When you sleep for eight hours, your body has been fasting for eight hours, so if you run out of the house without eating breakfast, you’ve already slowed your metabolism for the day, your energy levels are drained, and before you know it, you’re tired and snacking on something that’s unbalanced, unhealthy and full of empty calories.

Having breakfast prevents all of the above. Right now, I am eating a lot of morning muesli (recipe below). It takes less than ten minutes to prep and it doesn’t even have to be cooked! You can even plan batches ahead to last for 2-3 days of breakfasts. With these ingredients together, you get a lot of fiber, vitamin E as well as protein and healthy fats, which all have amazing results including sustainable energy, healthy heart, strong bones, weight loss and more!

My other go-to breakfast is alkaline smoothies (I give my ultimate smoothie formula in a later question). They are quick and easy to make, packed with superfoods, healthy fats, tons of greens. They taste great and I always make extra that doubles as my mid-morning snack.

Everything, including our diet, is truly about balance. My focus is on helping people understand how our bodies and the food we intake fuels our lives so that we can optimize our health and energy and tap into our best selves.

I start every day with a scoop of my AlkaMind Daily Greens for energy and an immunity boost. I also end every day with AlkaMind’s Daily Minerals, which helps my body and my muscles recover from a busy day by neutralizing acid build up in my body. Your body is always most acidic between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. and having the Daily Minerals 30 minutes before sleep always helps me sleep better – plus, because of its powerful ability to neutralize acid, I wake up feeling very energized and ready to rock my day.

My family, my awesome team/staff, and advisors. Every day I work with wonderful, passionate people and I am always learning something new from them. They are my rock and foundation and I would not be where I am today without them. I really do feel grateful to participate in people’s journey to better health.

I will do a detox bath for 20 minutes with two cups of Epsom salts, one cup of baking soda, and eight drops of essential oil – usually lavender or eucalyptus. I also like to make a detox tea with lemon, turmeric, and ginger. Lastly, it’s always nice to do one day a week of what I call a liquid feast, where I am concentrating solely on alkalizing smoothies, green juices, wheatgrass shots and raw soups. Our digestive system works so hard for us every day, so it’s nice to give it a little break every now and then.

I love to run. For me, it not only keeps me fit, but it is a great way for me to release some stress from my busy life. My runs used to be short, fast and very intense. The problem with this style is that it creates a tremendous amount of lactic acid; over the years, it really began to take its toll on me, affecting my muscles and joints. Now my philosophy has completely changed. I run for movement and to oxygenate and alkalize my body. Running slow (meaning, I can carry a conversation while running without running out of breath) allows my body to burn fat as opposed to sugar, and my runs are longer, safer, and health-promoting in my body. I compete in marathons and ultra-marathons – in addition to my nutrition, staying fit is a big part of my daily routine.

My family and I seem to always be on the go, so a few things I always have on-hand are alkaline-friendly energy bars like Chia Bars. I also keep pre-made trail mix in the pantry at all times for grab-and-go moments, which includes raw almonds and cashews, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes, cacao nibs, and goji berries. My family’s favorite on-the-go snack are my alkaline super power treats. They are small bars packed with almond butter, dates, flax seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, vanilla and hemp seeds.

First and foremost, I don’t call it a medicine cabinet, I call it my health cabinet. Cold-pressed coconut oil is at the top of the list because of its versatility. Every night, I put it on my skin to keep it hydrated, toned, and wrinkle free. My wife uses it, as does my 21-month old son! I also always have some lavender Epsom salts and baking soda, which I use for a detox bath (plus, there are a million other uses for baking soda). Lastly, I have a nice array of essential oils that I use on my body, in a bath, and with a diffuser, in the air.

There are a few dishes from my Get Off Your Acid 7-Day Cleanse that are staples every week in our apartment. I love making a quinoa stir fry loaded with seasonal vegetables, or Brussles sprouts with pistachios and lemon, or my marinated kale salad with Dr. Daryl’s favorite dressing (to die for)- and a night would not be complete without my vanilla coconut chia pudding.

Think progress, not perfection. Your goal is to improve your health and well-being over time. Perfection is unattainable. Try to find a balance with the 80/20 principle: 80% of your overall food choices would be alkaline (good), leaving room for 20% acidic (“not so good”).

Reading is one of my most favorite things to do. It is meditative for me, and I am constantly looking to learn and better myself. I can never get enough of these books. Here are my favs that are always in constant rotation: Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi; MONEY Master the Game by Tony Robbins; Good to Great by Jim Collins; Slow Burn by Stu Mittleman; Power vs Force by David R. Hawkins; Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

You’ve heard it before and will continue to because they are killing us in many ways we don’t even realize: Sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners, dairy and processed foods. Sugar in all forms (even moderate to high-sugar fruits) equals acid and acid is like glue in your digestive system. As far as gluten is concerned, it is in so many things from bread to pasta; if you removed the gluten from your diet, the research shows you would be removing 33% of the total acid load in your body, This can be the game-changer that you are looking for with regards to your health, and enough to push you into an alkaline state.

It might sound crazy to some but I love starting my day with 10 – 12 minutes on my rebounder (a mini trampoline.) Believe it or not, NASA’s research shows that rebounding is 68% more effective than running – and it works every cell in the body, amongst many other benefits! I know it sounds a little funny, especially coming from an ultra-marathoner, but on an especially busy day, this fits really well into my packed schedule as a doctor, business owner and husband/dad! It also is easily stored into my NYC home, which is key.

Always be prepared for the worst. I always travel with activated charcoal, oil of oregano, melatonin, elderberry syrup and AlkaMind Daily Greens and Daily Minerals on-the-go travel packets.

Activated charcoal is in case you get food poisoning, and I can tell you from experience, this saved me on my last vacation.

Oil of oregano is a powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial – if your immune system ever becomes compromised, this will do the trick. Here is another tip for oil of oregano – put a dot on your upper lip just below your nose when you get on the plane. This will instantly kill any air-borne bacteria on the plane from getting past your first line of defense.

Elderberry syrup is also a very powerful anti-viral and anti-bacterial, and research shows it’s three times more effective in beating the flu than conventional drug treatment.

If I am traveling with a time change, I take one melatonin on the plane, and one 30 minutes before sleep wherever I traveled to. I do the same on the way back (I take another on the plane, and one more before sleep when I get back to NYC). This is not about helping you sleep, that is not what melatonin is for. It is to help reset your circadian clock and help you adjust quicker to the change in time.

And lastly, I never go anywhere without my AlkaMind travel packets, they keep me alkaline,energized, and healthy no matter where I happen to be.

Time with my family. Again, it is all about balance. I can’t do without quality moments with my wife and my son. That is true happiness. I don’t care how busy I get, family always comes first.

Your breathing! Seventy percent of the toxins in your body are removed by your lungs, and breathing is so powerful it can change the pH of your blood within 1-3 minutes. Breathing shallow breaths all day accumulates carbon dioxide in your blood, which leads to acidification of the blood. Taking time to breathe deeply each day helps balance your pH levels by cleansing acid from your blood. It is also a way to fight stress and anxiety that builds up in our day-to-day, and wow, can stress wreak havoc on our bodies.

Twice a day, take a few minutes to do breathing exercises. I usually advocate for the 3-6-5 rule (easy to remember because we are breathing 365 days out of the year!): Inhale through the nose for three seconds, hold it for six seconds, and then exhale out the mouth for five seconds, then do that 10 times.

It’s a great form of meditation and relaxation with a lot of health benefits and it can be done easily throughout your day, in literally less than 3 minutes. And if you do this daily, you may even see a few pounds melt off your body.

Remember this: Just because it’s green, doesn’t mean it’s good for you and alkaline. There is a specific method to making your smoothies to ensure they are alkaline-forming in your body.

My ultimate alkaline smoothie formula consists of a large handful of my favorite greens such as spinach, kale, or Swiss chard, as well as a few extra berries for antioxidants in addition to a couple of healthy fats like chia seeds, hemp seeds, raw almond or coconut butter, or coconut oil. I will always throw in a superfood like turmeric or ginger, and as far as liquids go, I add almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk or coconut water.

My go-to alkaline juice is what I call the Dr. Green – spinach, kale, parsley, celery, cucumber, ginger, and lemon. You can drink that as is, or if you want to add a touch of sweetness, a half of a green apple or pear. I always add chia seeds in my alkaline juice to slow down the metabolization of any sugars, which helps to generate a slow-burn energy in my body. I always try to stay away from higher glycemic-index fruits like pineapple.

Costa Rica. I love the natural volcanic hot springs at Tabacon in the rainforest at Arenal Volcano. The hot springs are loaded with minerals and are very healing for your body. Then I love to go down to Mal Pais, one of my favorite surf beaches in the world. It’s very quiet with lots of great healthy local food. Nothing beats the Costa Rican mantra of Pura Vida which means ‘pure life’.

Raise your standards and get off your acid!

½ cup gluten-free rolled oats (Bob’s Red Mill)
1 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
½ cup chopped apple
dash of cinnamon

Soak all ingredients in your fridge overnight and you’ll have a delicious breakfast cereal in the morning (heated if preferred).