Use this guide to help you obtain your goals and get started on a healthier routine

• Spend some time visualizing what you would like your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being to look like.
• Start by writing down your goals and the health issues or conditions that you would like to see improved. 
• Measure and record your weight.

• It’s always helpful to have a journal to refer back to in this process. It is a sure way to keep you on track with your new healthy plan.
• You can test your pH level by doing the saliva pH test or the urine pH test. Test your pH level periodically during the process of your change in diet and be sure to include this in your journal.

• Your body heals itself at night, while you are sleeping. Therefore, you must get plenty of rest.
• Allow yourself more time to rest, especially in the beginning when your body is in high cleansing mode.
• If you are having a hard time sleeping at night, try exercising during the day so your body is ready for sleep.
• Rebounding on a mini trampoline and exercises like yoga are very healing for your lymphatic system, which is one way your body rids itself of toxic waste.

• Drink half of your weight in ounces each day to maintain hydration. So if you weight 150 lbs, you should drink 75 ounces (that’s slightly larger than a 2-liter bottle) a day of quality water. This is so important as 98% of Americans remain chronically dehydrated.
• Keeping your body well hydrated is extremely important in this cleansing process because it alkalizes your body; you can further alkalize your body by squeezing lemon juice into your water daily.
• Drinking fluids at meals will dilute the digestive juices and slow the digestive process. Leave a half hour between fluids (including broths) and meals.
• Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.
• Your body needs as much water in cold weather as it does in warm weather.
• Your body loses as much water when you are sleep as when you are awake.
• Research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

• Organic is always best if possible.
• The more you consume fruits and vegetables, the better it is for you. Not only are they powerful healers, they have an alkalizing effect on our bodies.
• Approximately 80% of your daily nutritional intake should come from fruits and vegetables, with lots of leafy greens.

• By eating a wide variety of green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and sprouts you’ll have the daily protein needs your body requires. 
• Vegetable proteins are easily used by your body compared to animal proteins, and they pack huge healing qualities to boot!
• Vegetable protein helps to alkalize your body, whereas animal protein is acidic.

• Use organic coconut oil for cooking.
• For raw recipes use healthy oils like extra virgin olive, flax seed, and hemp oil.
• Clear your kitchen of all the foods that contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
• Use coconut oil and avocados as a substitute for butter and margarine. Avocados are healthy fats that can boost your health and provide vitamins and minerals for your body.
• Change your habits from eating processed junk foods, to eating natural and healthy foods like fruits, nuts, seeds, and veggies; then you will no longer crave the Standard American Diet (SAD).

• Teach your taste buds to appreciate the natural sugars in fruits and avoid additional sugars and artificial sweeteners. Sugar is acidic to our body and causes a lot of problems by overwhelming our immune systems.
• Enjoy lots of deserts made with healthy ingredients instead of skipping deserts.
• Use Himalayan sea salt because it has lots of minerals and trace elements and is easier for your body to use; instead of refined bleached table salt.
• Research the spices and herbs in your kitchen and look for ways to increase your use of them. Your cravings for salt and sugar will start to diminish.

• Meat, eggs and other dairy products have an acidifying effect on the chemistry of our body.
• I like the approach of consuming animal products as condiments.
• Coconut and almond milk can be substituted for cow’s milk. If you use commercial brands, buy ones without harmful carrageenan ingredient.

• Fruits are the easiest foods for our bodies to digest; and do not combine well with other foods. Eat fruits first, allow 15 minutes before you eat other foods.
• Eat starchy foods and proteins separately. Our body processes starches and proteins differently. When eaten at the same time, they cause unnecessary acidity with sluggish digestion.
• Choose grains like quinoa, millet and sprouted grains as they are alkaline. You can use steamed cauliflower in your food processor to make a rice substitute that is alkalizing.