Alkaline/Acid Balance

- Problem: "The theory behind the alkaline diet is our blood is slightly alkaline, with a normal pH level of between 7.35 and 7.45. Our diet should reflect this pH level and be slightly alkaline. All foods we eat, after being digested and metabolized, release either an acid or alkaline base (bicarbonate) into blood. The foods that people tend to overeat –- grains, meat, dairy products -- all produce acid. "

- Solution: "Despite being an acidic solution, some proponents of apple cider vinegar believe it has an alkalizing effect on the body, which is why one to two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in water is recommended as a daily health tonic."

- Summary: The general idea is that the food we commonly eat (especially in the american diet) causes our blood to become more acidic which leads to health problems. The ACV helps to balance the blood pH level's back to normal, so you don't want to make your body too alkalitic if your body is at a normal pH level already.

To regulate this balance, you can test your body's pH levels using Litmus Paper or pH test strips that you can purchase online (easiest source) or at a local drugstore.

Also, remember that this is a process, and you don't want to take large amounts of ACV hoping to reach a normal level overnight. Take the recommended dosage regardless of how acidic your test results are, and eventually you'll reach the desired normal pH balance.

Blood Glucose Levels:
- Problem: "The recent low glycemic-load hypothesis postulates that rapidly digested carbohydrate foods (such as soft drinks, sweets, white bread) produce an overload in blood glucose (hyperglycemia) that stimulates the secretion of insulin, which in turn triggers the release of IGF-1. IGF-1 has direct effects on the pilosebaceous unit (and insulin at high concentrations can also bind to the IGF-1 receptor) and has been shown to stimulate hyperkeratosis and epidermal hyperplasia. These events facilitate acne formation. Sugar consumption might also influence the activity of androgens via a decrease in sex hormone-binding globulin concentration."

- Solution: "Studies suggest that vinegar (both apple cider vinegar and other types) may help to lower glucose levels."

"The acetic acid in vinegar is thought to slow starch digestion and reduce the glycemic index of starchy foods."

- Summary: High glycemic-load foods over-stimulate the secretion of insulin which triggers the release of IGF-1. The release of too much IGF-1 causes physiological events that can facilitate in acne formation. Taking ACV lowers blood glucose levels which reduces the secretion of insulin and IGF-1.

Reference:
1.) "Apple Cider Vinegar" Written by Cathy Wong for About.com, Updated: December 28, 2007

The Meaning of Thanksgiving

Simply put, Thanksgiving is a day to be grateful for the fact that you can afford food and spend time with your family. It's also about being grateful about everything you have. It's not about eating too much and getting drunk on wine, although that is the way I've been doing it for several years. This is the first Thanksgiving I'm going to skip the meat and fill up on veggies and choose water over wine, instead of vice versa. I'm actually going to use this day to catch up with my family and introduce a few vegan dishes to them so they can experience that veganism isn't just nuts and berries. It's a day to be grateful for everything you have, regardless of whether or not you generally find yourself satisfied. Believe me, it's always possible to have less. In fact, sell your stuff and keep your thoughts; you may just find that they're all you really need :)

On behalf of all the vegans out there, Happy Tofurky Day

A Few Eating Habits to Reconsider

Late Night Eating: It's said to stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. Why does it matter? The body doesn't need food at night. In fact it's bad for you. The digestive system needs to rest and eating when you shouldn't may lead to gas and bloating the following day due to improper digestion. Another problem is that digestion uses a lot of time and energy, so if you eat something, fall asleep shortly after and sleep for 8 hours, you've only rested for about 4 or 5 hours. Try drinking herbal tea instead. If you're really having trouble abstaining try a glass of juice. Eradicating this eating habit alone can easily reduce indigestion and weight.

Proper Sequence: Different foods have different digesting times. If you were to eat a piece of bread and then an apple, that bread has to take 2-3 hours to break down while the apple is waiting, meaning that it's going to begin to ferment in your stomach leading to more gas and bloating. You know how frustrating it is for the slow drivers to be ahead of the fast drivers? That just causes a traffic jam. It's kind of like that. A good order in terms of digestibility is:

1. water (leaves the stomach immediately)
2. juice (20-30 min)
3. smoothies, fruits, veggies (30-45 min)
4. grains, beans, starches (2-3 hours)
5. meat and dairy (over 4 hours)

Good Atmosphere: The conditions in which you are eating may play a big factor in how much you eat and when you want to eat again. If you eat while you're working you don't have a chance to get the full experience and pleasure out of it leading to craving more food. Eating while watching TV is like doing two drugs at once; chances are you'll end up eating too much and sitting around longer than you should. The best consumption conditions are with a relaxed mind in a mellow environment. I personally enjoy eating with music playing in my kitchen while I'm leaning against a counter or sitting at a table.

The Brain is Wondrous

The are so many ways to mold your mind and stimulate immense pleasure simply by knowing how to operate your own brain. It seems that the subject can go on and on. Let's allow it to.
Check out my new Pleasure Centers blog

Kombucha Tea

I've been enjoying this delicious elixir since I decided to quit my bad habits, and I've gotta say this stuff is incredible. Kombucha tea is a mixture of green or black tea, sugar, and a Kombucha culture that has been fermented for 5 to 14 days. It contains probiotics, B vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, and a few other things I can't think of right now. It disrupts my alcohol cravings and is the perfect drink to supplement a fast as it curves appetite and aids in detoxification. It's sold at most health food stores. I recently began brewing my own Kombucha. The best part about home brewing is that in every batch of Kombucha a new culture grows so you never need to buy a new one. Just stay stocked on organic tea and organic sugar. Kombucha is known to deliver many benefits, although naming them all would take up too much space. Not to mention, everyone's body will react differently to its goodness so there's no telling what you might get out of this tonic. No doubt it will nourish your digestive system, help your immune system, and clean you out.

The Joys of Juice Fasting

It induces an incredibly light, clean, pure feeling throughout the body: The body spends a large amount of time and energy digesting food, especially here in America where people often ingest too much. The first 3 days of a fast the body uses the food that's sitting in the intestines. After that it basically switches itself to cleanse and starts shoveling toxins into the bloodstream to find a way out of the body. It's shocking how much waste is stewing in the body.

It exercises will power on an outrageous level: Our entire lives have been filled with eating food, savoring its taste, and having the understanding that it is vital for survival. When you decide to go without it, it forces you to go against something deeply programed in your mind for reasons you have found on your own. It's a way to learn to be able to go without something you've lived with your entire life. It helps put things into perspective by assessing their importance in comparison with other things that the body doesn't need.

It invigorates the mind and stimulates deep focus: People generally eat several meals a day, whether it be from hunger or just the simple habit of it. Certain things especially stimulate hunger such as the smell of food, the sound of it cooking, hearing someone discuss it, seeing others eat, seeing it lying around, television commercials, certain times of the day, or even boredom and random cravings. Fasting teaches you how to divert your attention from such things and pour it over something else. It breaks those chains of the routine of eating and gives you a chance to fill your senses with something else, something more. It definitely frees up some time.

It recalibrates your palate: When you first break your fast, whatever it is that you're eating just explodes in your mouth and tickles every taste bud in your mouth. It's simply orgasmic. We take things for granted. No one pays attention to the juiciness of a peach or the bursting sweet flavor it holds inside of it. Not to mention your stomach will shrink so less will feel like more.