An Alkaline Challenge

Eating foods with one ingredient you can pronounce is the key! Credit By: nutrilover

Here’s the story: I started having acid reflux issues that took over every aspect of my life. I wasn’t working out. I had zero energy. I felt sick and was in pain. I blogged and tweeted about this phenomenon and was fortunate enough to catch the ear of this sweet-hearted health coach named Emma Goodman. Emma had been taking note of my symptoms and made the guess that I was more than likely acidic and might do well on an alkaline diet.

That’s when I asked what in the WORLD an alkaline diet was. I had never heard of the idea, and you know how we all feel about “diets.” They’re not my cup of tea, but Emma was patient with me and explained that it wasn’t something that would turn my whole world upside down. It was just about incorporating more alkaline whole foods into my diet (I’m all about adding more veggies and fruits!) and cutting back on the more acidic things like coffee. Gasp! Scientific literature is chock-full of evidence showing that sickness and disease thrive in an acidic environment, so the basic idea is that the more green you eat, the healthier your noggin and body will be. (With hopefully fewer fever blisters for me as well!)

I Have to Buy What?

When people want me to buy products my eyebrow raise. Being out in LA, I’m constantly being harassed by healthy salespeople. “Try this new wonder shake! It’ll give you energy and help you lose an unhealthy amount of weight in a week!” Whenever I hear the promises, I think of two things: There are no quick fixes, and if it sounds to good to be true, IT IS! I tried to read about Emma’s product descriptions with the same deaf ear, but powders consisting of kale, chard, wheat grass and spinach always perk my ears up. Her protein powder doesn’t contain gluten, which is my favorite scary word right now, too. That being said I decided to start small and try. (A big step for a skeptic like myself.)

I tried the 7.2 Coffee Drops, which you drop in your coffee, tea, water or other acidic beverage to alkalize it. I figured they’d be a fun experiment to see if I liked the product and if it actually worked. And they did!  My fiance and I both suffer from heart burn and coffee addictions, and this made me love that hot good java all over again. It alkalizes your drink without changing the taste you love. The pill fizzes when you first plop it in and then voila! Nicer coffee!

Once I started using the drops more regularly, I decided I was a stubborn fool and called Emma and said I’d love to work with her. I knew I needed her because she’d be able to monitor me and help me track changes and improvements better. And it’s been great so far. Once I got on board, I bought three products she recommended for me (the 7.2 Alkaline Booster, the 7.2 Greens and their protein shake.) She also sent me the eating plan I’d be working with for the next 30 days. This included a three-day juicing cleanse that turned out to be my favorite part.

Yes, me, the anti-cleanse girl, fell in love with the vegetable/fruit juice cleanse that I did. Each morning, for three days, I’d drink 16 ounces of water; one with lemon and one without. Then throughout the rest of the day, I’d have a total of four juice concoctions from the list Emma provided. These juices consisted of different yummy greens, fruits and root vegetables like beets. (She named one juice Jesus Juice, which was my absolute favorite. It consists of grape, carrot, apple, kale and lemon.)

While every juice was tasty and fun, I did still go through a crazy caffeine detox day, but after the headache subsided, I felt like a million buckaroos! I was bouncing off the walls with energy. I was clear, alert, energetic and full of life. No amount of espresso in the world could have given me quite that buzz. Even my friendly Whole Foods juicer lady noticed the changes. (Note: I don’t own a juicer, so each day I’d go to Whole Foods, order all my four juices for the next day and was set.)

I’m still trying to figure out why this juicing cleanse worked so much better than the Dr. Oz cleanse I did before. I was a gassy hot mess when I did his. This time around though I felt lovely and full of life. For now, I chalk it up to different expectations. I went into this cleanse knowing it was setting the stage for my month-long alkaline diet. I wasn’t expecting to lose easy pounds. I didn’t do it to look a certain way or get rid of a love handle; I did it to prepare for a positive life change. I expected it to be a good mental-wellness test, and my body approved of the new expectations by allowing me to feel incredible. I swear Jenn and Erin were on to something when they created the FBG motto: When you approach health and fitness with a positive, healthy mentality, good things start to happen!

Now the cleanse is over, and I’ll be eating solid alkaline-happy foods for the next 30 days. I was scared the juicing’s benefits would go away, but the effects of that cleanse are still hanging on. I crave vegetables like nobody’s business, which is great because Emma’s meal plans are full of those delightful foods. There’s no strict “You must eat this, Tish!” rules, just suggestions for meals that consist of whole foods and recipes that involve them. I check my acidity levels every morning with with the PH paper test strips to see where I stand on the acidity scale. In a couple of weeks, I’ll check back in and let you know how I’m doing, but so far so good. I took last week off at the gym to deal with a sinus infection that kept dragging me down, but I’m back to the grind this week. Wish me luck!

Have you heard of the alkaline diet? Ever done a successful cleanse? How did you feel after? Healthy minds want to know! —Tish