not balanced by alkaline foods (fruit and vegetables) can have a wide variety of negative health outcomes. Rather than weight loss, I am much more concerned about general health and well being. Green drinks aren’t going to make you shed pounds in days but they certainly will help improve overall conditioning.

Do your body a favour and have a green alkaline wheatgrass drink today.