Eat better, live better, feel better : alkalize your life ... one delicious recipe at a time

602 Pages·2016·23.01 MB·English

by  Cove

Copyright © 2015 Julie Cove
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any
means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without
the prior written consent of the publisher—or in the case of photocopying or other reprographic copying,
license from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency—is an infringement of the copyright law.
Appetite by Random House® and colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Library and Archives of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Date
ISBN 978-0-14-752976-3
eBook ISBN 978-0-44901607-7
Illustrations by Rose Cowles
Doilies on ded.1 by angiemakes.com
Photos of Julie on fm3.10, 1.11, 1.12 and 2.13 by Yvonne Becker
Photos of Julie in her studio on fm1.14 and 5.15 by Kelly Brown
Live blood photos on 1.1 courtesy of Maureen Fontaine, Certified Darkfield Microscopist
Published in Canada by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada
Limited
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
v3.1

CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Welcome. I’m So Glad You Are Here!
My Wake-up Call
Is the Alkaline Lifestyle for You?
THE 4-STEP PROGRAM
STEP 1: INSPIRE: Easing Your Way into the Alkaline Lifestyle
STEP 2: DESIRE: Cleansing and Detoxifying Your Body
STEP 3: ASPIRE: Releasing Deep-Tissue Acids and Toxins
STEP 4: ACQUIRE: Maintaining an Alkaline-balanced Lifestyle
THE RECIPES
Getting Started
Guide to the Recipes
Juices, Smoothies, and Nourishing Drinks
Breakfast
Salads
Soups and Wraps
Warmed Vegetables, Legumes, and Grains
Savory Bites and Healthy Sweet Treats
Homemade Staples
Resources
Acknowledgments
Appendix

Welcome. I’m So Glad You Are Here!
The way you think, the way you behave, the way you eat, can
influence your life by 30–50 years.
—Deepak Chopra
A few years ago, I was so consumed with back pain from a herniated disk that I
lay in bed for months! I had tried chiropractic massage, acupuncture, even
surgery—all without success. Only then did I discover the alkaline lifestyle,
which completely healed my back pain and led me in a direction I never could
have anticipated. I was sooo amazed and excited by the results that I started to
read everything I could find about this lifestyle. Soon after, I started a blog so I
could spread the alkaline word, which inspired me to become a certified holistic
nutritionist and then a certified plant-based cook! The Aries in me wants to shout
the news from the mountaintop, which is really what I’m doing by writing this
book. So welcome, my friend, I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.
To understand why the acid-alkaline balance of the body is so important, it
helps to know that all living things are dependent on a balanced pH level. The
pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen, and it is measured on a scale,
where 0 is very acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is very alkaline.
Human bodies are alkaline by design, and the terrain in which our cells exist
is the environment that must be pH-balanced. In other words, the pH level of our
internal fluids—our blood and tissues—affects every cell in our body and is the
most important measurement for maintaining our health.
Healthy blood has a pH of 7.365, and the body will do all that it can to
maintain this level. However, when we eat a lot of acidic foods or experience a
lot of stress, our blood pH can start to drop in very small increments, which has
compounding effects throughout the body. The body then has to put buffering
minerals into the blood to restore the blood pH balance to its slightly alkaline
state. Over time, if the body cannot adequately neutralize the acids, they
accumulate, causing inflammation, which can leave us feeling fatigued, irritable,
bloated, or, like me, in acute pain. By balancing out the acids with alkalizing
foods, regular exercise, minimal stress, and positive thinking, we gain energy
and enjoy better health. What’s not to like?
This lifestyle has worked wonders for my own health and the health of my
husband and three kids—and it’s still working! It’s not a trendy diet or a quick-
fix plan; it’s a way of living and eating that supports the body—naturally. All
you have to do is understand how the body is designed, then pay attention to the
signs it sends you and adjust your habits accordingly.
My ultimate goal is to inspire you to take charge of your health. My secondary
goal is to tantalize you with delicious food that is simple, nourishing, and pretty
(my fetish), and that will, of course, alkalize and energize your body—for life!
This book explains the “why” and guides you through the “how”; and it contains
a four-step program to help you—the very same plan that’s helped me and my
family find long-term energy and health—plus more than 100 of my favorite
recipes for tasty, healthy food that will support your lifestyle shift. These recipes
are jam-packed with whole foods and lots of veggies. You won’t find dairy,
eggs, meat (there’s one fish recipe), refined sugar, or wheat, and there’s very
little gluten. My intention is to share this alkaline lifestyle to help you discover
optimal health without feeling like you’re missing out on old favorites!
Don’t be intimidated by any of the information or recipes. The bottom line is:
eat your alkalizing veggies, whichever way you like ’em, and balance your plate
with a little acidic food! Play with the recipes: use them as guides and don’t fuss
too much about the measurements. Worrying about what to eat all the time can
cause acidity in your body, so find your groove and just go with it, check in,
regain balance. Simple.
However you ended up with this book, you are in the right place. This is the
future of health, and I want to be your inspiration on this path to optimal well-
being. It will be an amazing journey, and I wish you all the best as you navigate
it. Check out the resource section and read, research, and learn all you can.
Knowledge will empower you to build a stronger commitment to take charge of
your own health. Flip through the pages, find your starting point, and then dig in.
Say hi on my blog, www.alkalinesister.com, and let me know how you made
out.
A green juice cheer to you from your Alkaline Sister,

My Wake-up Call
I tend to overthink and overdo things, and then become overwhelmed. But I’ve
discovered that life can be simple. All of us have the power to choose, and what
we choose dictates the change we want to experience. It’s a lesson I’ve learned
the hard way.
For many years I suffered from frequent colds, sinus infections, and back
spasms. I was a busy mother, wife, and shopkeeper, and I saw my health as the
doctor’s responsibility, like most of us do. But then the bomb dropped. The
universe delivered to me an excruciatingly painful bulging disk at my lowest
vertebra. It brings tears to my eyes remembering how helpless I felt lying flat on
my back, unable to stand for more than a few minutes before the pressure built
up and I felt like I was being stabbed. I tried every modality possible to stop the
pain—from acupuncture, laser light therapy, water therapy, and physiotherapy to
osteopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic therapy, massage,
cortisone shots, prescription drugs, and, finally, non-invasive out-of-country
million-dollar surgery!
After none of these techniques healed my poor herniated disk, and when a CT
scan that I had to practically beg for showed my disk unchanged from 18 months
prior, a chance meeting led me to alkaline health coaches. They helped me to