Q: Load your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables to increase the pH of your urine. Most fruits are alkalinizing (raise pH), but some do this more effectively than others. Some of the best alkalinizing fruits include: Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries Nectarines, persimmon, apples, apricots, pears, and peaches Tangerines, limes, lemons, and oranges Papaya, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and banana Grapes, raisins, and cherries Avocado and green olives Try to include fresh vegetables in every meal. Increase your portion sizes of vegetables and decrease your portion sizes of meats to help increase the pH of your urine. Some of the best veggies to regularly include in your diet are: Asparagus, celery, and artichoke Onions, endives, and kohlrabi Collard greens, mustard greens, and kale Winter squash, zucchini, and summer squash Eggplant, beets, and bell peppers Parsnips, sweet potatoes/yams, and baked potatoes Broccoli, cabbage, and okra Replace a portion of meat in your meal with legumes like beans or peas. These increase your urine pH and provide a good source of protein. Lentils are also a good alkalizer and make a healthy replacement for meat. A handful of nuts and seeds make a great snack throughout the day, and are a good way to get healthy fats in your diet if you cut down on how much meat you eat. Some nuts are especially alkalizing, such as chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cashews. Almonds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds also increase your urine pH, though not as much as the others. Rather than cooking with regular table salt, add flavor to your food with tasty herbs and spices that increase your urine pH. Cook with sea salt and black pepper, and include these other flavors in your meals: Ginger root Parsley Basil Garlic Cilantro Bay leaves Cayenne pepper Soy sauce Cinnamon While eating alkalizing foods, minimize what you're eating that increases acid in your urine. Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and dairy are big acid-formers that are common in many diets. Minimize your intake of these by monitoring your portion size base meals mainly on fruits and vegetables, with only small servings of the above proteins. Alcohol makes your urine more acidic. Drink mineral water, ginger tea, or pineapple or grapefruit juice instead these all raise your urine pH. Talk to your doctor if you think you need help to stop drinking. Take a plant-based dietary product, or "green food" extract. Use it for a week as indicated on the label. This may effectively raise the pH of your urine and increase alkalinity in your body. An example of a product that has been studied is Greens+, a product by Genuine Health from Toronto, Canada.
A: Eat a lot of fruit. Increases your veggie intake. Replace the meat in your meals. Snack on nuts and seeds. Season your food with alkalizing herbs and spices. Decrease your intake of acid-forming foods. Stop drinking alcohol. Take a plant-based supplement to raise pH.

Q: Use a sharp paring knife to pierce the spaghetti squash in 10 to 15 places, spacing the cuts evenly apart. It is very important that you pierce the squash before microwaving it. Otherwise, it could overheat and explode in the microwave. Piercing the squash can be difficult, and you may need to use a forceful, stabbing motion to successfully work the knife through the exterior. Work carefully, however, so that you do not accidentally cut yourself in the process. Do not follow the preparation instructions for cutting the squash. The squash should be soft enough to pierce with a fork when done. If your microwave does not have a rotating turntable inside, rotate the squash 180 degrees after 5 or 6 minutes to make sure that it cooks evenly. You do not need to it to be cool to the touch, but allowing the squash to cool down for a few minutes will give it time to release some of the hottest steam and liquid through the cut marks. Use a sharp knife to cut the squash open lengthwise, from top to bottom. Wear oven mitts or hold the squash with a towel as you do this. It will still be hot. Cutting the squash open should be very easy. If it isn't, you may need to microwave it for another 2 to 3 minutes. Dig the seeds out with a metal spoon. The stringy pulp connected to the seeds should also come out, but be careful to avoid scraping out strands of flesh.
A:
Pierce the squash instead of cutting it. Microwave the squash for 10 to 12 minutes. Let it cool for several minutes. Cut the squash open. Scrape out the seeds.