I Pompously Walked Around as a Healthy YOUNG Person, or so I Thought

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So the other day I got sick, like really sick....like save me Oprah, save me Tom Cruise, save me baby Jesus sick..... And here I always thought I was pretty healthy and generally aware of what I ate (since leaving my teen years).

 Well, BAM! I got ill...what...the...fuuck ......and now that I look on it if I had paid attention to my body more I would have noticed a couple changes that I now remember started occurring. Also if I had an even better diet.

What my diet may have been like before you may wonder? well for starters, maybe the usual commercialized morning items; eggs, bacon, cereal, you name it....but well...in small portions, then lunch let’s see, as a Jamaican....most Jamaicans would get this, when we do lunch, we LUNCH...I would have my veggies on the side with maybe some oxtail oh lord, oxtail....this is making me drool but back to this blog; I would have oxtail with my veggies and maybe some brown rice here n there you get the point. Either way, I thought I was doing good because I was having my veggies, adding a little brown rice here and there, exercising, drinking more water (by the way I WAS a pepsi  fiend, but now I remember the exact day I took a sip like an AA member....I’m so and so days clean). Basically, I was looking at what I was adding to my diet and not necessarily to what else I usually ate. BIG MISTAKE

After I got sick and went through the mill, I started learning, exploring and studying a lot more of what I ate and the control I could have had with preventing my illness. Food is the remote....it controls everything. You don’t just eat and then cure your ailments with medication and continue to eat like it ain’t no thang but a greasy chicken wing....your eating habits IS making you ill. It’s a vicious cycle.   

I didn’t realize that one’s body chemistry (literally) was THAT important. I didn’t realize (because I never looked into it before) that what you ate controlled the ph of your blood/body. Here’s where it got interesting and I wondered why no one seemed to have told me before because it’s like gospel to me now, orrrrrr maybe my ears and eyes weren’t as keen to it because I pompously walked around as a “healthy YOUNG person,” or so I thought.

I’m going to break it down as much as I can and don’t worry it doesn’t continue being technical to the end.

Our blood has a ph level. Ph stands for potential hydrogen. PH level’s can either be acidic, neutral or alkaline. The ph scale goes from 0 to 14, 7 is considered neutral and anything below it is considered acidic and of course anything above 7 is considered alkaline. In the body, you want as healthy of a balance as possible. A ratio of 80/20 or even 70/30 is considered good, the higher percentage being alkaline. What you consume will ultimately determine your ph level.

 We live and die on a cellular level and if our cells are healthy, we are healthy, and they need a mostly alkaline environment to perform optimally. When food goes through the process of digestion (using up what it can AS food), it burns off and leaves a residue behind in the body called ash. The ash can either be of an acidic or alkaline nature.

I’m writing this the simplest way I can, so I hope everyone is following. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. We are going to get back to the ash but so far the “buzzwords” are:

• PH (potential hydrogen)
• Acid
• Alkaline
• Neutral
• Ash

Now, in the body, you have mineral reserves. I won’t list them because why give you something else to remember right? especially if you were one of the people who found biology and chemistry boring in school. Anyways, the body has these reserves which are alkaline based, alkaline ash keeps these reserves full and cells take from these reserves to keep the ph in your body stable (more alkaline). The cells go and take from these reserves to turn any strong acidic ash in the body to weak acid, of which is easily eliminated from the body. Now picture your cells working on the acid, their stomachs and pockets are full so they easily and merrily work at doing this, because hey, the mineral reserves are full. Now when we consume an extensive amount of acidic food the reserves in the body aren’t replenished. In fact, the cells now barely have any money, no food, they’re stressed out and begin to work overtime with few resources to make this acid ash as alkaline/weak as possible, they are not happy, they are working hard because they must maintain their environment and keep their home as happy for them as possible. Their performance is no longer optimal as their home becomes more acidic, this acid is toxic, this is now where disease shall thrive, ‘n thrive it shall.

There have been many studies done worldwide and the results are always the same. Disease, ailments, poor health is a result of an acidic environment. Disease cannot live in an alkaline environment, it loves and flourishes in acidity. It’s like when an ant finds the garbage ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh the heavens open up.

Now like I’ve said in my past blog posts, I never want to tell people what to eat, it’s their life, all I ever want to do is share my culinary experiences and make eaters just more aware of what they are eating. Below I have placed some charts that will show you what foods are acid and alkaline. There are a few foods that conflict with different researchers as to whether or not they should be classified as alkaline or acidic, but for the MOST part, you will see an accurate representation. 

Initially when I checked it out myself I didn’t realize how acidic I was eating. Almost everything I grew to love was acidic, and by-the-way sugar especially white/refined sugar is indeed the nazi of all foods. Frankly its poison; I’ll take a moment to allow you to sob as I did for all the simple carbohydrates.

First signs your body may be too acidic:

• You have a body odor anywhere on your body and WITH or WITHOUT using deodorant.
• You have an elevated heart rate
• You get sick quite a few times throughout the year, don’t only think about the flu or a cold. Think about skin ailments, sinuses, digestion problems etc
• Your urine has a strong odor and is generally always concentrated, even the first one in the morning.
• Low energy levels.

For those who are interested, this is a SMALL peak into what I eat now:

• No black pepper (the body does not digest it properly and therefore does not take lightly to it)
• If I need to use cooking oil, it’s strictly coconut oil
• If I use salt, its sea salt
• I eat foods that are as organic and fresh as possible (the way nature truly intended from the dawn of time; only seems right)
• I drink at least 62oz of water a day
• When I wake up the first thing I do is drink 16oz (a small water bottle) of water, then I eat fruits, then a breakfast meal, usually one with a decent amount of protein.
• I juice/blend a lot more than I have ever in my life; beets, carrots, all things green, sometimes fruits (fruits I rather eat) etc etc
• I eat pear (avocado) with almost everything, I’m addicted, I’m not in denial
• I avoid dairy, eggs, sugar, wheat products as much as possible...hey I’m not perfect, temptation is REAL people
• I avoid meat as much as possible, listen...what did I say about temptation?
• I try not to take pills for anything (they are very acidic)
• I don’t eat most of the ingredients you find in my previous blog post; such as MSG, Sodium nitrate etc      
• I avoid gluten and yeast when I am aware of its existence in a meal
• Apple cider vinegar (with the ‘mother’) is boss, look it up and use it!

The alkaline diet is a lifestyle as with any healthy diet....if the food you already consume is mostly alkaline, kudos to you. If you try an alkaline diet and it tastes bad to you....bless your soul, ‘Learn How To Cook’ cookbooks are all around us, use one. I am not a weight watcher, and for those who are, learn that not all calories are created equal, and focus on the QUALITY of your nutrition.

I could go on and on with this blog, but thank the goodness of baby unicorns that I’m tired right? whew

Please feel free to add and comment to this post. I learn from your experiences as well, and also I’m sure you can let me know if I missed anything! Restaurant experiences to come! And yes I shall call their names!  

Pay Attention; The Journey of Killer Food

Just as how you would like to wear the best clothes or shoes, live in a nice home and drive the best car, why don’t you aspire to eat the best food?

The BEST food may be relative to some, maybe the more it costs deems it better for others whereas it’s the nutritional quality that deems it best to me.

Aspiring to eat and actually eating the best food is a lot easier to achieve, and is a more controllable and instant medium than let’s say trying or saving to buy a Mercedes Benz, so why aren’t more people doing it? Priorities and personal gratification may be the reason. Why isn’t your health the number 1 priority though? Being in a hospital, taking unwarranted medication or being 6ft under will surely feel great whilst driving that AWEsome Mercedes that was priority number 1 huh.

Either way, I would like to encourage people to pay attention to what they are putting into their bodies. We are not immortal and must remove the ego of feeling like we will live forever never affected by any dire illness and understand that our bodies are fragile and are not machines so we must nurture it as best we can. The everlasting cliché stands strong in this blog, "we are what we eat." What do you think happens to food that we've placed into our mouth and sent on its way? Do you think it simply passes through the body without making even the slightest impact whatsoever, quite the contrary.

Many ailments we humans, yes humans, not glittery vampires, Hogwarts alumni, werewolves, Titans, Mount Olympus inhabitants, or aliens as I'm almost positive some are convinced they are, are caused by our nutrition or lack thereof. I'm scared of what is considered and sold conscience free as food nowadays and I'm convinced some of the most prominent guilty food corporations work in collaboration with drug and other 'health' care companies because that is where this...this polluted shit food is going to AND has sent some of us to. Not even dogs should be subjected to some of these items meant for "human" consumption.

Pay attention to the journey in which your food takes before you actually place it in your mouth. This is not a Disney movie where no one ever seems to die (only Mufasa and Bambi’s mother apparently, to forever scar children). However, the journey of killer food will make you ill or dead. This journey consists of pesticides, preservatives, hormones, other chemically enhanced additives, the containers you store or eat your food from, the food they feed to the 'soon to be on your plate" animals, and corporations 'dumbing' down the real meanings of some key ingredients they place in what they are serving up to you guilt free as food. A lot of which are carcinogenic.

Am I trying to or succeeding at being your party buzzkilington or that annoying and overwhelming nutritionist that you want to just strangle? No. I still consume quite a few questionable things, but now I pay more attention to my foods journey. From what they fed little miss piggy to the ingredients I seasoned her sweet ass with, to the leanest part of her sweet ass that I want, to the type of pot her sweet ass is cooked in or the Styrofoam container I would never eat out of.

I've become more responsible and aware of what I eat. Maybe it's because of personal experiences but I’ve always been this way and have just become more passionate about it now, especially because of seeing an increase of disease in the younger generation, corporations and even some farmers lacking moral fibre, and a complete disregard most of the human populous has taken towards responsible food consumption.

There are a few simple bits of advice I would like to share with those looking to be more responsible with the food they eat. I find them to be easy adjustments one can make. For the heath enthusiasts who have already found my blog not extreme and gut wrenching enough as they would like it to be and have furiously gone to a health blog while mumbling to themselves "why is she not TELLING people what to eat and how many times to chew?" the information I would like to share may just help you too.

I would never TELL anyone what to eat. It’s their choice and responsibility. I encourage moderation and happy thoughtful eaters. Adhering to the following advice may have come easier to me than others and we all know that only people who want to change can.

• After coming across this excellent observation I've discovered that there is indeed great truth to it. When shopping in the supermarket pay the most attention to its perimeter as opposed to its interior because the healthiest most nutrient rich and freshest food items tend to be there. The fruits, veggies, produce to name a few, unlike the preservative and additive riddled foods that are usually found within the middle aisles.

• Try and stay away from Styrofoam containers as much as you can ESPECIALLY re-heating in them. The heat when re-heating your food aids the chemicals used to make the Styrofoam in leeching onto your food. Avoid at all costs. (Re-heating in PLASTIC is a no-no as well but Styrofoam is worse)

• Be a label reading junkie whore. If you can’t pronounce most of the ingredients back away....FAR away. Sodium benzoate, sodium nitrate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, potassium bromate, Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) to name a few. They are in many MANY of the foods we consume DAILY. These chemically enhance foods to last longer, replace natural ingredients, reduce bacterial growth etc etc etc. Do you think these products are simply excreted from our system, no, they are the last to leave the party, and they hang around. They react with the cells in our body. Scientists have actually injected lab rats with some when they WANT to give them cancer, now look at that shit and there are companies out there selling me that in MY food. I love food and I would appreciate if they could stop fucking with it. If they have to add so many chemicals to my food just to get it to my plate "fresh" after 3 weeks of shipping and handling, I don't want it. I rather have to run to the market every few days to get fresh food than to get that killer shit.

• Try and cook or learn to cook more, make the time, it’s worth it. You can control the ingredients being placed into your food and you’re the only human contact that food gets during preparation.  Someone else’s body bits are out of the question.  

• Do NOT buy non-stick Teflon lined pots and pans. At high temperatures toxins will be released into your food. It’s like a horror show. 

• Buy TRUE organic food as much as possible. It’s best for the health of your body. Aren't you worth it?

• Wash your produce as best you can, even if they claim to be pesticide free blah blah blah. Wash it. Pesticides aren't the only thing you should be concerned about in any case. Wash....it.

• I always suggest drinking more water, for obvious and cliché reasons. I'm like a broken record with that one.

• Yep....eat more fruits and veggies. For some this may cause a big sigh, but get creative with it. Make slushie drinks or add some to your usual diet if it didn't include it before. Let that piece of lettuce pose proudly on your plate with all the other items you plan to eat. 

• Eat as much alkaline as opposed to acidic foods as possible; this diet is a lil more scientific and harder to get used to. Research it and try it if you’d like. It helps to prevent disease and aids in the healthiest functioning of the body (for my health extremists).

This blog post was so damn long eh? I can just imagine you reading it....can you imagine me writing it? WHEW! But I certainly enjoyed evangelizing the holy word of responsible eating according to the book of Ravn to you :)