Acidic versus Alkaline

Your metabolism converts food into energy and the waste (ash) produced during this process can be alkaline, neutral, or acidic. This ash affects the pH of your body. pH value range from 0–14:

• Acidic: 0.0–6.9
• Neutral: 7.0
• Alkaline (or basic): 7.1–14.0

The pH of a healthy human body ranges between 7.35 and 7.45, with the average at 7.40. A pH at this level is ideal for many bodily functions, including blood oxygenation.

Our lungs and kidneys help regulate our blood pH. Our lungs (which are affected by grief) regulate blood pH by exhaling carbon dioxide. As we store grief in our lungs, we often breathe less and become more acidic. Our kidneys (which are affected by fear) regulate blood pH by excreting acids through our urine. As we store fear in our kidneys, we often “hold on” and “freeze” thereby restricting the releasing of acids.

Factors That Affect Body pH

Factors that can affect our body pH include diet and stress.

Diet: If we eat foods that leave acidic ash, it makes our blood more acidic. If we eat foods that leave alkaline ash, it makes our blood more alkaline. Our North American diet tends to make use more acidic.

Stress: As we experience stress, fear and grief affect our lungs and kidneys and our bodies become more acidic. In general, our bodies are more acidic than what is ideal.

How to Make Your Body More Alkaline

For better health, it’s time to make your body more alkaline (I encourage you to have your urine pH or blood pH measured so you have a point of reference).

Tune in to your inner guidance and see which of the suggestions below are accurate for you. You can learn how to tune in to your inner guidance (communicate with your Divine Mind) in a number of ways:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/-TbzJ_idD2Q (please subscribe, and then “like” the video)
• Free online class “Inner Guidance Communication Meditation“
• Private session with me, Monica Levin, which can be scheduled here

Meditate to Make Your Body More Alkaline

Stress is the body’s reaction to emotions, such as fear and grief, and it makes our pH lower (become more acidic). It is important to de-stress and a great way to do so is to meditate. Here are some questions to ask your Divine Mind:

• “Do you tell me to meditate?”
• “How many times a day do you tell me to meditate?”
• “Do you tell me to follow along with Monica’s meditation?”

Monica’s Meditation:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/-TbzJ_idD2Q (please subscribe, and then “like” the video)
• Free online class “Inner Guidance Communication Meditation“
• Audio file available in the store
• Private session with me, Monica Levin, which can be scheduled here

Change Your Diet to Make Your Body More Alkaline

If you eat foods that leave acidic ash, it makes your blood more acidic. If you eat foods that leave alkaline ash, it makes your blood more alkaline. After more than 20 years of testing people for food intolerances, I created a list of foods that tend to make our bodies more acidic.

Tune in to your Divine Mind and ask “do you tell me to stop eating … ?”

• milk and milk products
• caffeine
• coffee (including decaffeinated)
• corn and corn products
• wheat and wheat products
• oranges
• pineapple
• potatoes
• tomatoes

If you’d like some help creating your custom diet:

• Schedule an appointment with me, Holistic Nutritionist Monica Levin
• Take my online, on-demand course Self-Care and Health Renewal

More Ways to Make Your Body More Alkaline

Here are more ways to reduce stress on your body and to make your body more alkaline. Ask your Divine Mind these questions:

• “Do you tell me to drink more water?”
• “Do you tell me to spend more time in nature?”
• “Do you tell me to exercise more/less?”
• “Do you tell me to avoid eating at restaurants?”
• “Do you tell me to add vegetable juices to my diet?”
• “Do you tell me to drink 1 tsp of baking soda in a glass of water?”
• “Do you tell me to take the supplement called kudzu?”
• “Do you tell me to sleep more?”
• “Do you tell me to stop and take five deep breaths several times a day?”
• “Do you tell me to do something that’s not listed on this page?”
• “Do you tell me to make an appointment with Monica?”

The post Make Your Body More Alkaline appeared first on Monica Levin, Holistic Health Coach.

This recent study found that berries and walnuts trigger one of the brain’s mechanisms that clears out and recycles toxic proteins that are connected to memory loss and other symptoms of mental decline.

How Nuts and Berries Help the Brain

These renegade proteins that accumulate in the brain add to cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. Antioxidants, which are present in berries and in fresh raw nuts, help clean up the proteins, which improves nerve function and help protect the body against heart disease, degenerative brain conditions, cancer, and other diseases.

What Are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that help to protect the body from free radicals. Free radicals are atoms, or groups of atoms, which can damage cells and lower the immune system, leading to infections and degenerative diseases. Free radicals may be formed by exposure to radiation, toxic chemicals (food additives, rancid oils, cigarette smoke, pollution), and the sun, as well as by metabolic processes. Antioxidants include (but are not limited to) vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, melatonin, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, cysteine, glutathione, zinc, superoxide dismutase, methionine reductase, catalase, pycnogenol, resveratrol, grape seed extract, and components present in ginko biloba and green tea.

Science and Antioxidants

Shibu Poulose, with the U. S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston, reported “The good news is that natural compounds called polyphenols found in fruits, vegetables and nuts have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that may protect against age-associated decline. ”

Studies showed that laboratory rats that consumed a diet consisting of 2% high-antioxidant blueberry, strawberry or blackberry extracts for two months showed an increase in learning capacity, memory, and nerve function.

Poulose stated in his report, “In aging, microglia (the cells responsible for brain maintenance) fail to do their work, and debris builds up. ” He went on to state that, “In addition, the microglia become over-activated and actually being to damage healthy cells in the brain. Our research suggests that the polyphenols in berries have a rescuing effect. They seem to restore the normal housekeeping function. ”

Add These Foods to Your Diet

Fruits and vegetables that exhibit deep, strong colors and pigments such as blue, red and orange contain the most antioxidants. Experts recommend eating a broad range of various colored vegetables and fruits and fresh raw nuts such as walnuts to get a wide assortment of antioxidants. In off seasons turn to foods such as frozen berries, which are available year round and an excellent sources of brain boosting antioxidants.

Which Foods are Best for You?

You can determine which foods are best for you by asking your Divine Mind! Learn how to communicate with your Divine mind:

• Take my online, on-demand class Self-Care and Health Renewal
• Read my book The Body-Soul Bridge
• Schedule an appointment with me, holistic nutritionist and food intolerance expert, Monica Levin.

The post Nuts and Berries for Your Brain appeared first on Monica Levin, Holistic Health Coach.

1. Food Allergies Slow Metabolism

Allergic foods slow down your metabolism because they block the absorption of nutrients and because they affect your thyroid. They will block the absorption of nutrients, including essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids increase your metabolism so blocking their absorption will decrease (or slow) your metabolism and your body will then be more likely to store fat. Food allergies can also make your thyroid malfunction and then you will gain weight.

2. Food Allergies and Hormones

Allergic foods can increase hormones that cause weight gain. These hormones include insulin, cortisol, and eicosanoids. If food allergies cause your body to create more insulin then your body will store more fat. If food allergies cause your body to produce less insulin then you will feel hungrier and want to eat more. Food allergies (and stress) can increase the amount of cortisol that your body produces. As cortisol levels increase, the levels of fat-burning enzymes decrease, causing weight gain. Food allergies can increase the production of eicosanoids, which inhibit the burning of adipose tissue and ultimately cause weight gain.

3. Food Allergies and Cravings

Allergic foods can create hypoglycemia which, in turn, creates food cravings and weight gain.

4. Food Allergies and Symptoms of Disease

Allergic foods make you feel sick and tired. They can cause asthma, earaches, leg pains, ADD, ADHD, stomach aches, canker sores, diarrhea, headaches, moodiness, constipation, frequent colds, insomnia, food cravings, fibromyalgia, eczema, dermatitis, colitis, ulcerative colitis, colic, diverticulitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, arthritis, chronic colds, sinusitis, psoriasis, dry skin, PMS, menstrual cramps, eating disorders, chronic pain, arthritis, chronic ear infections, acne, diabetes, and more! When you have any of these symptoms you just don’t have the energy or motivation to do what you need to do to lose weight.

Food Allergies for Weight Loss and Weight Gain

Now that you are more aware of how your body’s metabolism is negatively affected by your food allergies the solution is simple: get tested for food intolerances by Monica Levin and stop eating your allergic foods! Okay, I said the solution is simple but I never said that the solution is easy.

Weight Loss Success

To succeed at losing weight you must:

• identify your food sensitivities
• eliminate your food intolerances from your diet
• make your health your priority by making time to shop for allergy-free food and prepare allergy-free food.

What Are Your Food Allergies?

Make an appointment with food intolerance expert Monica Levin to determine which foods your body doesn’t want!

The post Food Allergies and Your Metabolism appeared first on Monica Levin, Holistic Health Coach.

• all of a sudden noticed that there is no food on your plate and cannot remember having eaten it?
• automatically eaten snacks at a party (potato chips, corn chips, pretzels, etc.) without noticing how much you have eaten?
• eaten food when you are with friends, even if you are not hungry?
• drank beverages or eaten food to be social (or to escape) and not for thirst or hunger?
• eaten everything on your plate even though you were full after half the food?
• shown your love by making someone a meal?
• felt more loved when someone made you a meal?
• forced yourself to eat a particular food because it is “supposed” to be good for you?
• had food cravings and ate the food (i.e. eaten only for the pleasure of it)?

Most people eat unconsciously, meaning that they eat without examining their thought processes around food, and they eat without paying attention to their food.

People eat to:

• escape their problems
• celebrate
• have something to do
• get approval and love
• feel like they belong

This is loosely called “emotional eating.” It’s time to move toward conscious eating so that you can experience optimal health!

Conscious Eating and How to Avoid Emotional Eating

There was a three month stretch of time in which the only thing I could eat was apples and raw almonds (don’t worry, it’s very unlikely that this would every happen happen to you). It was during this time period that I realized how much I was using food for socializing, to get approval and love, to fill a void, and to belong. I certainly learned a lot about myself!

If you want to participate in conscious eating and move away from emotional eating, it’s important to find alternative ways to deal with situations and emotions. Indulge in other things that bring about a sense of fulfillment, community, and belonging. You can enjoy music, dancing, nature, gardening, sports, conversation, board games, cards, reading, art, museums, meditation, massage, sex (especially with someone you love, including you), drumming, Frisbee, etc.

Eat When You Are Hungry

When you are participating in conscious eating, intend to nourish your body so that it can maintain health:

• get tested for food allergies by Monica Levin and eat only non-reactive foods
• eat when you are hungry
• do not eat when you are not hungry
• drink water when you are thirsty
• notice whether you are hungry or thirsty
• pay attention to the food you eat, taste it, savor it, and enjoy it
• avoid eating while distracted by conversation, television, or music
• feel appreciation for the food that you eat

Be the powerful creator of your reality and claim your power back from food! Participate in Conscious Eating.

The post Conscious Eating appeared first on Monica Levin, Holistic Health Coach.