| The Alkaline Diet
What am I allowed to have on the alkaline diet?
When the pH of the body gets out of balance (too acidic), we may experience low energy, fatigue, excess weight, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders.The body becomes imbalanced and overly acidic primarily as a result of three things:
- Acidic Diet Toxicity & Microform Overgrowth , (Candida, bacteria, virus, parasitic)
- Stress and unbalance of relaxation and fun time.
- Improper Elimination & Neutralization of Acids
The process of restoring pH balance begins with proper diet, exercise and nutrition. Your blood MUST maintain a very narrow pH range of 7.365 To 7.369; and if this increases your body will do all sorts of things in order to deal with excess acidity. It will flush excess acids into fat cells (which is why you can't seem to lose those extra pounds and feel unmotivated, poor digestion, aches and pains, and even more serious disorders.).
Apart from this, the body trying to maintain an alkaline environment will extract calcium from bones, nails, hair etc. The liver is also put under stress as it has to process not only fat but toxic acidic fat.
So as you can see the environment inside our body requires regulating much like your backyard swimming pool. If you don't maintain it nasties begins to grow and isn't enjoyable to use.
It is recommended to follow this diet for two weeks then slowly introduce the foods you have missed. It is best to follow the diet by approximately 70% as an ongoing health plan. Obviously don't forget to live and be happy. During the first few days it is normal to experience nausea, headaches fatigue and grumpiness. This usually only lasts 24 to 48 hours then subsides. It is ideal to drink plenty of water preferably alkaline water and exercise at least 3 times a week for half an hour. The list below is not exhaustive but will give you a good idea of foods to be eating and not eating. Some foods on the list are acidic before being digested but still make the body alkaline. Obviously if there are foods which disagree DON'T EAT IT.
Alkaline Foods
Vegetables
Alfalfa, Asparagus, Avocado, Barley grass, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Green beans, Green peas, Kale, Leek, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard greens, Okra, Olives, Onions, Parsley, Parsnip, Peppers, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Quinoa, Radish, Sea vegetables, Soy, Spirulina, Sprouts, Raw spinach, squash, Sauerkraut, Tomatoes, Watercress, Wheat grass, zucchini,
Fruit
Apples, Apricots, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Sour cherries, Currants, Dried dates, Dried figs, Gooseberries, Grapes, Raisins, Grapefruit, Honeydew, Lemons, Limes, Loganberries, Oranges, Peaches, Pears, Persimmons, Pineapple, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tangerines, Tropical fruits, Watermelon.
Drinks
Alkaline water, Coral Calcium water, Cocoa (plain), Natural fruit juices (unsweetened), Vegetable juices, Goat milk (unpasteurized), Mineral water, Natural sake, Natural wine, Purified water, Bachi tea, Dandelion tea, Herbal teas, Japanese green, Kombucha tea, Melaleuca tea
Spices Nuts and Seeds
All herbs, Cayenne pepper, Cinnamon, Curry, Flax seed, Miso, Pepper, Sea salt, Squash, Cider vinegar, Almonds, Brazil nuts, Chestnuts, Ginger, Millet, Mustard, Pumpkin, Sesame, Soy sauce, Sunflower
Sweetners
Raw honey, Raw molasses, Bee pollen, Stevia
Dairy
Acidophilus , Buttermilk , Kourniss , Milk- raw (human, cow or goat) , Whey .
Grains
Amaranth, Corn, green (fresh),
Acidic Foods
Vegetables
Asparagus tips, white Beans, all dried
Brussel Sprouts , Garbanzos , Lentils
Rhubarb
Lifestyle
Stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise.
Fruit
Cranberries, Prunes, Plums, Bananas
Oils
Avocado, Canola , Corn, Cottonseed, Flax, Grape seed , Lard, Olive, Safflower, Sunflower
Drinks
All alcoholic and soft drinks. Soda Water
Meat
All meats are acidic however you may have small amounts of fish with lemon.
Spices Nuts and Seeds
Cashews, Hazelnuts, Macadamia, Maple syrup, Tahini, Peanuts, Peanut butter, Pecans, Walnuts. All nuts particularly if roasted
Sweetners
Aspartame (NutraSweet), All candy, Refined honey, Saccharin, Soft drinks (especially colas), Refined sugars (especially white sugar, or anything that ends in "ose", such as dextrose, sucrose, etc.)
Dairy
Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Yogurt, Milk, Whey, Ice cream
Grains
All flour product , Buckwheat , Barley , Bread, all kinds Cakes , Corn, Cornmeal, corn flakes , starch and hominy , Crackers, all Doughnuts, Dumplings , Macaroni and Spaghetti , Noodles , Oatmeal , Pies and pastry , Rice , Rye-crisp
NEUTRAL FOODS
These foods are not entirely neutral however they are only slightly acid. These include: Butter (fresh unsalted), Cream (fresh and raw), Margarine Milk (raw cow's), Oils (except olive), Whey (cow's), Yogurt (plain). Fish, lamb, venison, Duck eggs
Brazil Nuts, Brussel Sprouts, Buckwheat, Cashews,
Chicken, Corn, Cottage Cheese, Eggs, Flax Seeds
Green Tea, Honey, Lima Beans, Maple Syrup , Nuts,
Organic Milk (unpasteurized),Potatoes, white
Pumpkin Seeds, Quinoa, Sauerkraut, Soy Products
Sprouted Seeds, Yogurt.
Food Combining System
Another good approach to eating is to follow the food combining system Below is an overview of it.
1 st WEEK ALKALINE / NEUTRAL
2 nd WEEK ALKALINE / NEUTRAL
3 rd WEEK ALKALINE / NEUTRAL / ACID
Some interesting facts:
Remember the higher the number the more alkaline, the lower the more acidic. 7 is classed as neutral.
ALKALIZING MINERALS
Calcium: pH 12
Magnesium: pH 9
Potassium: pH 14
Sodium: pH 14
ACIDIFYING JUNK FOOD
Beer: pH 2.5
Coca-Cola: pH 2
Coffee: pH 4
Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalinizing effect in the system.
Note that a food's acid or alkaline forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so, lemons are alkaline forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion, but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid forming.
|
