A recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol 94, No 1 96-102, 2009) has provided further evidence that the consumption of and supplementation with alkaline minerals is essential for good health. The objective of the study was to understand the effect of alkaline minerals (potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and potassium chloride) on bone health – specifically, the ability of these alkaline minerals to slow the bone resorption rate and calcium excretion. The participants who were taking the bicarbonate supplements had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion when compared to the control group. This means that when taking the alkaline minerals, bones remained stronger and healthier. Source: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (Vol 94, No 1 96-102, 2009) Cardiovascular Disease & the Alkaline Diet Alkaline Minerals Critical to Prevention of CVD In the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.

How You Can Guarantee Your Health With Alkaline Minerals The above studies prove, without question, that having sufficient alkaline mineral buffers to neutralise dietary, lifestyle and metabolic acids is critical to maintaining excellent health, energy and vitality and to the prevention of degenerative disease. It is also highlighted in several of these studies that using an alkaline mineral supplement is an effective way of guaranteeing your daily intake of alkaline minerals is sufficient. The efficacy of using a mineral supplement (and these supplements providing a usable form of these minerals) is further supported by this June 2009 study published in the Nutrition Journal, “Effect of a supplement rich in alkaline minerals on acid-base balance in humans”.

The study concluded “that the ingestion of a multimineral supplement is associated with both a significant increase in blood and urinary pH”. Diet Comes First You should always aim to get an abundance of nutrients from whole foods – there are no shortcuts here. This is just essential. To make sure you’re getting plenty of alkaline minerals in your life I believe you should both consume good quality (pref organic) fresh, vibrant, healthy, high-water content, often raw foods PLUS I believe that you should supplement this to ensure that you always have a safety net. It is SO important to get enough of the right minerals every day that I fully believe in supplementation in this case. This is particularly important if you have been out of balance, because there will be a lot of repair, detoxification and tidying up to do in your blood and other cells, so providing your body with an abundance of alkaline minerals is one of the very best things you can do. Here’s the whole food sources:

POTASSIUM: Avocado, Spinach, Soy sprouts, Lentils, Swiss Chard, Tomatos, Broccoli, Cucumber, Beetroot Greens, Carrots,

MAGNESIUM: Pumpkin Seeds, Spinach, Soy sprouts, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cucumber, Sunflower Seed sprouts, Pumpkin seeds, Tomatoes, Celery, Quinoa, Almonds

CALCIUM: Basil, Turnip, Thyme, Spinach Greens, Broccoli Swiss, Chard/Silverbeet, Romaine, Lettuce, Kale, Celery, Cabbage, Green Beans, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Garlic

SODIUM: Avocado, Carrots, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, Lettuce Greens, Parsley, Peppers, Radish, Sunflower Seed sprouts, Turnip

Note on Sodium: We are talking about proper, pure sodium, not table salt or the salt added to refined foods. According to Dr. Robert O. Young: Today’s common table salt is a poison that has nothing in common with natural liquid colloidal salt. Most common table salt is made up of chemicals that pollute your body and wreak havoc on your health. Your table salt is actually 97.5% sodium chloride and 2.5% chemicals such as moisture absorbents, and iodine. Dried at over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, the excessive heat alters the natural chemical structure of the salt causing the potential for a myriad of health challenges in your body. [see the full article here] Sodium is essential in the body, and the above listed alkaline vegetables provide you with a good, clean source of this important salt.

SUMMARY Sufficient alkaline minerals is essential to good health. Your body really needs you to minimize the acids you consume and keep putting alkali in. When we consume acids, your body uses the alkaline substances in your body (calcium from bones, for example) to neutralise these acids which causes havoc. The body only has a very tiny supply of alkaline buffers and so by giving the body an abundance of alkalinity we not only ease this burden but also give the body the tools it needs to work optimally. The four main alkaline minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (clean, not refined table salt). These are abundant in fresh vegetables (particularly greens), and we advise you to eat plenty each day! We also recommend two supplements. In the short-medium term these will help undo any previous damage and assist in detoxifying the body of acids, molds and fungus and in the long-term will help to maintain this alkaline balance, giving you a daily safety net to ensure you get enough of these minerals day-in-day-out. Sources & References: 1 Diet-induced acidosis: is it real and clinically relevant? British Journal of Nutrition Cambridge University Press; Joseph Pizzornoa, Lynda A. Frassettoa and Joseph Katzingera 2Acid-Mediated Tumor Invasion: a Multidisciplinary Study; Cancer Research 66, 5216-5223, May 15, 2006; Robert A. Gatenby, Edward T. Gawlinski, Arthur F. Gmitro, Brant Kaylor and Robert J. Gillies 3The Potential Role of Systemic Buffers in Reducing Intratumoral Extracellular pH and Acid-Mediated Invasion; Cancer Research 69, 2677, March 15, 2009; Ariosto S. Silva, Jose A. Yunes, Robert J. Gillies and Robert A. Gatenby 4Alkaline Mineral Supplementation Decreases Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients; The Open Nutrition Journal, 2008, 2, 100-105; Regina Maria Cseuz, Istvan Barna, Tamas Bender and Ju?rgen Vormann 5Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women; The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 94, No. 1 96-102; Bess Dawson-Hughes, Susan S. Harris, Nancy J. Palermo, Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa, Helen M. Rasmussen and Gerard E. Dallal 6Minerals and Disease; Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 10, No. 3 & 4, 1995; Joseph D. Campbell 7Preservative Effect of Electrolyzed Reduced Water on Pancreatic b -Cell Mass in Diabetic db/db Mice; Biol. Pharm. Bull. 30(2) 234—236 (2007); Mi-Ja KIM, Kyung Hee JUNG, Yoon Kyung UHM, Kang-Hyun LEEM, and Hye Kyung KIM 8The Effect of Acid/Alkaline Nutrition on Psychophysiological Function; Int J Biosocial Res. Vol. 9(2); 182-202, 1987; Rudolf A. Wiley9Severe Osteomalacia Associated with Renal Tubular Acidosis in Crohn’s Disease; Digestive Diseases & Sciences, Vol 31, No 3, March 1986; Rui MM Victorino, Margarida B Lucas, Miguel Carneiro de Moura10Metabolic acidosis of CKD: diagnosis, clinical characteristics, and treatment; American Journal of Kidney Diseases, Volume 45, Issue 6, Pages 978-993 J. Kraut, I. Kurtz11Lean Tissue: Alkaline diets favor lean tissue mass in older adults; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 87, No. 3, 662-665, March 2008; Bess Dawson-Hughes, Susan S Harris and Lisa Ceglia