Why we are doing it?

Carlos, my husband, and I had great success with the Zone diet several years ago. We both lost about 65 lbs each. I stayed on it while pregnant by increasing my calories and had an amazing pregnancy. My blood pressure went down, my plantar fasciitis when away, I didn't swell.... However, we have slowly gotten away from it. We want to get back to it because we felt so good and healthy.

In addition, we were recently introduced to the Alkaline Diet and are hoping to be able to successfully incorporate both the Alkaline Diet and the Zone Diet into our lives. We hope/plan to make this a lifestyle change, not just a temporary fix to our current state of health.

The Zone Diet has gotten some flack because it became popular around the same time as the Atkins Diet and so was labeled a low carb diet. However, that is not quite true. It IS a lower carb diet, but there are carbs included balanced with protein and fat. It was developed by a biochemist named Dr. Barry Sears. It may seem a bit overwhelming and complicated at first, but it is really easy once you get the hang of it. We started with a book called A Week in the Zone that breaks down the science behind the diet and gives basic guidelines for getting started. It's a quick and easy read and I highly recommend it.

We have recently been introduced to the Alkaline Diet. I'm interested and excited about it because it seems to be the way to go to avoid health problems. Cancer cells and microbes (bacteria, viruses, fungi, worms, etc.) thrive in an acidic environment. Just about everything we eat today has an acidifying affect on our bodies....grains (bread, pasta, pancakes...), meat, sugary stuff, fast food, coffee, black tea, the list goes on...I'm still learning, I don't know much, but I will pass along what I learn. There are many, many websites with info, I found this one to be pretty good: http://nh1.ccone.com/alkdiet.html

There are also many, many, MANY food lists online. I hope to be able to compile a list that combines them all, but that will take some time so it may be a while! There are several foods that are controversial as to whether it has an acid or alkaline effect on the body. Interestingly, it isn't how the food starts out, but how it ends up after digestion that makes the difference. For example, one of the best things you can do is squeeze a lemon into a glass of water every day. It doesn't seem to make sense since lemons are so acidic. However, after they are digested, they have what is called an alkaline "ash" so they are very good for you. One of the important things I have to keep reminding myself is that the diet doesn't have to be ALL alkaline. It should be 80% to start and then 60-75% to maintain. The maintenance # varies depending on where you read.

Being on the Zone diet, we are used to incorporating cheese, chicken and many other rather acidic foods.  The Alkaline diet seems to be primarily fruits and veggies; it seems like it may be a challenge to get the protein in. However, I'm hopeful and excited to get started on our journey. I'm also mourning what I consider at this point to be a loss of certain foods that I love. However, I hope that we are able to make it work so that we love the food and don't feel deprived. It won't happen overnight, it will be a process. We still have lots of acidic forming food in our kitchen that we will be working through as we transition to an alkaline diet. I'm also a little stressed about getting Kira onboard...but she's not even onboard now, if I'm realy honest. I so desperately want her to learn and DESIRE healthy diet habits so she can avoid the weight and health issues that Carlos and I have faced.