The Alkaline Life

Modern diets and lifestyle more or less guarantee that we are all to some extent suffering from acidosis and chronic inflammation, which makes it difficult for our body to achieve a good pH balance. This highly informative book provides a hugely valuable guide to resetting our diets, and it is helpfully based on a 20/80 principle of focusing on the 20% of actions that have the biggest impact and making them into habits. A personal review reveals many acid-forming components in my own diet, including bananas, coffee, bread, eggs, mushrooms, yoghurt, cheese and wine. The good news is that it also includes green leafy vegetables, garlic, ginger, turmeric, avocados, nuts and seeds, sprouts, beans, pulses and herb teas. The book is divided into four parts: the foundations of the alkaline life, the alkaline life and your goals – covering many common conditions – the alkaline life plan, and recipes and resources.

Readers learn about Triple-A foods to thrive, and acidic offenders and that we should steer clear of. The first group includes leafy greens, raw nuts and seeds, anti-inflammatory foods, coconut oil and alkaline protein; the red flags are sugar, gluten, animal protein and dairy. The 20/80 guideline provides some wiggle room, and the initial focus is on getting the good stuff in. Here, Ross recommends four core actions: have 5 to 7 servings of green food daily, drink 3 to 4 L of water a day, get abundant healthy fats, and add turmeric and ginger to your diet. This is then translated into a 14-day alkaline life plan with corresponding shopping lists; plus advice on sleep and on eating out. I'm sure that every reader of this journal would benefit from implementing some of the basics suggested here – I myself will be setting out on this path while retaining some flexibility as advised!