Natural Health – Your Morning Beverage
What’s your morning beverage? Coffee, tea, water, juice, warm broth, kefir, or heaven forbid – diet soda?
Just how important is the first thing we ingest in the morning?
What we take in our bodies in the morning, or whenever it is that we arise, sets the tone for the entire day. It’s always important to break a fast (breakfast) with something that will be nourishing and not shocking to the system. Our first beverage helps create the pH balance of the body, otherwise known as the acid-base balance (we want to be in a more alkaline state) but also it affects the microbial terrain, or flora, of the gastro-intestinal system. Both of these factors have a big impact on our mental clarity, mood, our immune system and our current state of health.
More people than not have problems with an imbalanced ecology in the gastrointestinal tract. You probably do too if you have any of the following (and it is most likely candida overgrowth – aka yeast overgrowth):
Poor Memory, Bad Breath, Recurrent sinus problems, Adrenal/Thyroidproblems, Hyperactivity (especially in kids), Frequent Colds & Flu, Gas/Bloating, Irritability, Mood Swings, Indigestion, Lethargic/Laziness, Ulcers, Insomnia, Chemical Sensitivity, Constipation, Feeling anti-social, Endometriosis, Diarrhea, Puffy Eyes, Vaginal Yeast, Colitis, Respiratory Problems, PMS and Menstrual Problems, Hormone Imbalance, No Sex Drive, Skin disorders like psoriasis and eczema, and rashes and hives, Other Allergies, Diabetes, Frequent ear aches, Low Blood Sugar, Fatigue (Chronic), Cystitis, Food Cravings, Epstein Bar Virus, Burning Eyes, Heartburn, Thrush/Gum/Mouth problems, Hiatal Hernia, Asthma, Intestinal Pain, Dry Mouth, Hemorrhoids, Finger/Toenail Fungus, Headaches, Over and Under Weight, Over-all Bad Feeling with Depression, Lupus.
What we drink/eat the first thing in the morning should be something that is alive. It should have the ability to line and populate our gut with good bacteria, or good flora. It’s the good bacteria that keeps the overgrowth of other microbes – such as candida – in check.
What would that be?
-Kefir (like a liquid yogurt bought in Whole Foods and other health food stores)
-Yogurt – preferably plain
-Acidophilus Tablets (Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bifidus) with water
-Juice from cultured vegetables: culturedvegetables.com
-Coconut water from young coconuts
-Coconut Kefir
Why alkalinize? We want to create an alkaline environment in our body for several reasons. Being alkaline can prevent or help treat many degenerative conditions such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, kidney stones and gall stones. Cancer cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Many pathogenic organisms cannot exist in an alkaline environment. Acid conditions lead to degenerative diseases, especially arthritis and kidney/gallstones.
What creates an acidic environment? Coffee, tea, sodas, meats, desserts, sugars, chemicals, medications, thoughts – and how about stress? Just thinking stress-filled thoughts can increase acidity levels in the body.
These acid levels are not just about the acid in the stomach. The entire body has varying levels of pH. The body works hard at maintaining a blood pH of 7.4. So much so that it will pull from other areas of the body to keep that blood pH fairly constant. It will work by depositing and withdrawing acid and alkaline minerals from other locations including the bones, soft tissues, body fluids and saliva.
So the pH of these other tissues fluctuate. All forms of arthritis are associated with excess acidity. Acid in the body dissolves both teeth and bones, so this is also a factor in osteoporosis.
How do we remove excess acidity? Eating alkalinizing foods (also call acid-binding foods) is the best way. Here are very high level acid-binding foods: Oysters, Unpasteurized dairy from cows, sheep, goats, pumpernickel bread, coconut, black radish, spinach, endive, tomato, dandelion, figs, citrus fruits, root vegetables, sweet potato, olives, greens
Eat raw foods – fresh fruit, nuts, sprouts, and vegetable juices. Cooked whole foods work too. Especially vegetables and certain grains. Once alkalinized through food, then move the alkaline condition throughout the body by:
-Exercise
-Massage
-Yoga
Mobilize the lymphatic system in the body (a circulatory system designed to cleanse the body of toxins) by using a mini-trampoline also called a rebounder.
Rest the digestive system by once a week doing just organically grown fruits and vegetable juices. This helps to neutralize the acidity.
How can we easily alkalinize?
Drink beverages first thing in the morning that are alkalizing. Some good beverages to alkalinize your body are:
-Orange juice, and to alkalinize further squeeze lemon in it
-Water with lemon. If you want a hot beverage, drink hot water with lemon.
-Certain teas. Kukicha (Twig) tea, Green teas
-Vegetable broth. Boil cabbage, carrots, onions together and drink the broth.
-Vegetable juices, preferably fresh and organic – green is great
How do we know if we are acid or alkaline?
Measuring the pH of the saliva gives us a window into our susceptibility to degenerative diseases. Here’s how to test your saliva pH:
-Wait two hours after eating or drinking juices.
-Fill your mouth with saliva and swallow it a few times to make sure it is clean.
-Put clean saliva onto pH paper
-The pH paper should turn blue which would indicate that your saliva is slightly alkaline with a healthy pH of 7.4.