The road to better health begins with eating the right foods.  The saying "You are what you eat " is not just a fable -- the truth is America simply cannot continue to live on "fast food", ready-made meals, sodas, and pizza and expect to be healthy. 

A true story of a sick man's last words:  After years of sickness and following the advise of modern medicine and enduring countless medical treatments without getting better he eventually turned to a natural health doctor for help.  After completing some simple tests, the natural practitioner asked the man "sir, what do you eat each day?".  The practitioner knew right away this man very was extremely ill and wanted to know what brought him to his current state of ill health.  The man replied "nobody has asked me that before...what does that have to do with it?"  The practitioner asked again "sir, what do you eat?".  The man's wife spoke up and said "cheesecake!  ...he eats cheesecake every day and he won't eat anything healthy that I cook for him".  After the practitioner told the man he needed to eat vegetables so his body could alkalize and get essential nutrients he said "I can't stand the taste of vegetables".  After telling the sick man he must stop eating cheesecake every day and start eating healthy he got very angry.  He yelled "MY CHEESECAKE!, nobody is taking away MY CHEESECAKE".  His wife was pleading for him to listen to the practitioner but he was severely addicted to sugar and he wasn't going to let it go without a fight.  The man began to weep and sob.  The practitioner put an arm around him to consol him. The best the practitioner could do was to convince him to eat some better quality foods along with his cheesecake everyday, but he refused to give up his addiction to sugar.  He died a few months later.

8 Steps to Better Health

Step 1) Eliminate Sugar : Eating refined sugar weakens the immune system and feeds candida overgrowth, harmful bacteria and parasites. All non-diet pops have about 8 teaspoons per can. Avoid most natural sweeteners (Equal or Nutrasweet (Aspartame) except Xylitol.  Avoid coffee, sodas, fruit juice, and alcohol.  Anything sweetened with corn syrup, fructose, processed honey, sucrose, dextrose, or molasses.

Step 2) Balance Your Ph: What does that mean?  Ph is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution.  The lower the pH number, the more acidic the solution is.  The higher a pH number, the more alkaline the solution. A Ph of 7.0 is neutral meaning its neither acid nor alkaline.  An imbalanced Ph can affect every body system. By far the most common experience people have with an imbalanced Ph is indigestion or heartburn but the principle goes much farther than that. A Ph imbalance or "Acidosis" is often linked to:

• Hormonal imbalances (acne, menstrual irregularities, mood swings)
• Structural system weakness (joint pain, brittle bones, hip fractures)
• Stressed liver function
• Cardiovascular weakness
• Weight gain/loss
• Bladder and kidney concerns
• Immune deficiency
• Low energy /fatigue
• Indigestion and constipation
• Yeast/fungal overgrowth

An ideal Ph for the saliva is 6.5-6.8, and the urine pH will fluctuate between 6.0 and 7.0 throughout the day. Maintaining a perfect pH can be difficult given the typical western diet. Fortunately, the body has three primary systems for maintaining ideal pH:  the respiratory system, the urinary system and the gastrointestinal system, including the liver and pancreas. The Ph of blood is 7.0 perfectly neutral --if it ever falls out of that range death will occur. The body will use its mineral storage supplies to keep the blood Ph balanced. Minerals like calcium and magnesium buffer acidity, but the long term effects can prove disastrous.  Over-acid conditions create a mineral deficiencies and nutrient depletion. You can check your own urine Ph by using Ph test strips for a few pennies a day. Urine testing may indicate how well your body is excreting acids and assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.  For example, certain essential minerals from foods will not absorb in the body if the Ph not is almost perfect.  There are many examples of the effects of an unbalanced Ph on the body.  One of those minerals in which Ph is critical is iodine.  Iodine has an important role in thyroid function.  The thyroid gland regulates metabolism...and metabolism is a problem when one third of Americans suffer from obesity.

Moreover, according to a study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jan. 2001, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 118) from the University of California.  Post-menopausal women who have high acidity levels from a diet rich in animal foods are at greater risk for lower bone density levels than those who have “normal” pH levels.  The researchers who carried out this study hypothesized that many of the hip fractures prevalent among older women correlated to higher acidity from a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables.  The body apparently borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH, and this calcium borrowing may result in a decrease in bone density.

How to balance your Ph?
--Digestive Enzymes are essential.
--Magnesium is the first mineral depleted for excess acid but its sobering to think that this mineral also regulates hundreds of biochemical bodily processes including heart function. Take 2 Magnesium Complex with each meal, which provides highly absorbable magnesium to help build necessary buffers.
--If your urine is 5.8-7.2, take Skeletal Strength Calcium and Magnesium supplement to support healthy bones and increase mineral buffers.

3) Eat eggs:  That's right, I said it:  Eggs are an essential protein that does not raise cholesterol.  This is according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (Vol. 75, No. 6, 1084-1092, June 2002.) In fact, you can eat one dozen eggs per week, as they will not cause your cholesterol to increase. Scientists have shown that infants who eat the adult equivalent of 40 eggs per week don't have problems. Organic eggs are rich in Omega-3. Eggs contain DHA and EPA, which are essential for brain and nerve function. Organic eggs contain a 1:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio, while commercial eggs contain a 19:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of body tissues. They are also the major components of our immune system and hormones. Proteins are made up of amino acids -- 22 of which are considered essential. The body can make 14 of these amino acids, but the other eight, known as essential amino acids, must be obtained from the diet. 

4) Consider an omega-3 supplement since its difficult to get the essential fats that you need without supplementation.  In my opinion, omega-3 is the most needed supplement in America today. Omega-3 deficiencies are linked to problems with mental acuity, fatigue, depression, weight gain, allergies, arthritis, sleep quality, memory and concentration difficulties, and dry hair or skin.

5) Limit carbs: The body prefers the carbohydrates in vegetables rather than grains (pasta) because it slows the conversion to simple sugars and decreases your insulin level. Grain carbohydrates will increase your insulin levels and interfere with the ability to burn fat. Avoid: breads, pasta, cereal, bagels, french fries, chips, pretzels, waffles, pancakes, baked goods.

6) Limit dairy products: Especially if you have allergies dairy products are not good for you health.  They increase mucus, promote inflammation, and raise cholesterol. You might be wondering what will happen to your bones and teeth if you stop drinking milk. The majority of the world's population takes in much less calcium than the typical American and yet they have strong bones and teeth.  In fact, Asian cultures rarely ever drink cow's milk. Cows' milk is rich in phosphorous which combines with calcium -- and can prevent you from absorbing the calcium in milk. Milk protein also accelerates calcium excretion from the blood through the kidneys. You can get all the calcium you need from eating dark green vegetables.  For example, broccoli is 5 times richer in calcium per ounce than milk.

7) Be a Vegetable Freak:  Its best to eat only organic vegetables.  Non-organic veggies have the danger of pesticides and nowhere near the vitamin content that organic vegetables contain. Consider buying a juicer to really pump up you vegetable intake. The best vegetables are :turnips, spinach, endive, zucchini, asparagus, escarole, avocado, cabbage, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts,  romaine lettuce, cauliflower, celery, onions, parsley, peppers, chives, tomatoes, collard greens.  Avoid: carrots (due to its very high sugar content) and potatoes (converts to a simple sugar in the body just like pasta).

8) Good water is absolutely essential:  Water circulates oxygen and aids in removal of toxins and cellular waste. The best form of water is reverse osmosis purified water.  Avoid distilled water.  Gradually increase your water intake toward the goal of drinking 1 quart of pure water per 50 pounds of body weight.