Jan has been doing some research lately on acid and alkaline states in the body and how having a more acidic state leads to more inflammation and pain and a greater risk of developing diseases like arthritis, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes and heart disease. Plus, it makes your body age faster which is never a great thing to deal with before you need to.

To check if you are having enough of the alkaline-forming foods in your diet you need to look at your plate when serving or choosing food for your meals. If your plate is at least 70 per cent vegetables and salad, then you're on the right path. If you tend to have more starchy carbohydrates and protein filling your plate with only a small amount of vegies and salad, then your proportions are heading your body into greater acidity.

Remember too, that coffee, regular tea and alcohol are acid-forming and so are sugary foods and drinks. You might also be interested to know that stress and anything that stresses your body or mind (like excess exercise, violent movies, tight deadlines) will head your body into a more acidic state. All the more reason to get into some relaxation breathing techniques and adequate exercise each day - both of which are alkaline forming.

If you have arthritis or have been getting sore joints of late, or have been feeling sluggish and tired, or even if you have put on some extra padding around the waist or hips, you could be in need of a consultation so you can learn where you might improve your balance of foods to reduce symptoms as much as possible. It's easy once you know how.

You might need to take a vitamin B complex supplement, or at least a good multivitamin that contains all the Bs. Jan believes we should all take a good quality multivitamin and mineral supplement each day to ensure we are getting enough of these essential nutrients. It is not possible to get them all through your diet unless you eat freshly picked organic foods, don't have much stress and avoid all toxins in the atmosphere and home.

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