Alkaline diets have become fairly popular over the past few years, and for sure they are a great way at achieving the best health possible too. Maintaining neutral alkaline and acidic levels of the blood and body fluids, generally indicate that the body’s PH is well oxygenated, which is absolutely beneficial against warding off disease. However, many people may not understand about The Alkaline diet and how it works. So I did a little research for you (and of course for me too).
From what I have discovered the principle appears to be really quite simple. The diet’s main focus is on helping the body regain or even maintain a neutral PH balance through healthy, alkaline foods, and thereby aid in facilitating recovery of the body/blood PH from an acidic state cause by a primary consumption of over-processed foods which is common in our domesticated U.S. diet where optimal nutrition was inevitably lost. So instead of focusing on foods that are high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol (i.e. ‘food duds’ I call them), an Alkaline diet primarily consists of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy whole grains, wholesome protein sources such as those derived from soy, beans and legumes, and healthy oils consisting of those such as olive, coconut, grapeseed, and flax seed.
These foods may be either alkaline or acid in their natural state, but they all produce what is termed as an “alkaline ash” once digested and metabolized by the body. When the body’s pH is kept at a slightly alkaline level, all the systems can work more efficiently. `~AcidAlkalineDiet.com~
So consuming diet rich alkaline-producing foods appear be to rather simple, and most fresh fruits and vegetables are excellent choices, as you can’t go wrong with fruits and veggies, at least that’s what I always tell myself. However, be wary as red meat is not a good choice, because it is highly acidic, but don’t worry this diet allows you to compensate by adding protein to your meals by using soy products, Tofu, beans and legumes, as well as some seeds and nuts.
Furthermore, the Alkaline diet advises eliminating unhealthy fats (esp. the “artery clogging” ones such as trans-fats) from your diet, and include good fats such as olive, canola, and flax seed oils in your cooking. This diet also recommends that high fat dairy products be avoided, with the exception of drinking soy and goat’s milk, and cheeses made from soy milk and goat’s milk are also deemed as better choices too.
The Acid Alkaline Diet replaces the empty calories of soda with herbal teas and lemon water. Which is not a bad idea I must admit. Coffee is also discouraged in exchange for hot herbal or green teas. Pasta is replaced with healthy whole grains such as wild rice, millet and quinoa. For sweetening your foods, the focus is on natural products such as raw sugar, Stevia and maple sugar to get the job done.
Anyway, that’s my condensed explanation of the Alkaline diet which appear to include several healthy and nutritious food choices consisting of high alkalizing properties. So as far as this Organic Health Foodie is concerned, I absolutely believe and agree it is vitally important to keep the body alkalized for optimal and vibrant health, and I try to make sure my own food choices reflect this too—so no more “food duds” for me, just high quality organics! How about you? Be sure to leave your comments below.
If you’re interested in giving it a try or for a more detailed explanation about how the Alkaline diet works and why alkaline foods are highly and even recommended by some doctors for better health, you can trek on over to AcidAlkalineDiet.com for more information.