1) Lemon Juice~ Begin each day with the juice of one whole lemon in 8 ounces of warm water (alkalizing).

2) Veggies~ Drink or slowly eat 7+ servings of a variety of veggies (especially calcium rich kale and collards) see green drink below.

3) Sugar~ reduce and better eliminate your refined, white sugar intake (acid); fresh fruit and veggies supply all the sugar you need. Sugar leaches calcium. When our diets are high in sugar and/or simple carbohydrates our body leaches calcium from our bones and teeth.

4) Bread~ Pass on the bread basket (acid forming) my personal challenge! Bread is a simple carbohydrate, quickly turns to sugar and leaches calcium.

5) Animal Protein~ When eating grass-fed animal protein use it as a condiment (smaller portion) and veggies as the main portion. Animal protein is acidic.  Acid leaches calcium.  Low animal protein diets create a positive calcium balance, meaning bones are not losing calcium; and high animal protein diets create a negative calcium balance, meaning osteoporosis is developing. Mark J. Occhipinti, M.S. , Ph.D, NDc.  The loss of bone mineral probably results from a combination of genetics and dietary and lifestyle factors, particularly the intake of animal protein, salt, and possibly caffeine, along with tobacco use, physical inactivity, and lack of sun exposure. source https://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/osteoporosis.html

6) Digestion Prep~ Slow down...(ahh, that felt good!) and take 3 deep healing breathes into your belly, bringing the blood to your digestive center, before you begin to eat allowing the body to take in the nourishment.  When we rush through our meal or multi-task during our meal, we bypass the bodies digestion of our food putting us in a fight-or-flight response (stress response). The blood rushes to our limbs getting ready to RUN and the cortisol and insulin production is elevated causing the body to hold onto our food as weight. Quoting Marc David, Founder and Director of The Institute for the Psychology of Eating and the author of The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss: "Sympathetic nervous system turns on stress - para-sympathetic system turns on relaxation to help with digestion and weight loss".

7) Chewing~ chew, chew your food. Use the tools you were given at birth; your teeth.  Carbohydrates need to be broken down in the mouth. Try building up to chewing 10 times before swallowing. Awe come on..just try it.  Notice the difference in taste!

8) Balancing/weight bearing exercise~  Right now, stand up, raise your left leg 10 inches off the ground, bringing your weight to your right leg.  Balance for 1-2 minutes.  Change legs. For those challenged by this exercise, stand next to a wall.  More advanced use 3-5 lb weights; do 10 arm curls, 10 arm extensions and then press the weights overhead 10 times as you are balancing.  Change legs.

Is this helpful?  Next month I will be discussing milk and Vitamin D.  Any thoughts or topics you'd like me to cover? Please email Irma