Alkaline foods that fall into the category of healing foods include sea vegetables and various edible fungi.

Sea Vegetables

As a source of dietary fiber, sea vegetables are hard to beat. These foods are a great source of insoluble fibers which are indigestible and because of this quality, they absorb water in the intestinal tract and add bulk to the intestinal walls, helping accelerate waste removal from our systems by preventing the accumulation of toxins and flushing them from our bodies.

Nori - Japanese name for the edible seaweed species of red algae (red laver), Nori is commonly used to refer to products derived from this form of seaweed. One of the higher protein contents of the sea vegetables with the majority of it digestible and it is high in Vitamins A, C, niacin and folic acid.

Kanten - China grass, Japanese isinglass or Ceylon moss are other names used to describe this seaweed, which is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace nutrients like calcium, iron and iodide.

Aonori - also called green laver, this seaweed is rich in calcium, magnesium, potasium, amino acids and vitamins (high in Vitamin C). It is known for its anti-aging properties because it contributes to the production of collagen and elastin.

Wakame - edible kelp or brown seaweed, high dietary fiber and low in fat, rich in Vitamins B and good amounts of trace minerals such as iron and manganese. Recent studies in Japan have found that wakame contains a compound that helps burns fat.

Hijiki - also known as hizikia, another brown seaweed rich in dietary fiber and essential minerals. It has been a traditional food in Japan for centuries, part of a balanced diet but in very small quantities (on average, the Japanese consume about 0.9g per day). There has been some concern in recent years over the levels of inorganic arsenic in Hijiki, but food safety agencies around the world acknowledged that occasional Hijiki consumption was unlikely to cause significant health risks.

Edible Fungus

Edible mushrooms are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and trace minerals and have a high protein content. Eastern cultures have been consuming edible fungi for thousands of years both as food and medicine.

High in protein and low in fact, edible mushrooms are an important source of amino acids (they contain all the amino acids essential for our nutrition).

Kima - also called kamaa (truffle), this fungus is an underground mushroom that grows in the desert, primarily in Syria and is valued as an immune booster.

Maitake - known as Sheep’s Head, Eastern cultures use maitake as an aid to balance body systems to a normal level. Japanese and Chinese medicine use this fungus to enhance the immune system and regulate the body.

Kikurage - White kikurage is called snow fungus or white fungus and the brownish/black varieties are called wood ear, cloud ear or black fungus; very high in vegetable fiber, iron and calcium. Rich in vitamins D, B1 & B2 and high potassium content. Known for its health giving qualities.

Chaga - natural antioxidant medicinal mushroom, this is one of the oldest medicinal plants known to man. It grows on tree bark (looks like burnt charcoal) and has been known to inhibit free-radical oxidation. Chaga contains a high amount of betulin or betulinic acid and researchers have demonstrated an inhibiting effect on tumor growth because betulinic acid at the cellular level induces apoptosis (cell death) in tumors. Chaga is also believed to fight viruses, stimulate the central nervous system, lower blood pressure, decrease sugar levels and detoxify our kidneys and liver.

Shitake - another exceptional fungus believed to be a strong cancer fighter as it has been shown to inhibit tumors, it contains specific amino acids that help process cholesterol from the liver. Stimulates the immune system and is one of the few natural sources of Vitamin D2.

To Your Health and Wellness!

Alkaline Foods Online Team

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In my never ending pursuit for knowledge on the impact of a healthy lifestyle centered around alkaline foods, I discovered this amazing book by Dr. Hiromi Shinya, the world’s foremost gastroenterologist and expert on the the human gastrointestinal system.

Dr. Shinya is professor of surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Head of the Endoscopic Center of Beth Israel Hospital in New York, an adviser for Maeda Hospital and Hanzomon Gastrointestinal Clinic in Japan and Vice Chairman of the Japanese Medical Association in the USA.

The inventor of the modern day colonoscopy, over the past 35 years Dr. Shinya has performed more than 300,000 colonoscopic exams and surgeries, gaining amazing details on the link between our diets and our health.

What I found most interesting about his book is Dr. Shinya’s discovery of what he calls our “miracle enzyme” and the effect of our diets and lifestyles on diseases because of our enzymes. Amazingly, cancer patients who follow his Enzyme Factor Diet and Lifestyle have ZERO recurrence of cancer.

For more details visit the book’s website.

To Your Health and Wellness.

The Alkaline Foods Online Team

If you’ve looked around our website, by now you can probably guess that we do not mean that kind of oatmeal. No, the staff at Alkaline Foods Online prefer all natural or organic oatmeal without all the junk and we eat it prepared in a uniquely specific way.

Oatmeal

Rolled Oats - made from oat groats that are rolled or crushed under heavy rollers. The first step in the production of rolled oats is to steam the oat groats and then roll them in order to flatten them. They are then re-steamed and roasted before packaging. Because of this extra processing, this type of oatmeal loses a little of the natural taste and texture, along with some of the beneficial nutrients.

This is the traditional type of oatmeal you see commercially available today and have probably eaten in the past. If you are going to eat rolled oats, make sure they are all natural whole grain or organic stone milled.

Steel Cut Oats - made from the whole grain groats, these have been cut in to two or three pieces using steel discs. No extra processing or additives and nothing taken out - just as nature intended them to be and it is our favorite!

I like Bob’s Red Mill or McCann’s because both of these have a wonderful flavor and texture but you can use your favorite brand. Just keep in mind that unless you are using organic oats, you will consume additives that are unhealthy and acid forming.

These include pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers that are used in commercial farming and all of these additives remain in the traditional, non organic foods you find in stores.

Preparation

Our preferred method of preparing steel cut oats involves a slow cooking process of about 5 hours. I know you do not have that much time to wait for your oatmeal so here is the secret to the best oatmeal in the world.

First, get yourself a sauce warmer like the Little Dipper. These mini crock pots are ideal at dinner parties for warming up sauces and hot dips.

Next, buy a programmable plug in timer. Plug it into the outlet of your choice, plug the sauce warmer in and program the timer to start 5 hours before you wake up. I get up at 6am so mine starts at 1am.

Add one cup of steel cut oats and two cups of alkaline water (this is the best water to consume and when you use it in any recipe, it really brings out the flavor of the food). Alkaline water helps neutralize the acidity of the oats.

Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and brown sugar (the amount of sugar depends on your own taste - you can add honey as well). If you like raisins in your oatmeal, toss a handful in.

Mix it up in the sauce warmer, put the lid on and leave it.

When you wake up in the morning, you will have delicious and hot oatmeal ready to eat - the best oatmeal in the world.

Enjoy!

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I used to live in Italy in my youth and reading this article took me back to a time when I vividly recall eating luscious preserved roasted red peppers - topped with olive oil, oregano and chopped garlic. Yum.

What I found very interesting is that most people when preserving alkaline foods use an acid like vinegar but this ‘recipe’ uses none.

In fact, it’s not a recipe as we know them today - this came from a collection of stories and articles in a book called “An Omelet and a Glass of Wine”, by Elizabeth David, featuring articles, essays and stories dating back to the mid 1950’s on the subject of food.

To read the article click here.

Technorati Tags: Alkaline Foods, Cooking

The sad truth is today, many health care professionals believe we can somehow balance our pH naturally and miraculously. But the truth is far beyond that.

According to Dr. Lynda Frasetto, University of California acid/alkaline researcher, the truth is when it comes to our diet we have passed an evolutionary corner. Our bodies do not handle acid waste the way we used to.

Artificial and processed ingredients are present in almost everything we put into our mouths and the body was not designed to dispose of the amount of acid that is left in our bodies from the lifestyle of consumption many of us have chosen. The result is a buildup and stockpiling of excess acidic waste which experts around the world have shown is linked to many of the health issues our society experiences today.

Dr. Frasetto’s research has shown that our bodies are forced to take drastic steps to preserve strategic resources due to the volume of acid waste the body has to handle. The body’s response is to naturally protect the liver and kidneys, our two major and essential detoxification organs.

In her study of aging people, she found that we stockpile acid in fatty deposits rather than eliminating it via the liver and kidneys. The body actually creates fat cells to store the excess waste – you could say our fat is our life preserver.

The body truly is a miraculous wonder and in its infinite wisdom, it has chosen to save these organs from the degradation of excess acidic waste. But there is a price – lowered immunity, obesity, lack of energy and a cornucopia of other acid related health issues we are subjected to, from osteoarthritis and diabetes to cancer and many, many more.

These unbalanced consequences are a result of the dietary evolution we have experienced over the centuries and unless we consciously choose to make a change in our eating habits and the types of foods we consume, we can only expect this evolution to worsen.

As a first step to reversing this evolved diet, start thinking about what it is exactly you put in your body. Begin by looking at the foods you eat – are you consuming excessive processed foods? Do you eat foods containing artificial ingredients or preservatives? Do you eat enough alkaline foods like leafy green vegetables?

By thinking about what we put in our mouths we can start to correct many of the issues affecting our health today and live a more enjoyable, disease free life.

Wishing you health and wellness!

The Alkaline Foods Online Team

Technorati Tags: acid, alkaline

Technorati Tags: acidic, alkaline