One of the simplest habits for promoting alkalinity in the body which gives me tremendous confidence in the overall health of my system is to add the juice of half a lemon to a cup of warm water and drink first thing in the morning. 

What happened when I switched to coffee instead? I began to crave something sweet after meals, images of brownies & lemon drizzle cakes popped up like YouTube ads, and the figures on the bathroom scales gradually crept up to a number I don’t want to mention. It turns out that Lemon Water is one of the best ways to aid digestion, boost the immune system, flush toxins and most importantly keep the body alkaline.

So why is keeping the body alkaline so important? If I let my alkaline/acid balance tip toward acid my body goes on red alert. A factory of fat cells stores the corroding acid to keep it away from my organs. Calcium, magnesium & potassium begin to leach from my body and give me agonising leg cramps in the night. The acid also restricts blood cells from carrying normal levels of oxygen which allows mould, viruses, and parasites to flourish and demand even more sugar. Negative emotions such as feeling angry or despairing about weight gain creates even more acid! Eek.

It’s incredibly simple to monitor the all important alkaline/acid balance. Simply take a pH strip wet it with saliva (or stick into urine stream) first thing in the morning and watch it change colour. These strips come in a little box with a colour chart so it’s easy to check. If the number on the pH chart slips below the ideal 7.4. simply make some dietary adjustments to bring it back to normal. Or, if I’ve let mine drop substantially, I take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in warm water morning and evening for two or three days and hey presto my levels are back to normal and the craving for sugar fades away.

Lemons are the second most alkalising agent on the planet. Can you guess the first? Happiness!

Monitoring happiness levels and imbibing a cup of lemon water first thing are two of the simplest health hacks I know.

Oh, and for those of us that love chocolate I’d like to mention eating highly nutritious home-made raw chocolate.  See Raw Chocolate Blog.