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.

Some of what he describes I vividly remember experiencing as a child.

Blood sugar highs and lows.

Eat something with wheat, and feel hungry again less than two hours later. It was like riding a hunger roller coaster.

Sean Croxton interviews Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly.

Full audio interview here:

My Personal Experience

One of the major things in life that helped me feel better, have more energy and lose weight was learning to eat better quality foods, so that my blood sugar would be balanced. I remember in my high school days, I would eat cereal with milk for breakfast every day. Within an hour of getting to school, I had a headache and could not concentrate, on top of that I would feel tired. So between classes, I would grab a Twinkie, or other similar junk and feel instantly revitalized, – for about an hour. Then the same symptoms would reappear until lunch and so on through the day.

The as a young adult I started learning about healthy eating. Quality protein and healthy fats made a big difference in blood sugar balance and feeling a lot better overall. I also learned to like a lot more vegetables.

We would love to hear about your experience and comments, please use the comment box below, thank you.

Check out the video for a good list of the top alkalizing foods.

If you feel fatigued or have headaches allergies or depression, you may want to check out this video.

Top alkaline foods

• Lemons, (yes people think these are acidic, but it’s what is left over after digestion that counts.) I would not even add natural sugar to it. Stevia would be good.
• Watermelon, great in the summer, when in season
• Mango, papaya, melons
• Cayenne pepper
• Asparagus
• Grapes, apples, pineapple and berries, fiber rich
• Miso, tempeh, fermented foods, real sauerkraut, not store bought in a can.
• Fruit juices- this is one I would not agree with. Fruit juices can be high is sugar, even though it is natural sugar. Vegetable juices are way better. Especially, freshly juiced. An option is to make your own and use a small amount of fruit for flavor, but veggies dominate.
• Sea vegetables. Look for these at the health food store. Add to recipes.

Processed and refined foods are mostly acidic along with red meats and caffeine.

In season, locally grown foods are always best.

Add some nuts, dark chocolate and coconut and you have a nice summer healthy snack recipe.

Substitute whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand.

Yes, I used apples in this recipe, which are not in season now, but the strawberries are. I used what I had on hand. I opened the frig and pulled out what I had. It would have been a notch better to use all fresh and locally grown fruits.

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I would love to hear your healthy snack suggestions. Share with the world, by using the comment box below.

Here are the ingredients for this healthy snack recipe:

• Fresh strawberries
• Half an apple ( or substitute some other locally grown in season fruit for better results)
• Almonds
• Brazil nuts
• Pumpkin seeds
• Cashew butter
• Seaweed like laver or dulse (optional)
• Organic, unsweetened coconut
• Dark chocolate

This would make a great food for a picnic or other summer outing. This delicious bowl of goodness makes a great snack or could even be an entire meal. It contains healthy fats from the nuts as well as some protein, fiber and carbs. A much better alternative to chips, candy bars or other junk foods.
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