The Alkaline Cookbook

The Alkaline Cookbook

An alkaline diet rebalances the body's pH, which is the secret to good health and longevity. Within The Alkaline Cookbook are tips on creating an alkaline kitchen alongside 100 recipes for every level of skill, specially developed by the chefs at the world's oldest detox clinic, the FX Mayr Health Centre, Dr Stephan Domenig and Heinz Erlacher.

What is pH? pH is the measure of alkalinity within your body, measured on a scale of 0 to 14. The higher the pH number, the more alkaline; anything below 7 is in the acidic range, which is considered bad for your health. For optimal health a person should be slightly alkaline – ideally around 7.4 – but a Western lifestyle of too many processed foods, coffee, sugar and alcohol means we are generally much more acidic.

The Alkaline Cookbook follows on from the success of The Alkaline Cure and focuses on restoring balance to an acidic body by increasing the intake of alkaline foods and rediscovering a life that is at one with our natural rhythms.

This pioneering new cookbook is packed with delicious, easy recipes. In Spring, start the day with wild garlic leaves and nettle, in Summer cool down with watermelon gazpacho; in Autumn enjoy a hearty potato, porcini, faro and chestnut stew; and in Winter treat yourself to a rich amaranth chocolate cake, there are no deprivations.

The Alkaline Cookbook is specifically designed to help rebalance our pH and stabilise the body's alkalinity, reboot metabolism and revitalise our body for increased health, energy and well-being.

The Mayr Clinic in Austria is one of the world's best known clinics for restoring health.

Dr Stephan Domenig is the medical director at The Original F.X. Mayr Health Centre and has helped countless people lose weight, regain control over what they eat and feel better about themselves. He is fully trained in Mayr theory with certifications in general and emergency medicine, orthomolecular medicine, applied kinesiology, chronobiology and chiropractics.

The Alkaline Cookbook
Penguin Random House
Author:Dr Stephan Domenig
RRP: $29.99

Sweet Potato SOUP with Ginger, Garlic, Chilli and Coconut Milk

The sweet potato is a wonderful alkaline staple. This is a Thai soup that uses coconut milk and stock. Use as much or little chilli as you like. The coconut butter has a high heat threshold, so is useful in Asian cooking.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut butter

1 tablespoon ginger root
2 garlic cloves
Chilli to taste
200ml coconut milk
300ml vegetable stock
450g sweet potato
Rock salt
Coriander

Method
In a wok or wide, deep frying pan melt the coconut butter (you can use the thick cream on top of the tin) and let it warm through. Dice the ginger, garlic and chilli and slow-fry for two or three minutes – don't let them burn. Add the coconut milk and stock. Peel and cube the sweet potato, add to the pan and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Blend until very fine. Drain and season with rock salt. Scatter with chopped coriander.

Baked Apple with Cinnamon, Star Anise, Vanilla and Lemon

This is a real winter classic, and is simple but very rewarding.

Ingredients

1 cooking apple
25g raisins and sultanas
1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 vanilla pod

1 tablespoon crème fraîche
Flaked almonds

Method
Core the apple and stuff with the raisins and sultanas. Make a parcel for the apple with foil. Peel the zest off the lemon and pack into the parcel with the spices and two tablespoons of water. Seal tightly. Bake for twenty minutes at 180˚C. Serve with crème fraîche and flaked almonds.

Interview with Dr Stephan Domenig

Question: What is an alkaline diet?

Dr Stephan Domenig: -The Alkaline Cure', based on the nutritional practice of the FX Mayr Health Center, an award-winning clinic that has helped thousands of people radically improve their health, is not a diet in the limiting, traditional sense of the word. It is a holistic approach to health and well being outlined through a set of simple but powerfully effective diet and lifestyle principles that will bring your digestive system into balance and help your body find its way back to its naturally healthy state. The recipes found in The Alkaline Cookbook will help readers bring this balance into their daily lives.


Question: What are the benefits of an alkaline diet?

Dr Stephan Domenig: Feeling tired, lacking in energy and a gassy, bloated stomach are sure signs that your body is suffering from too much acid. The dishes in The Alkaline Cookbook will recharge you and reset your metabolism so that you can enjoy the energy levels that you used to. The benefits of the cure are both marked and swift. Regardless of your age and general level of health, if you follow the principles you will begin to see results within weeks. Practicing awareness of your acid/alkaline balance will transform you from the inside out. The first benefits tend to be weight loss, increased vitality and improved complexion, skin tone and hair lustre. It will also reward you with stronger bones, better moods, enhanced brain function and a stronger immune system.


Question: What are the basic principles of an alkaline diet?

Dr Stephan Domenig: As mentioned above, the Alkaline Cure is not a weight-loss program, although that is one of the most popular benefits of taking on a more mindful approach the body's acid/alkaline balance. The FX Mayr approach is about finding your natural, healthy body weight. Your body wants to be healthy; it used to be healthy. We can achieve that by cleaning our system of toxins and identifying the foods and habits that will help us perform better.

The principles are simple and straightforward:

Be Mindful – balancing your body and your mind should start with an increased awareness of how your body feels, how you respond emotionally to situations and your eating and lifestyle habits. Make awareness part of your daily routine.

Learn to balance how you eat, when you eat and what you eat. Look at how you are eating, is it rushed, do you chew properly? Learn to appreciate food and allow it sufficient time in your mouth. Furthermore consider what you eat as this has the greatest effect on your body's balance. Eat food from the land around you and chooses foods specific to each season. If you take this approach and draw from the delicious recipes from The Alkaline Cookbook, stay hydrated and take exercise regularly you are sure to see and feel positive changes very soon.


Question: What types of recipes are featured in The Alkaline Cookbook?

Dr Stephan Domenig: The Alkaline Cookbook is a pioneering collection of recipes that draws upon the nutritional practice of the FX Mayr Health Center's own kitchens. This book provides over 100 delicious dishes that will improve your immune system and boost your metabolism leading to soaring levels of energy and well being. Each easy-to-prepare recipe features wholesome seasonal ingredients, bursting with alkaline energy.

The recipes are divided by season to help you make the most of the produce available at each time of year and include advice on core components such as soups, salads, teas and breads. Each season is also divided into breakfasts, soups, salads, sides, mains and desserts to help you create delicious alkaline menus. Spring recipes include pan-fried salmon with the fresh flavours of cucumber and spinach, while in summer you might want to enjoy fresh figs with yoghurt and honey. In autumn the recipes become a little heartier such as roast rack of lamb, lemon kale, parsnip and carrot mash, and in winter you can luxuriate in a deliciously rich amaranth chocolate cake.

The Alkaline Cookbook also includes an essential shopping list and an explanation of alkaline principles, making it your perfect kitchen companion to a healthier way of life.


Question: Which of these recipes holds the most memories for you?

Dr Stephan Domenig: Well, not really a memory as such, but I really like the leek and potato soup because it is virtually the classic French soup vichyssoise and goes to show that great cooking can be good for you too.


Interview by Brooke Hunter