Why do you suppose high alkaline foods are getting increasingly popular nowadays? Is there something about these kinds of foods that make people want to change their diets? In this article, you will learn why alkaline diet foods are taking the health scene by storm, and after reading this, it is quite possible that you will want to change your eating habits for the better.
What is the Alkaline Diet?
Many people are confused about alkaline and acidic foods and their effects on the body. The ideal pH of your blood should be between 7.35 and 7.45, which is mostly alkaline. The truth is that the actual pH of the food itself does not matter, what matters is how they would affect the body once digested. In fact, eating citrus fruits can actually increase the alkalinity of your body. Other high alkaline foods include soy products, most vegetables, brown rice, almonds and many more.
Do foods high in alkaline work? Why would you want your body to be alkaline?
The reason why you need your blood pH level to be a bit more on the alkaline side of the pH scale is it makes your body less prone to sickness. Being alkaline also makes it easier for you to lose and maintain your ideal weight. If that is not enough, alkaline diet foods also lower your chances of contracting serious diseases like cancer.
If you are a diabetic then shifting to a high alkaline diet, and sticking to the best alkaline foods will actually make it easier for you to manage your illness. When you are more alkaline your energy levels also increase that will make you a lot more optimistic, which can actually help a lot in the recovery process.
These are just some of the perks of the alkaline diet, and for many, these are enough to convince them to switch over to the healthy side.
Guidelines for the Alkaline Diet
Now that you are a bit interested in the alkaline diet, you might want to know just what kinds of food you can eat to keep your body alkaline. First, you need to know what kinds of food you need to avoid further increasing the acidity of your body. Some of the most acidic foods that you may be eating right now include beef, lobsters, processed cheeses, fried foods, ice cream, and soft drinks. Did you know that your usual soda is so acidic that it will take more than 30 glasses of water just to neutralize just one can?
Yes, it does seem hard to exclude any one of these foods from your usual diet, but if you are serious about your health then you best cut them out completely; or at the very least, minimize your intake of these foods.
Now, onto the high alkaline foods. These foods, instead of making your blood more acidic, can make your body tilt towards the alkaline side. The great thing about the alkaline diet foods is that they can also neutralize the acidity brought about by the consumption of acidic foods.
Some foods with high alkaline content include spinach, cucumber, kale, avocado and celery to name a few. Anything vegetable that is green is usually good and high in alkaline. Green means go at the traffic lights, and it means go when it comes to vegetables as well. These vegetables are usually listed on most top 20 Alkaline Foods Lists.
Some of the foods that can vastly improve your blood’s pH level include, but are not limited to, sea salt, tangerines, limes, pineapples, seaweed, pumpkins (and its seeds), lentils, and sweet potatoes. As you can see, these foods high in alkaline are not bland at all, so it may be easier for you to change your diet than you first thought it would be.
You also need to keep in mind that some medications are extremely acid-forming. In fact, if you have a habit of popping antacids to combat your acid reflux, you are actually increasing the acidity of your body. The more you use antacids, the more acidic your body becomes, thus making it more prone to all kinds of illnesses and discomfort; which is somewhat ironic if you think about it. By eating high alkaline foods, this can combat the effects of the acid formation, and bring balance back to your body.
