If you missed the first post in this topic you can find it here:  I’m Trying the Ph Miracle Diet – Phase One

I’ve gotten my feet wet with the alkaline water portion of the new diet I’m trying, and here is what I’ve learned.

The very first day my breathing was much clearer almost immediately and I woke up an hour earlier the next morning.  I had some mild detox symptoms the first day I started the green powder, but nothing since then.  When I added the full amount of sodium bicarbonate I did actually get one pimple, which I was warned may be a side effect, but that was it.

About the third day I was really feeling congested and nauseous from my allergies and I drank down 16 oz. and felt better almost immediately.  So I am definitely going to continue with this, but there are some obstacles to surmount.

Obstacle #1 – Metric System and Standard Units of Measure for Dummies

The first problem I ran into was the converting the U. S. standard units of measure into the metric system.  Not an insurmountable problem, but it still caught me off guard.  According to the guidelines I furnished in last weeks post, for my body weight I need to drink 2.5 liters of alkaline water per day.  I have a 16 oz. cup, so I actually  had to get out my 4-cup measuring cup to realize I would need to fill my 16 oz. container 5 times to drink 2.5 liters per day.

My next little problem was figuring out 2-3 teaspoons of sodium bicarbonate per liter.  I decided to make it 2 teaspoons, for the sake of my mathematical sanity.  This worked out to one teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate every time I fill my 16 oz. cup, since filling it twice equals 1 liter.

Measuring Real Salt was a little trickier because I need 12 grams per day.  This equals roughly 2 teaspoons, so I decided to take 1/4 teaspoon of Real Salt with each 16 oz. cup of water.

The green powder is simply 1 teaspoon per liter, working up to 2-3 teaspoons in 1/4 teaspoon increments.  Right now I am up to 1 teaspoon per 16 oz. cup, which is 2 teaspoons per liter.

I already have a good Omega 3/6/9 supplement by Barleans which requires 1 tablespoon serving per day.

Obstacle #2 – Salt Water Tastes Salty

You may recall from my last post that I planned to add the Real Salt to my water.  Somewhere in my mind I expected that it was too small an amount to flavor the water much.  I was wrong.  When you add Real Salt to water your water tastes like sore throat gargle-stuff.  I drank my very first 16 oz. cup like this, but it was all up hill from there.

Next I tried to actually eat 1/4 teaspoon of Real Salt, which wasn’t much better.  Finally I realized the best way to get it down was to put the 1/4 teaspoon in my mouth and swallow it quickly with the water.  Voila!  I don’t even taste it this way.  It really surprised me this was a problem because I put Real Salt on everything.  I guess I didn’t realize how strong it would taste alone.

Obstacle #3 – Water Containers and Actually Drinking the Water

As I mentioned, I would need to drink 5 16 oz. containers of alkaline water per day to reach my goal.  The first day I drank 3, and felt really encouraged.  However, I was at a solid 2 per day the rest of the week, and even leveled off to 1 per day a few times last week.  It was worse on busy days where I simply couldn’t see my way clear to making the time to pour and mix.

I am going to need to invest in some other type of container besides the 16 oz. cup.  Alkaline water absorbs like crazy so you do not want to store it in anything plastic, even if it is BPA free.  You  need a glass or metal storage container, and I need to find something bigger than 16 oz. so I can mix up 2.5 liters in the morning and have it ready.  My big problem was having time to go and fill up the 16 oz. container all day long.

My friend actually uses an empty glass vodka bottle, as they are 1 liter in size, however I don’t think that would go over well at ballet class or home school co-op.  Short term, I need to find a large glass juice bottle I can use at home to fill my smaller cup.  Long term, I am considering Good Life bottles.  I saw them in a video comparing 5 well-known bottles that were dropped from buildings, dragged with ropes, and ran through a dishwasher with cold liquid inside to test the temperature.  The Good Life bottles held up to all tests without denting or breaking the cap, and the liquid was still cold after going through the dishwasher.  http://www.goodlifebottles.com/

One thing that really surprised me is that I only find the green powder palatable if I drink it in cold water.  I have been drinking room temperature water for as long as I can remember, but fortunately my metal bottle is double-walled so the water stays cold if it starts off cold.

Obstacle #4 – Distilled Water

You may recall my mentioning distilled water as the least expensive option for alkalizing water.  Well, if I continued I would want to start investing in ConcenTrace drops to ensure that I was re-mineral-i-zing the water.  Real Salt is supposed to work fine, but there is some research that states distilled is not safe long-term, even if you add minerals.  Others say it’s completely fine long-term.

I would prefer to go with a special spring water that comes in glass bottles or possibly upgrade to ionized or hydrogenated water in the future, which is more expensive.  To continue with distilled I would not want to keep buying it out of plastic jugs.  Even though it’s not alkalized before you add the sodium bicarbonate, and so not yet super-absorbent, I am still not comfortable with plastic jugs long-term.   So I would have to buy a water distiller.  Not as expensive as an ion/hydrogen converter or glass bottled spring water, but still more than I would want to spend since I’m not sure distilled is the best option long-term.  With ionized water it still needs to be filtered first . . . so if not distilled I’ll have to search for a different long-term option, either way.

Obstacle Crushing Action Plan

My plan off attack is four-fold.

First I need to get a large glass or safe metal container to mix 2.5 liters per day of distilled water from the plastic jugs into green alkalized water.  This will keep me going with the distilled water and sodium bicarbonate/Real Salt/green powder until I have time to get to the next level.

Then I need to bring a container to a health food store nearby that has a converter and buy some ion/hydrogen water to see how much better I feel on the stuff.  My friend said if I couldn’t afford a converter I should sell my car because the difference is that great.

Next, I need to get a larger to-go bottle because I can drink the 16 oz. much more quickly than I have time to refill it.  I need to get a 1 liter travel bottle.

Finally, I need to start doing the next part of the program, which is the shakes.  My hand-me-down blender bit the dust, but I replaced it last week.  Now I just have to do a little planning and shopping.

Of these 4 items, realistically I may only accomplish one this week.  I’ll update when I have more progress!

In the meantime, check out The pH Miracle at the library if you’d like to learn more.  They get rave reviews from people with weight problems or diabetes.

Me!

How I Became a Nutritarian:

I started my journey with natural health and healing back in 1998.  I had broken up with a boyfriend who started dating a girl from our group of friends like the very next week AND I started a new job.  I was feeling very content to just be away from the old and onto the new, and just wanted to spend more time at home.  So I started cooking more and experimenting with different healthy eating plans.  Since then I’ve done a ton of research and gleaned little bits of truth from a variety of sources. 

I think I must feel pretty good compared to the average person since I don’t require a cup of coffee to get up in the morning, but I still haven’t quite knocked my allergies.  Rather than treating allergy symptoms, I prefer to optimize my nutrition in order to heal the actual cause of the problem.

What Made Me Decide to Try The pH Miracle:

I have noticed over the years that most of the people who have been successful at maintaining natural health and helping others to do so have included monitoring pH levels in their recipe for wellness.  This means keeping your body’s pH level alkaline, and not acidic.  I visited The pH Miracle plan in the past, but it was too overwhelming for me.  A few weeks ago I decided to put the book on hold at the library, and a few days later a friend contacted me, not knowing I had the book on hold, and asked whether I would be willing to try the program.  This friend has been on the plan for 10 years now, so it’s always helpful to have someone you know who has actually had good results.

After reading 2 books on the plan and doing some Internet research of critics of the plan, I have decided to give it a try . . . gradually.  This program is PARTICULARLY good for people who want to lose weight or are suffering from diabetes.  If you have either of those 2 scenarios you will need to read the books pH Miracle for Weight Loss or pH Miracle for Diabetes, because there are some other things you need to do, along with the basic plan.  They have you find out certain information from your doctor, and also recommend a type of fast or cleanse to remove acid from your body before getting started, plus some supplements are necessary.

I don’t have diabetes or weight issues, so I’m just getting started on the basics of the program, as outlined below.   My friend says I should wake up feeling like I want to go out for a run by the time I’m doing ALL the steps combined for about a week.

Step One – Getting Started with Alkaline Water:

1. To get started I am going to buy pH paper to test my pH level using saliva or urine.
2. Then I will work up to drinking 1 liter of alkaline water per 40 lbs. of weight, or per 30 lbs. of weight if engaging in moderate exercise, which I am not.
3. There are several different ways to get alkaline water, but I’m starting with the cheap way.  Distilled water with aluminum free baking soda.  My friend suggested I work up to 3 tsp. of baking soda per 1 liter of water, to lessen any detox symptoms.  On day one I will add 1 tsp. to 1 liter of water.  On day two, 2 tsps. to 1 liter, and on day 3 I’ll add 3 tsps. to 1 liter of water. 
4. I will also need to work up to 12 grams of Real Salt per day, which I can add to the water or take in a teaspoon.  I’ll probably add it to the water.  Real Salt is not your average salt that causes blood pressure problems, and I will need it because distilled water does not have minerals in it.  When you take all the bad stuff out of water you also remove all the good stuff, so you have to add the good stuff back to the water or your body will begin leaching important nutrients from your system. 

As soon as I get the water step going for a few days I need to add in the other steps: Green Powder, Fats, Oxygen (Exercise), and Alkaline Shakes and Foods.  These steps aren’t what you would normally think of when you see those titles, but everything is easily accessible except for the green powder.  I had to order that online to get exactly the right stuff.  Although this plan can be done without actually purchasing anything from the author, which is always a good sign, the green powder was hard to find in the specifications he requests. 

I don’t expect to already be up to drinking 2 1/2 liters (the amount for my particular body weight) after only a few days, but I can still start the other steps even if I’m only up to drinking 1 liter.  Doing so will actually help me to reach my water goal, as each step that makes me feel better and more energetic will help my body to crave what it needs, instead of what it doesn’t.

I’ll keep you posted on my journey!  (Posted, get it?  Ha ha!)