too acidic?

             Our body chemistry is healthiest at a pH of about 7.3, so slightly alkaline.  If it becomes too acidic we become ill (when my daughter was diagnosed with Diabetes 1 last year her body pH was at 6.8).   Overacidification makes us prone to cancer (tumors feed on sugar), diabetes, heart disease and all inflammatory conditions (overacidification causes inflammation).

            The mainstream Western diet is too high in acidifying and too low in alkalizing foods and it's easy to become imbalanced.  So let food be thy medicine to stay healthy or heal yourself - low tech, low cost.   Food comes in all colors of the pH spectrum - it is simply a matter of awareness in order to eat more of the beneficial ones.  In broad strokes the foods that acidify the body chemistry are sugar (as a culture we are literally addicted to sugar and meat!), meat (the redder the more acidifying) and refined carbs (as they transform immediately into sugar).  Ha - you'll say.  Exactly. 

               The foods that alkalize our body chemistry are most fruits and vegetables (not potatoes, and not bananas as they are both highly starchy - starch also turns immediately into sugar).  The most alkalizing vegetables are all the greens.  Since we thrive with a slightly alkaline chemistry we need to not only balance acidifying and alkalizing foods, but eat slightly more alkalizing than acidifying foods - hence the recent push for a more plant based diet.  Of course each person is unique and you need to test for yourself which foods work better for you and which don't.  Some people are better with breads and cheeses, others not so much.  Some people are ok with reasonable amounts of pastured meats, others less so.  Your digestive system and constitution are unique, and also tied to your geocultural and genetic heritage.

            The main message is to increase the amount of vegetables (you heard that one before), especially the greenies, cut out the sugar (no news, really), and drastically reduce your meat (go meatless every few days, switch to fish, do poultry instead of red or pork) and refined carb intake (less bread, pizza, pasta, waffles, bagels, and baked goods).  Instead, increase the amounts of healthy fats, nuts and legumes in your diet to meet your long-term energy needs (sugar is a false energy booster without nutritional value).

            See here earlier posts on the gluten-free craze, and the paleo diet, as well as links to food pH charts, and here that are very helpful.  Is your body chemistry balanced?

super sea vegetables

             A bunch of sea vegetables a day keeps the doctor away, or something like that.  Our soils, even organic, are depleted, and eating all the fruit and vegetables in the world isn't going to give us all the minerals, trace elements and vitamins our bodies need to thrive and continually repair themselves - a measure of true health.  Sea vegetables to the rescue.  They are a highly alkaline food that improves the immune system, is anti-inflammatory, and is 10 to 20 times higher in minerals than land vegetables.  Whether kelp, nori, dulce, wakame, or various others, sea vegetables are packed with minerals, trace elements and iodine - very important.  Sprinkle them on salads or avocado, take them as supplements, cook a piece of kombu with your beans or make a broth base from a foot long piece (for miso soup for example), munch on a toasted nori sheet for snack, or eat seaweed salad.  I simply eat a teaspoon of dulse flakes each day to get my iodine and minerals.

              And then there are the sea algae superstars chlorella and spirulina.  Chlorella is basically pure chlorophyll, which rids the body of environmental toxins and helps with cell repair, meaning it heals you.  I take 5gr of chlorella a day, a good maintenance dosage (2.5-5gr/day is recommended for maintenance, 10gr/day is a healing dosage).  Spirulina is pure plant protein, much easier to absorb than animal protein, and a potent antioxidant (that means it prevents all sorts of nasty things and heals in higher dosages).  One a side note, the one thing to watch currently is residual radiation in the Pacific Ocean from the Fukujima nuclear accident.  I have not purchased Japanese nori and stick with Atlantic grown sea vegetables for now.   Also revisit an earlier post on the color of life.

what's your food worth it to you?

             One of the main issues in the organics versus conventional food conversation is that it's not cheap.  But consider that Americans spend less than 10% of their income on food (outside and at home combined), down from about 18% in 1960.  Moreover, Americans spend on average less on food than 83 other countries worldwide. 

            You wouldn't argue that a simple plastic or canvas handbag would cost a lot less than a well made leather bag.  It goes without saying that the leather bag will last for many years while the canvas or plastic bag will tear and deteriorate much faster.   Quality materials and craftsmanship cost more because we obviously value them higher.  Translate that into food and who would argue that food grown on a small farm without toxic pesticides and chemical fertilizer should cost more?   It is natural that an artisanal cheese from a small farm made in small batches costs a lot more per pound than a factory made cheddar cheese made on an assembly line in huge quantities.

            How you spend your money is a question of values and priorities.  To me nothing is more important than what I put into my body.    My life depends on it.

what's it all about?

         What are some of the things you really enjoy in life?   Do you get enough of those moments?  Are you doing anything to get more of those moments?  What could you do to experience more of those moments?  Do you think you deserve more of those moments?  Would you like to live more of those moments?  What prevents you from having more of them?  Imagine what it would be like to have a life full of beautiful moments.  Go for it.

radical tidying

            Marie Kondo's only criterion for keeping anything is whether "the item sparks joy."  Her method for uncluttering your home (and your life) has become internationally known through her book "the life-changing magic of tidying up." Kondo's approach to tidying your home promises a whole new mindset once you have gone through her radical process of ridding yourself of everything that doesn't make you feel good.  And organizing, she makes clear, cannot start until you have gotten rid of all that excess stuff.  She also promises no relapses because your mind will have shifted during this radical process.

            Take your wardrobe for example.  You probably have a bunch of items in the back of your closet you haven't worn in years but keep around because you might just sometime feel like wearing them again.  Or maybe you feel guilty about getting rid of them because you think that's wasteful (well, think consignment store).  But if you do take the time to take each piece into your hands and reflect on whether this piece of clothing makes you feel good when you wear it (Kondo's method), and the answer is a resounding "nahhh, not really," you know what to do.  Get rid of it.  Same advice goes for your books, nicknacks, pantry and everything else in your house.

            I think it's worth a try.  Although my home is not cluttered I know I keep things around that wouldn't pass muster if I asked myself that test question.  Kondo's idea behind all of this radical purging is to only surround yourself with things you love and to clear stuck and stale energy in the process, inside and out.  See this previous post on clutter inside/clutter outside.

getting out of your groove

           It's easy to get into a groove, into routines that are comfortable but perhaps no longer serve a purpose, trotting along on autopilot.  Multilingual people and those who keep up intellectual work throughout their later years are less likely to get dementia or Alzheimers, as has been shown. Our mind operates like an old fashioned record player that digs deeper and deeper grooves into an old vinyl record.  Thus, over time it becomes more difficult to change routines, see things afresh, learn new stuff, and remain flexible as a reed in the wind.

            Once aware of this we can remind ourselves to change around how we do routine things, which helps the brain to build new synapses and remain adaptable.  When I set the dinner table I often deliberately switch around the sequence and direction in which I place the table settings, starting at a different chair, or beginning with glasses instead of plates.  Or I'll take a different route going shopping, left around the mountain instead of right around the mountain.    Other ideas might be to change the sequence in which you brush your teeth, using your left hand for a change, wearing a color you otherwise would not, or taking the day off to celebrate just because.  Any other ideas?

holistic healing

                 About two months ago we were surprised to find a nickel size open wound on our cat's upper neck.  It looked raw and nasty.  We remembered that we had felt small scabs in that spot earlier.  The holistic vet said to put some coconut oil on the wound for a few days and see.  It didn't improve, so I took the cat to the regular vet.  He prescribed an antibiotic, a cat collar and antibiotic ointment.  The cat collar was a disaster for our poor cat; she hit herself everywhere, couldn't reach her bowl and eat properly and became dejected after two days.   The collar came off, and the holistic vet paid a house visit for laser treatments on the wound, reiki and acupuncture.  The wound was still the same, but our cat ate well again and became her usual self, although she diligently kept scratching the wound open and licked off the antibiotic ointment as best as she could.   

               I am no longer impressed by the Western healing model.  It is useful, and even lifesaving in many instances, but powerless in many others.  Often therefore, either a combination of Western and alternative methods, or an alternative approach altogether, work better. But finding the appropriate treatment method can be like navigating a dark hallway at night and tapping the wall to try to locate the light switch.

            I decided it was time to speak to the cat directly to get her take on the situation - unlike humans, animals are amazingly aware of their own condition.  We contacted our local animal whisperer, whose help we had previously enlisted (see earlier blog post).  It seems that the broad spectrum antibiotic did not eradicate the particular bacterium that lodged under the cat's skin after a simple scratch wound and affected her nerves.  This made the wound feel deeply itchy and hot.  The cat communicator recommended mixing three homeopathic remedies, one in particular for nerve damage, in water and dripping a drop several times daily on the wound.  The results were still not convincing because our poor cat still scratched when the cold water drop hit the wound, and after another two weeks I heeded our holistic vet's further recommendation to try Noni lotion, made from the Hawaiian Noni fruit, which is antibacterial, full of healing antioxidants, and inoffensive when licked and ingested.  Finally, success!   It has been a long and very winding road, but the wound is almost healed.  In the end we will never know what caused the turnaround, whether any one remedy did the job, a combination of several, and whether our persistent intent played a role.

sloooooow yoga

           Slow anything is beneficial as an antidote to our fast paced lives, whether Slow Food, Slow Yoga, or Slow Something Else.  Slowing an activity delves deeper because there is more time to be attentive and reflective and experience what you are doing more deeply.  I go to both Slow/Gentle  Yoga and Yin Yoga classes and they are wildly different from the yang oriented vinyasa, power yoga or hot yoga practices that are currently so popular as an extension of the frenetic gym culture.   In Yin Yoga, which is floor based, poses  are held for longer periods of time, usually 3-5 minutes, and up to 10 minutes.  The connective tissues have time to relax and stretch, encouraging energy flow and releasing blockages.  Slow or Gentle Yoga, as its name indicates, takes it slowly and gently, and can be compared to a moving meditation.  Breath is important in this practice.  Both are calming and I usually come back feeling like I've had a spa session.  Also check out this comprehensive beginner's guide to Yin Yoga.

            You can slow any activity to experience a different spin on things.  Try Slow Cooking, Slow Eating, Slow Teeth Brushing, Slow Showering, Slow Reading. 

it's all about the pleasure

         Guilty pleasure is an uncomfortable term and particular to this country.  I didn't grow up with the notion of "guilty pleasure." But here many people feel guilty about indulging because it is perceived as unvirtuous.  This kind of belief goes back to this country's puritanical roots and makes for a twisted relationship with food.  The result is that many feel guilty about fat (bad bad butter, bad bad whipped cream), about dessert, about chocolate.  From it came the further belief that what we enjoy tastes good, but must be forbidden and bad, and what's good and healthy must taste bad (or else it couldn't possibly be good for you).

            Hence the French Paradox.  For the longest time Americans couldn't understand that French people eat fat (butter, triple crème brie or crème fraîche), but are not necessarily fat.  Of course it's not about excess and gluttony but about quality over quantity ( a great little read on the subject is Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat).  Maybe the recent revelations that we actually need fat in our diet and that chocolate releases endorphins will help to turn the tables for our enjoyment.

            All that pseudo virtuousness is not healthy for the mind.  In a recent NY Times interview famed French chef Eric Ripert said about food and eating: "I do not understand the idea of guilty pleasure.  It's all about pleasure."  Live a little - it's better for your mind, it's better for your body.

spring cleaning

             Spring cleaning is not only a good idea for your house.  By all means, wipe off those spider webs, clear out your closets, wash your windows, and get rid of stuff you no longer need.  But spring cleaning is also good for body and mind. 

            To help your body transition into spring you may choose to do a juice cleanse for a day or two this time of year.  Lemon water with a bit of maple syrup, or vegetable juices are recommended, in addition to lots of water and herbal teas.  I am just getting over a cold, and those happen more in the spring and fall as the body's way to clean itself out, although I can't say that that cold was by design.

            And finally, after house and body, the mind needs dusting as well.  Yesterday we did a helpful meditation in yoga whereby you observe your thoughts (those that keep popping up when you try to meditate) and tag them to try to find a pattern and then amend it over time.  Categories might be "judgment," "feeling," negative belief," "positive observation," or perhaps "planning."  Most of my thoughts were of the last category, meaning I kept being pulled into planning and anticipation mode about future events.  On the other hand I was happy to discover that no negative thoughts kept floating by.  The message I got from the meditation was "be in the here and now."  What message will you get?