Fitness is the ability to optimally function in our environment and stay disease free. We need to exercise and eat healthy to maintain fitness.
In an ideal world, everyone would take the time to exercise daily doing yoga, Tai Chi, walking on Ladybird lake, bodybuilding, playing sports, etc...You get my drift.
The hard part is eating healthy. Too many of us don't understand the importance of good nutrition. The ugly truth is we already know but would rather drive to a fast food restaurant. Why not? It's fast, fattening and tasty! Most fast foods are "off the charts" when compared to whole natural foods in terms of calories and acidity.
I believe a balanced body chemistry is important in the prevention of disease. Supposedly, the over-acidity of the blood and tissues is the culprit to many diseases. I have read arthritis is a common disease associated with an over-acidic diet. It has also been stated that bacteria, viruses, fungi and cancer thrive in high "acidic-sugar" environments. The body is always trying to balance itself with it's mechanism of being a "negative-feedback loop." One of the mechanisms is when our body will break down calcium from our bones to neutralize phosphoric acid in the blood to form calcium biphosphate. Post menopausal women need to critically maintain strong bones to prevent osteoporosis.
Maintaining a 4 to 1 ratio of alkaline to acidic foods is recommended. For example, my warrior diet is 70 to 80 percent alkaline. Meat, wine and some coffee in the morning-are the only "over-acidifying" calories. I always eat an abundance of kale, Romaine lettuce, spinach, sea weed with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, tomatoes and mushrooms in the beginning of my meal. I soak them with olive oil and Bragg's aminos acids. Olive oil is the most alkaline of fats. Then, I eat the meats such as chicken, lamb, fish and steak . Meats are the complete proteins necessary for the repair, maintenance and growth of our cells. Finally, I eat foods such as quinoa, sprouted grains, beans, sweet potatoes, avocados and pita breads. Some of these foods are low on the acid scale but contain a lot of valuable nutrients such as fiber and potassium. Wine has many benefits! I drink wine 3 to 4 nights a week. On occasion, I will go to Whole Foods and have a wheat grass shot or a potent shake of tropical fruits. Overall, my total weekly caloric intake is 70 to 80% alkaline!
Here is a list of alkaline foods:
garlic; beets; broccoli; brussel sprouts; cabbage; carrot; cauliflower; celery; collard greens; cucumber; eggplant; kale; lettuce; mushrooms; onions; peas; peppers; pumpkin; sea veggies; squashes; spinach; wheat grass; apple; apricot; avocado; banana; cantaloupe; cherries; figs; grapes; grapefruit; lime; honeydew melon; nectarine; orange; lemon; peach; pear; pineapple; all berries; tangerine; tomato; tropical fruits; watermelon; cottage cheese; yogurt; almonds; chestnuts; fermented tofu; flax seeds; pumpkin seeds; and nuts.
So my prescription for optimal fitness is to workout daily and try to maintain a 4 to 1 ratio of alkaline to acidic foods!