If you want good alkalizing nutrition, but have to get out the door and down the road, this smoothie does the trick.

Powdered greens, protein powder, almond butter and purified water make up this recipe.

You can also use coconut or almond milk.

To make this you need one of those blender bottles that has the wire mesh ball on the inside. This helps to blend up the ingredients. You can even put peanut butter in the bottle according to the directions. I tried it and it works great. In this example I use almond butter instead.

Add an apple of a few slices of mango and you are good to go.

If you use almond or coconut milk, look for the kind with no sugar added.

Despite taking supplements for a decade, her vitamin B12 levels were very low.

She was having problems with her nervous system, including  hands going numb and issues with balance.

Problem is B12 can be difficult to absorb from the digestive tract.

There is really no reliable vegetable source of Vitamin B12. Some plant foods claim to contain B12, but they have B12 analogues, which actually block real B12.

Taking B12 shots is one good way to boost your B12 levels. However it is very unnatural and can be literally a pain in the butt.

In her case, she decided to start eating animal products and the result, “I feel much, much better”.

She still eats crazy amounts of vegetables. Including lots of greens and alkaline foods to balance things out.

So her formula is about the same as mine. Eat some animal and fish products (mostly omega rich seafood) and lots and lots of fresh raw vegetables.

The Omega 3 Issue Too

Another major issue with veg diets is getting enough omega 3. There are several foods which claim to contain omega 3 like flax, hemp and chia seeds for example. The problem is they contain ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid). ALA needs to be converted in the body to EPA and DHA. Most of the benefits attributed to healthy omega 3 fatty acids belong to EPA and DHA. The conversion process of ALA to DHA/EPA is very inefficient. It is also easily blocked by stress, nutritional deficiencies, toxins and more.

Test Results & Update On My Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Ep342

The tricky part is actually getting them to eat the fruits and vegetables.

This can be a challenge for adults too. A lot of people have spent their whole lives rarely eating veggies. The taste buds and attitudes need time to adjust.

So below I listed a few tricks for making veggies more appealing.

Tricks for getting kids (and adults too) to eat more fruits and veggies

• Drown it in cheese, sauce or chocolate
• Chop it up fine and mix small amount into other dishes like casseroles, lasagna or meat loaf
• Make smoothies with predominately fruit for sweetness, add stevia honey or other sweetener to make it taste better
• Use a greens powder in recipes
• My grandmother used to  slice up tomatoes and sprinkle them with sugar
• Sliced veggies go great with ranch dressing or other types of dip
• Invite friends over that like to eat healthier foods. This makes it way more cool to actually eat a vegetable.

Ok so I realize that most of this is not the ideal or perfect diet, but the idea is to move in the right direction.  A small step towards healthier eating is better than no step at all.
We would love to hear about your tricks for getting more fruits and vegetables into the diet. Please use the comment box below, thanks.

More and more people are understanding the importance of eating good healthy food, but also feeling the economic crunch at the  same time.

The video gives some good tips on the top 10 cheap healthy foods.

Not all of these are on the alkaline side of the alkaline diet chart, but remember we are shooting for 80 – 20. Serve up with a big plate of vegetables!

Top 10 Inexpensive Health Foods

• Organic eggs, cage free, an excellent source of protein. Make a vegetable omelet with garlic
• Organic plain yogurt, mix in stevia or some berries
• Raw nuts and seeds, almonds are a good alkaline choice, although tricky to find real “raw” almonds
• Berries, good source of anti-oxidants and generally are lower in sugar than other fruits like bananas
• Buckwheat, cook like rice and add fresh fruit and nuts at the end of cooking
• Coconut milk, good fats and protein
• Spinach, raw is more alkaline than cooked
• Garlic
• Wild rice
• Lentils

My favorite healthy, alkaline, budget food: Frozen vegetables. Frozen veggies are cheap and you can add them to any dish that is not so alkaline or healthy to begin with. Pick up a few bags at the grocery store and have them handy in the freezer. When your meal needs a health boost, whip out the bag and dump some veggies in the recipe.

Please share your ideas about your favorite low budget health foods below.

The key to great flavor is to use the right herbs.

Fresh herbs that you grew at home are always best.

In a pinch though, dried herbs will fill the bill.

If you have a question about herbs, please use the form below to ask your question to our local Herbanite.

What is an Herbanite? – - Just think “Herb Guru with a Hat”

Herbal Salad Dressing Recipe

• Thyme
• Olive oil, extra virgin, organic
• Parsley
• Chervil
• Chives
• Tarragon
• Rosemary
• Vinegar

You can always improvise and use what you have on hand.

I came across one booth that was serving up fresh made organic juices, smoothies, salads and raw veggie burgers.

Yes they even offered raw veggie burgers. Most people grill theirs. It was made from nuts seeds and vegetables.

There were a bit of cooked beans and rice and it qualified for 80 percent raw diet.

There were tons of booths at the Farmers Market and it was  beautiful day. Not all the food was healthy, but a lot of it was. I sampled organic pickles and passed on the custom original popsicles.

Right now my goal is to eat 80 percent raw foods each day for 30 days total. So far so good, just getting started.

The best part of this meal was the organic vegetable juice, that  I didn’t have to make. I just watched it being juiced right in front of me, from organic vegetables.

Sometimes a little creativity and persistence is needed to find good quality raw foods, loaded with nutrition.

The trick is to choose foods with a high nutritional density.

High fiber foods are a good choice.

Almonds contain healthy fat, protein and are on the alkaline side of the chart.

Sometimes when people are trying to lose weight they cut way back on calories. This can provide some weight loss, but the problem is, your metabolism can slow down, hindering weight loss efforts. Small snacks can help keep metabolisms up, without adding too many calories

Check out the video for some snack ideas.

• Cottage cheese and berries
• Trail mix – be careful, some of these have added sugar. The ones made with raw nuts are best.
• Fruit
• Sliced veggies and hummus
• Nut butter and celery sticks

We would love to hear your favorite healthy snack ideas.

All three of these side dish recipes are quick and easy to make.

The ingredient list is kept to a minimum.

Sure you could add a lot more stuff to any of these dishes to spice them up, but sometimes, quick and simple is best for people without a lot of time.

Grow Mint Indoors Video

Carrot Apple Raisin

• Stick carrots
• Raisins
• Apple
• Ginger

Minted Orange Snap Peas

• Snap peas
• Orange
• Mint leaves

Capri Salad

• Sliced Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Mozzarella cheese or substitute goat cheese for better alkaline diet choice
• Olive oil
• Cracked pepper and salt
• Balsamic vinaigrette

Please do share your recipe ideas, using the comment box below.

It is a guaranteed formula for causing excess acidity in the body. And on top of that, a sure fire plan for weight gain.

Some health food gurus say, if you are going to have dessert with your meal, just eat it first, and give it a few minutes to digest, before the main meal.

A better option is to make a healthier dessert and include some plant foods that contain natural enzymes. Pineapple and basil are both known for their digestion benefits.

The Secret to Good Pineapple

The secret with pineapple is this; it must be fresh. Canned pineapple won’t do a thing for your digestion. The best way to make this recipe is to cut up a fresh pineapple and chill it yourself. Frozen pineapple from the store is a distant runner up to be used only for convenience sake.

Grow African Blue Basil

Video: How to Grow African Blue Basil.
Special thanks to HerbFest.net

Bromelain is the enzyme in pineapple that is responsible for it’s digestive benefit. The canning process destroys bromelain. Bromelain is good for breaking down protein, this is what makes it such a valuable enzyme.

What can I say about Basil? Well it’s green for starters, almost any green plant is going to be good for the body and alkalinity. Go Green! Basil has been praised by herbalists as a tonic for digestion.

I think I will make some of this myself this afternoon and enjoy it as an afternoon snack. I still have some nice basil plants growing in my garden.

Food Enzymes

Benefits:

• Supplements the body's production of important enzymes.
• Provides a blend of enzymes to digest proteins,carbohydrates and fats.
• Provides hydrochloric acid and bile salts to help digest proteins and fats.
• Helps prevent or relieve occasional indigestion.

Pineapple Basil Sorbet, Dessert Ingredients

• Fresh pineapple, chilled / frozen
• Fresh Basil leaves, grow it yourself and pick if you can!
• Ice cubes
• Coconut milk

Stick it all in the blender and give it a whirl, super quick and easy.

Nutrition in a Pineapple

Vitamins B1, B2, B12, C, PP, carotene, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iodine, manganese

Tropical Surprise Mango Smoothie with Garden Greens.

The garden greens provide at least some locally grown ingredients.

The mango and banana certainly are not locally grown for me anyway.

Maybe you are lucky enough to live in the tropics. Maybe someday I can live where mangoes can be considered locally grown. (or at least visit often)

So Gather up Your Ingredients for This Great Tasting Smoothie

• Banana
• Mango
• Carrot
• Coconut milk
• Fresh local greens, mints are great, a lot of these came from Herbfest, learn about growing herbs
• Protein powder
• BELOW ARE OPTIONAL
• Garlic
• Flax seeds, just a few
• Milk thistle, even fewer

This can make an occasional meal replacement, or a good pre-workout or post-workout drink.