Hiya Sweet Friend,
Check out this super informative guest article by Ross Bridgeford from my blog archives. Happy reading—take it away Ross! xo, Kris
As we all know, Kris is a huge fan of the alkaline diet (see here, here and here). In her Top 15 Crazy Sexy Diet Tips, her second most important tip is to “Learn about pH, the acid/alkaline balance, and say goodbye to the standard American diet (SAD), acidic diet in favor of alkaline foods.”
However, I know from experience that this is easier than it sounds. In this little tutorial I want to make the alkaline lifestyle easy to start, implement and stick to. Since 2004 I have made it my mission to make the alkaline lifestyle easy. I’ve learned from experience and trial and error. As with much in life, abundant health is easier than we’ve been led to believe. Remember these core principles:
– Take it slowly, taking baby steps, day-by-day, rather than going full-on from day 1!
– You’re not meant to be perfect. You’re still supposed to enjoy life. Enjoy a day off, have treats, enjoy your favorite foods and socialize. Don’t feel like to be healthy you have to change your personality.
This is meant to fit your lifestyle, not the other way around!
5 Steps to Living Alkaline
1. Hydration
My research has found that around 90 percent of people are chronically dehydrated and this is having a massive impact on their quality of life. It amazes me when people say that they don’t really drink water! How do they get through the day? They must feel so crappy!
Getting properly hydrated will make a huge difference to your health, energy, vitality and immunity. Everything is influenced by the quantity and quality of the water you drink. Aim to filter your water and make it alkaline with a pH between 8 and 9.5.
Hydration Action Steps
- Drink 6-18 cups of water each day. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces.
- Drink lemon water: 2 cups of lukewarm, filtered water with freshly-squeezed juice from 1/4 lemon. It helps cleanse the digestive system, ignite your metabolism and buffer excess acids. Despite the lemons being acidic in their natural form, lemon water is alkaline-forming to the body once consumed.
- Enjoy organic herbal teas such as Rooibos, peppermint and nettle.
2. Go Green!
The alkaline diet is also about alkaline foods. There is conflicting information on the Internet about which foods are alkaline and which are acid-forming. This simple rule covers 90 percent of foods:
Alkaline foods are those you already know are good for you: fresh vegetables, salads, leafy greens, low-sugar fruits, nuts, seeds and healthy oils; unrefined, organic, high-water-content foods.
And acidic foods are those you already know are bad for you: refined foods, fast foods, trans-fats, meat, dairy, sugar, caffeine, white bread, white pasta and rice, condiments, alcohol, chocolate, chips, ice cream and pizza.
Aim for a ratio of 80/20: Consume 80 percent alkaline foods to 20 percent acidic foods.
3. Transition
Take it slowly! Almost everyone who I have ever coached or had contact with who tries to do the alkaline diet 100 percent from day one fails within a week and usually after 24 hours.
The alkaline diet is not restrictive at all, not difficult and is really simple, once you’ve gotten used to it. People who try to be perfect from day one miss the chance to learn, experiment and find meals that work for them and their family. They end up feeling hungry, fed up and restricted.
It is far better to transition and get there slowly, by sticking to it for the long-term rather than being perfect for a day or two and then crashing.
4. Oxygen
By doing a simple breathing exercise once or twice per day you give your body a huge helping hand in removing these acids. Plus it allows you to stop, focus your mind, visualize and relax, which is also nicely alkalizing.
Sit comfortably, close your eyes and follow this simple breathing pattern:
- Breathe in for the count of 2.
- Hold for a count of 8.
- Breathe out for a count of 4.
- Repeat 10 times.
5. Supplements
This is one of the most overwhelming and confusing parts of the alkaline diet for most beginners. There are so many supplements out there, all promising different things and all claiming they are better than the others.
Here are the core supplements I recommend:
Green powder: This is a combination of powdered grasses, fruits, vegetables and sprouts with a focus on wheatgrass and barley grass.
Alkaline water: You can make alkaline water in a number of ways including using a water ionizer, pH drops or adding freshly squeezed lemon.
Alkaline minerals: The primary way that your body buffers acids is through the alkaline minerals: sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium.
Omega oils: Taking an omega 3 supplement or an omega oil blend including omega-3, -6 and -9 is really beneficial. I recommend Udo’s Choice Omega Oil Blend. Udo is a world-leading researcher in omega oils for nutrition and he has made a fantastic product.
The alkaline diet is simple when taken slowly, when you aim for 80/20 rather than perfection and when you still allow yourself treats and fun. Take it easy, have a sense of humor with it and enjoy it.
Keep it simple and if you mess up, don’t beat yourself up! Go for a walk, refocus and just start again! The rest of your life is a long and interesting journey, so enjoy it with the health, energy and vitality that the alkaline lifestyle brings!
Ross Bridgeford is is the founder of Live Energized,, the world’s largest alkaline diet website. After seven years, he’s now known as “The Alkaline Diet Guy’” after writing over 600 articles and 100 videos on living with health, vitality and alkalinity!
Do you recommend a particular brand of green powder?
Thank you so much for this article. So many people think being on an alkaline diet is tough, but as you said, when you take it slow, its really quite easy. I use an alkaline diet to keep MS at bay. After a year on the diet, my MRI was cleaner than the year before. I can’t express how great this diet is. And I love teaching people how to use this diet to heal their bodies. It’s such powerful stuff. Again, thanks for this post.
Susan, I like Amazing Grass’s products myself. Perfect for traveling and staying green.
I drink ice water most of the day and love it! Will adding lemon to ice water be not as beneficial as adding it to lukewarm water? Thank you so much for posting these wonderful tips! I’m so grateful to you, Ross!
The ice will not negatively affect the quality of the lemon in your water. Heat defini definitely will, as heat destroys Vit C and other micronutrients, so lemon in hot tea or hot water is ineffective.
I’m a poor university student, so what is the cheapest and easier way to alkalize my water? Will lemon juice alone be sufficient?
Lemon or Peppermint in water are great for making our water alkaline. You can also use 100% pure therapeutic-grade organic Essential Oil — lemon or peppermint, one to several drops in your vessel of drinking water daily. Much easier to keep around, if having fresh organic lemons always available is challenging for you. Tastes fabulously wonderful. I keep the essential oil bottle right on my water machine so all my singers and visitors can enjoy for themselves as well, and, it is convenient to use if kept right where you get your water!
Alkaline water should NOT be drunk during/just after meals, because you need your appropriate stomach digestive acids/juices for digesting and assimilating your food.
Please explain how adding acidic lemon to water makes it alkaline. Thank You, John Sowinski, Pharmacist
The lemon itself is acidic but when its metabolised and the minerals are disassociated, what its broken down into has an alkalising effect.
A great way to see how lemon alkalines is to dissolve a couple of drops of betadine in some water and then add a few drops of lemon juice it’s pretty cool.
Great post. I’ve been on the CSD for a few months now. I was recently diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and am trying to see what works best to bring down inflammation, reduce pain and increase overall health. Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming (especially with a 3-year-old and 10-month-old) so thank you for making the alkaline diet seem more accessible.
Your website is fantastic! I plan on spending some time there.
Hi,
I have ankylosing spondylitis also…I had my first big attack aged 32 when I had 4 little children…it took ages to get diagnosed and even longer to improve…I drank carrot juice everyday and slowly came right, then no more attacks for 22 years. Last time I discovered a book by Carol SInclair called the IBS Low starch Diet and this is the regime I follow now and keep well, unless I eat something silly. There is a webiste in the UK called http://www.as-assist.org.uk which is helpful. I found reducing/eliminating starch and cutting out rubbish like fizzy drinks etc fixes me.
All the BEST. Heather
I have been diagnosed with the same but along with Psoriatic Arthritis & Fibromyalgia ?
The pain is real but I’m Not giving up on being well and healthy again! I’m just now learning about foods that cause flare-ups and inflammation so I’m trying to stay away from fried foods, ALL WHITES, and sweets but now thinking Alkaline is the way to go. Thanks for the wonderful article. How else can I follow you (website, Facebook, etc?)
I also like Amazing Grass–it’s one of the more affordable green powders I’ve ran across.
Always providing such helpful information. I used to be really good at drinking water and then I started a water decline. Time to jump back on the wagon.
Amazing Grass!!!
Thanks for the article – I’ve noticed that the alkaline/acid forming advice for specific foods varies from site to site and the rule of thumb is very helpful.
Thanks so much for this “Done for You” post on taking steps to making your diet more alkaline. I’m going to start by getting myself another glass of water right now! Thanks again for all the clear and do-able suggestions!
What are some examples of low sugar fruits?
Hey guys – wow, thanks so much for the lovely responses! It’s awesome!
I’ll try to address a few of your questions here:
Joyce Z – the best, alkaline salad dressing is a mix of olive oil (or hemp oil, avocado oil) with fresh lemon juice squeezed in. Just keep adding both a bit at a time until you get the taste you like! Rice vinegar is pretty acidic and apple cider vinegar, though having some healthful properties, is fermented, making it acid forming too…
Ali – the best low sugar fruits are, pomegranate, lemon, limes, grapefruit, avocado, tomato and at a push watermelon 🙂
Kim D – thanks so much! It’s been 7 years in the making!
Emily – I’ve just made a whole (free of course) video series on alkaline water, hopefully Kris and the editors don’t mind me linking to useful bits on my site – ‘cos here it is!
Mollie – the water being icy won’t affect the lemon, but icy water is harder for your body to digest and work with, as is very hot water – which is why I (and most others) recommend lukewarm water. Try to have a bit of both 🙂
Thanks again everyone – really appreciate your comments, and thanks to Kris and the team for letting me post my knowledge here!
Ross
I am sold on the alkalinei dea and so eat a LOT of salad. My question is how can I make a great salad dressing that does not toss a bunch of harmful acidity on my salad. Any one have a good recipe? Something I can make and keep in the fridge for weeks? How bad is rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar?
Thanks!
Super love her book. To Ms. Zygelman, I bought a diffuser, looks like a carafe with a lever you pull up and down. I pour in some evoo, lemon from my tree, crushed, raw garlic glove (big fat juicy one), sea salt, pepper and sometimes a chili from my garden for some heat. I let it sit for a bit, 20 minutes and then pour on salad. I leave the gook at the bottom and use it for the next salad…tastes better once the garlic has soaked up all the yumminess. I bought Raw Food Made Easy by Jennifer Cornbleet for some super easy recipes, including dressings. They rock and take literally a minute to make and last a few days. Creamy cucumber dressing, red bell pepper dressing, creamy tomato dressing, etc. Yuuuuummmo. Been off the SAD almost four weeks now. I have no heartburn, I have energy in abundance and I’m just happy. Thanks Ms. Kris, you’re a super star.
I really like the oxygen and hydration parts of this–I do deep breathing and yoga daily and drink lemon water to clear any congestion through the day. I also LOVE greens!
Hi Kris, you made me realized that alkaline diet is more easier than other types of diet. I consumed green foods and went to yoga daily. But in this post I learned something new. I will get back to your blog from time to time. Thank you and keep posting more tips.
Your comments on hydration were right on the money – we are so used to drinking something sweet or something hot that it’s easy to forget plain old water and how utterly vital it is to our health.
Very nice!
My husband had cancer about a year and a half ago. Since being diagnosed we have dramatically turned out diet/way of life around. We follow an alkaline way of life. My husband has been cancer free for over a year now! He drink alkaline water (water with baking soda) and take barley supplements, green tea supps and other supplements. We also eat a vegan diet and try to eat tons of greens. My husband went from being a Pepsi chugging, junk-food junky to a guy who sits down to a bowl of raw brocolli for a snack!!! Amazing! I am so proud of him! 🙂 This a great article, I will give it to all my friends who want to know what the heck it means to be alkaline. 😉