7 Tips to Restore Your Alkalinity After Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is next week here in the US. I don’t want to be deprived of my favorite foods and drinks at Thanksgiving dinner.   Food is part of the enjoyment of Thanksgiving.  On Thanksgiving I intend to experience all the pleasures of the day knowing IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE FOOD but food is part of the fun.

If you go to Thanksgiving dinner  feeling you can’t eat the foods you love, you are going to be very stressed. The question is, how can you savor and enjoy the foods on Thanksgiving, keep your digestion flowing with ease and stay balance?

Here are a few tips:

Choose to eat the dishes you enjoy the most.  Rather than using energy to resist what you want, CHOOSE to enjoy your favorite dishes with awareness.   If grandma’s candied sweet potatoes are something you really want, go for it.  Sit down, notice the way they look and their delicious smell.  Experience the taste on your tongue.  Let your whole body experience this food you love.  By experiencing the food fully you will enjoy it fully and be satisfied.  The key here is to really pay attention when you are eating those delicious treats.  Pick what you want the most and enjoy it fully, savoring every morsel.   Don’t just gobble it up. If you are really experiencing the pleasure of your food your brain will feel satisfied and you will wind up eating less.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving meal without guilt.  Feeling guilty not only makes you eat more but prevents you from digesting your food properly. Don’t’ eat guilt, eat the food, enjoy it allow yourself to experience the pleasure. Notice how you are feeling when you are eating. How you feel effects your metabolism. If you are panicked, distressed or shameful you can’t metabolize your food well. If you are loving it you will metabolize it fully.

Use your breath.  Breathing connects you to your feelings and your body. Take 3-10 deep breaths before you eat, breath between bites and again take 3-10 deep breaths between courses.

 Experience the joy of being with friends and family, loving them as they are (even if you think they should be different)

After the feast rebalance.  If you follow the tips below to restore your alkalinity your body will thank you for it.  Within 24 hours you can restore your vitality and energy.   By using multiple sources of alkalinity at once you will buffer any acids that may have accumulated.

In today’s blog post I share how to get rebalanced in just 24 hours.

7 Tips to Restore Your Alkalinity After Thanksgiving

Alkaline Restoration Tip  # 1: Start your day with 24-32 ounces of water.

We fast while sleeping. This is the time our body naturally detoxifies creating acids.  Water clears the acidic toxins from our system. Starting your day with lots of water will replenish and rehydrate your cells and get your digestion moving again. Add the juice of a whole lemon for additional alkalinity. 

Tip # 2:  Eat an Alkaline Breakfast

Many popular breakfast options are acidic. Bread, jam, cereal, milk, coffee, pastry, bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, orange juice, tea are all acidic.   If you want to have an alkaline body you have to start the day right.

 The best choice is a green smoothie which is incredibly alkaline, incredibly nutrient-dense and delicious!  Here is a recipe for the core Balancing Green Smoothie and an Easy Blueberry Green Smoothie

If you need more food for breakfast then have Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Bowl.  Mix in some chia seeds for additional alkalinity.  The quinoa is low acid forming  and full of fiber and nutrients.

Tip # 3: Deep Breathing

If you are able do the following deep breathing exercise 10 times, three times a day (morning, evening and right before bed) you will reduce acid forming cortisol and notice a huge difference to your energy, your clarity and your ability to ward off illnesses.

Deep Breathing Process

Breathe in the following ratio:

– Breath in for 1 count – Hold for 4 counts – Breath out for 2 counts. Repeat 4 times.

For example – if you were to breath in for four seconds, then you would hold your breath for sixteen seconds and then breath out for eight. 

Even though this is simple it is very powerful.

# 4: Drink Half Your Body Weight in Ounces of Water Each Day.

I know I already mentioned water in the morning but it is so important I am mentioning again. Staying sufficiently hydrated will help you clear acidic toxins from your system and bring nutrients to your cells, boosting your metabolism.

A 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25-30% loss of energy in most people. Dehydration can be the root cause of symptoms of depression, obesity, fatigue, skin problems and digestive problems. 

If you don’t like water (some of my clients tell me this), make an herbal tea which you can drink hot, cold or at room temperature.  Add in a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice, lemon, lime or orange.  Getting properly hydrated will make a huge difference to your health, energy, vitality, and immunity.  You will get alkaline fast with proper hydration.

 #6: Go For a Walk

 Walking or any type of exercise encourages your muscles and tissues to absorb additional sugars from you blood, lowering your blood sugar levels to reduce acid.  Walking also moves the lymph fluids through your body.  Even 10 minutes of walking will make a difference. 

The lymph fluids are like street sweepers, sweeping up the dirt and debris and carrying them out of your tissues.  The lymph system does not have an organ like the heart to pump the fluids through, you need to move to pump the system.  There is nothing better for removing acids from your body than a little aerobic exercise and fresh air. 

Walking outside will make you feel more positive, relaxed and happy, which is an alkaline-forming emotion!

Tip #7: Body Brushing

Body brushing is simply the act of brushing your skin (dry) with a firm bristled skin brush (like the one pictured above). The benefits are many, but these are my favorites:

• Stimulates the lymph to circulate throughout the body cleaning acids from your tissues.
• Improves circulation by bringing the blood up to the surface.
• Helps detoxification by removing dead skin cells leaving your skin fresh, tight, supple and glowing.
• Breaks down cellulite.  Body brushing helps break down the fat deposits sending them out of the body through your colon.

I feel an energy boost after skin brushing.  I like to do it every day before my shower. To body brush you simply brush over your body in an upward motion toward your heart.  Click here to read my full article on body brushing.  Try it, you will notice how great your feel.  Body brushes can be found in most health foods stores or click here to buy a body brush online

BONUS Tip #8: Stop Eating Any Sweeteners for 24 Hours

 If you really want to get alkaline fast, stop eating all sweeteners for 24 hours. Sugar feeds the acids in your body like gasoline to a fire.  All sugar is sugar, cookies, candy, breads, honey, maple syrup and even fruit and grains.

Limiting your sugar regularly is probably the #1 thing you can do for your health. But after a holiday feast I like to take out all forms of sugar for 24 hours to give my body a break. 

For some people this may not be so easy.  You may get cravings as your body detoxes, especially if you eat sugar regularly.  Remember you are just doing this for 24 hours because you love your body and want to give it a break.

If you experience cravings, give your body something different.  Eat more fat for starters. Eating healthy fats helps with sugar cravings.  Have a big salad with avocado and a hearty dressing like Tahini Dressing. The fat will satisfy your cravings, the fiber will clean your system and balance blood sugar levels.  You can also have roasted sweet potatoes which I find helps with sugar cravings. 

Reducing your sugar is probably the best thing you can do for yourself on a regular basis. 

Finally be gentle, kind and loving to yourself. Stick to the strategies above and you will be discover more joy and peace at Thanksgiving. You may find yourself enjoying your favorite foods without the need to over indulging. If you over indulged a bit, enjoy what you enjoyed and don’t beat yourself up. Relax, have a sense of humor about it and begin again.  You can do this.

Here is a quote from Louise Hay to say to yourself while looking in the mirror this week.

“I lovingly do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health”

Best of luck! Let me know below  how it goes and if you have any questions please post them.  I am here to support you any way I can.  I have many strategies to help make the holidays easy to navigate without going up a pant size.