Staple Green Leaves for a Nourishing Alkaline Diet...

Green leafy vegetables are at the top of the list when it comes to nutrition for optimal health. They contain a gigantic load of nutrients that the body needs in order to thrive long-term. Green leaves have everything from complex carbohydrates to protein, along with various of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants to keep you young, strong, and full of energy. Green leaves are usually used to make a salad and, in most cultures, they are generally considered a side dish, which makes their consumption a small part of our daily diets. In our HLife humble opinion, it should be the other way around. Salads should be the main dish, the “star”, and the rest should all be sides. It is in the salads that we get the main elements our body requires for balance and sustenance. Hearty salads that consist of leafy greens (specially dark leaves) are electron-rich meals that one should have at least once a day. Some of us think of leaves as being animal food, and animals as being human food, but the truth is that in an omnivore diet, the animal is the middleman to the real nourishment: THE PLANTS. It is these very greens that prevent human disease, while eating the animals contributes to them. Maybe it’s in this way of thinking about leaves as animal food and the habit of not seeing it as the main dish, a perspective passed down from generation to generation, where the problem is. Changing our view on green leaves, seeing them for their true value, and making them the main focus of our meals could be the first step into bringing more of them and their nourishment into your life. This can change your long-term health results, as well as your life. The following are five green leaves to get to know and love for all they offer to us. Sure, you’ve heard of them – you may even eat some or all of them. But why do you eat them? And, most of of all, what do they do for YOU? When it comes to green leaves, there can be nothing but love for them from our cells. Ask not what you can do with your leaves, but what your green leaves can do for you…

Spinach – The favorite HLife salad leaf, loaded with vitamin K (for bone health), vitamin A,

manganese, folate, magnesium, and iron. Its fat-related molecules called Glycoclycerolipids can protect the lining of our digestive tract from damage due to inflammation. Spinach contains anti-cancer properties, and has shown evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer. Learn all the health benefits of spinach through our HFood feature, where we detail its star-level nutritional content.

Kale - Its ultra high ranking in the

antioxidant category offers cancer prevention benefits (breast, bladder, colon, ovary, and prostate cancer) as well as cholesterol lowering benefits.

Dandelion – Let’s begin with its Latin name, which translates to: “disorder remedy”. Dandelion improves your liver and your mood. It’s the main detox leaf star. This bitter-sweet green is a natural diuretic, without the loss of potassium. It is also recommended for hormone-related conditions like PMS and a great aid in lowering blood pressure. Dandelion protects against macular degeneration and it is one of the richest green-veggie source of beta-carotene. One cup of dandelion contains 147 mg of calcium, 244 mg potassium, 203 mg vitamin K, 3 grams of fiber and 10,000 IU of vitamin A.

Arugula - Another anti-cancer leaf, arugula contains a substance called isothiocynates, which studies have shown to help prevent lung and esophageal cancer, as well as offer gastrointestinal protection. This mildly bitter green is considered one of the healthiest superfoods. It is rich in vitamin C, K, A, P (flavonoids, which enhance vitamin C intake), and minerals like iron, and potassium. Arugula enhances our blood quality and liver function. Also known as rocket seed, rukola and rucketta, the ancient Romans and Egyptians considered arugula to be a powerful aphrodisiac.

Romaine Lettuce – Loaded with bone-building vitamin K, this lettuce has a very high water volume. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A and C, manganese, folate and blood-sugar balancing mineral chromium. Its fiber and folate content contributes to its heart-health benefits. Lettuces add a muscle relaxing effect, aiding in insomnia. Romaine lettuce is a good source of potassium, which aids in lowering high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease.

Discover Optimal Health through Body Alkalization Today, there’s a new worldwide health concern affecting everyone. If free radicals and antioxidants were the focus of the last twenty years, body acidity, body alkalinity, and the importance of maintaining a pH balanced system are the focus of today. When naturally balanced, your body is alkaline. But a diet high in meat, dairy and sugar overwhelms your body with acidic waste, resulting in weight gain, low energy, poor skin, brittle bones and a myriad of other health concerns. Excess acidity is a condition, in fact, that weakens all body systems. Excess acidity forces the body to borrow minerals including calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acid and safely remove it from the body. As a result the body can suffer severe and prolonged corrosion due to high acidity - a condition that may go undetected for years.It affects virtually every person in our society because of the way we live, the way we eat, and the environment we live in. The result is an internal environment where disease can easily manifest, as opposed to a pH balanced environment, which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease.What Does This Mean? Is There Any Science Behind This? Our body is about 20% acidic and 80% alkaline; it is recommended that we consume roughly 20% acidic foods and 80% alkaline foods. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The average US consumer is eating over 90% acidic foods.*The ramifications of this are severe and far reaching. Leading medical researchers are concluding that a decline in health begins when cellular pH moves toward becoming acidic, toxic, and polluted - a process called metabolic acidosis. Over 400 peer-reviewed articles link low-grade acidosis with aging and dozens of problems associated with the aging process.Blood pressure, cholesterol, and body temperature are well known barometers of health. However, body pH level is emerging as the most important measurement of all. Unfortunately, most people take better care of the pH in their swimming pools than in their own body. The simple fact of the matter is that very few people are willing to change their dietary habits to improve their health. In addition to poor dietary habits, our body’s ability to process acid steadily decreases as we age and as we experience more stress.An acidic environment in the body is the beginning of many health issues and challenges. Systems are compromised and can become overworked as the body insists on maintaining its delicate balance.When excess acids must be neutralized, our alkaline reserves are depleted, leaving the body in a weakened condition. In 1996 Dr. Lynda Frassetto at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that as we age we lose the alkaline buffer bicarbonates in our blood. She believes that humans, in evolutionary terms, have changed. Once upon a time, our bodies used to break down food and dispose of the acid waste with our kidneys and livers. But now, because of the sheer amount of acid waste the average American produces, she sees our inner bodies being turned into a war zone, where our body is fighting to protect its most strategic reserves — our kidney and liver — from total degradation and failure.To prove this theory, Dr. Frassetto studied 1000 people and discovered that we are indeed stockpiling acid waste in our fatty deposits instead of eliminating it with our kidneys and liver. Cholesterol and crystallized uric acid are solidified acids that have been dumped within the body for later disposal, which never comes. Our bodies have made the choice to preserve our kidney and liver instead of processing the acid waste.Also, when the pH of the body is acidic or low, the body’s ability to absorb antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is reduced and energy production in the cells can become compromised, which inhibits the cells' ability to repair itself and the cells' ability to detoxify.Over time, the build-up of this acid waste can lead to inflammation and the build-up of solid waste, cholesterol, fatty acids, uric acid, sulfates, etc. A good analogy is that our bodies become like a fish bowl that hasn't been cleaned in years or even decades, creating a cesspool of acid.This build-up of and accumulation of non-disposed acid waste within the body accelerates the aging process. Additionally, inflammation has been identified as the main culprit behind aging and disease in the body.Throughout the body, alkaline substances are used to neutralize acids. If this buffer system is used only occasionally, the alkaline elements loaned by the tissues are soon replaced by ones from foods.The problem occurs when intake of acid-forming foods consistently outweighs intake of alkaline substances. In this case, the tissues- especially the bones-are constantly forced to give up their alkaline minerals, namely calcium and magnesium, in order to buffer the excess acid and keep metabolic processes going.Additionally, an acidic balance can:decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrientsdecrease the energy production in the cellsdecrease the body's ability to repair damaged cellsdecrease the body's ability to detoxify heavy metalsmake the body more susceptible to fatigue and sickness Take advantage of the FREE Alkalete challange. Visit our site for information about Alkalete ($40 value Free). www.Lifes-a-Blast.GoYoli.com