Alkaline Foods Create a Healthier, Stronger You

Creating a Healthier Stronger You

Alkaline foods create a healthier, stronger you because the pH level of our body has an important role in how our body functions. An imbalance can create an environment where many different health issues flourish, leaving the body vulnerable to sickness, disease and premature aging. Maintaining the correct alkaline pH in the body is one of the best ways to avoid these problems.

It’s important to realize that a food’s ability to create an acidic or alkaline condition in the body doesn’t necessarily have any connection with the pH of the food itself. It’s the effect that it has on the body and the residue or “ash” that’s left behind after it’s eaten and digested that matters.

 An alkaline diet refers to a diet plan which leaves an overall alkaline residue within the body. It is not necessarily a raw diet but most foods are more alkaline and more alive in their raw form. It’s not generally necessary to give up all acidic foods, but the more alkaline foods you consume, the better your pH balance will be. A healthy goal is to eat about 80% alkaline forming foods. Here is a great overview of some important foods for maintaining a healthy alkaline level within your body.

1 – Herbal Teas, Green Tea, and Lemon Water

When choosing a beverage, go with green tea, herbal teas or lemon-infused water. Fig Juice is also an alkalizing and nutrient rich drink. Minimize or better yet eliminate soda, beer, tea and coffee, as these will have an acidifying effect in your body.

2 – Goat’s Milk and Cheese

Goat’s milk and cheese are better choices than dairy products made from cow’s milk. Cow’s milk produces an acidic reaction while goat’s milk produces an alkaline reaction like Mother’s milk. The fat globules in goat’s milk are 1/5 the size of those in cows milk, the curd in goat’s milk is smaller and lighter and more easily digested and goat’s milk is already naturally homogenized.

3 – Olive, Flax Seed and Sunflower Oil

Olive oil is considered the best for an alkaline diet. However, flax seed oil and sunflower oil are also good choices and all of these are much healthier than any of the hydrogenated or hydrolyzed vegetable and corn oils which are quite acidic.

4 – Wild Rice, Quinoa and Millet

Instead of choosing white flour and commercially produced pastries, stick to grains such as wild rice, quinoa and millet. Bleached rice and flour cause an acid overload and encourage fermentation since they are more difficult to digest.

5 – Almonds and Chestnuts

Almonds and chestnuts are both good choices for an alkaline diet. However, avoid peanuts, walnuts and pecans, as they are among the most acidic of the nuts. Almonds have a high calcium and magnesium content, and are also good for your memory. Almonds have high fiber content as well. Chestnuts are the most alkaline forming nut, have a high vitamin C content as well as some other important vitamins and minerals. Cashews, Macadamias, and a few other nuts are listed by some experts as “slightly alkaline forming” but not all experts agree on that.

6 – Raw Spinach, Kale and Lettuce

Salads made with leafy greens are always a healthy diet choice. Eating spinach raw is the best choice, because although it is one of the most alkaline foods in its raw state, it is actually mildly acidic when cooked. Dark leafy vegetable are well known as a healthy, alkalizing food and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Swiss Chard… Collard Greens… This list could go on and on.

7 – Lima Beans, Lentils and White Beans

When choosing beans and legumes, lima beans, lentils and white beans are the best choices. Other varieties such as navy, pinto and kidney beans are more acidic. Avoid Soybeans. Although they are slightly alkaline forming, there are actually a myriad of health risks associated with modern soy products, too many to list them all here.

8 – Sweet Potatoes and Squash and Zucchini

Sweet potatoes are the best choice. The alkalizing properties of the sweet potato actually draw out the excess acid in your body, and the dietary fiber helps your body naturally eliminate toxins. White potatoes are an acidic food. Squash and zucchini are good substitutes for white potatoes, since they are also alkaline forming.

9 – Asparagus, Broccoli and Onions

Most vegetables are good choices for an alkaline diet, but asparagus, broccoli and onions are especially good choices. Asparagus is high in glutathione, an important antioxidant. Broccoli contains high amounts of vitamin C, calcium and selenium. Onions are an excellent antioxidant, and they contain anti-allergy, antiviral and antihistamine properties.   Onions also help to detoxify the body. Beets and okra are also good high alkaline vegetables.

10 – Lemons, Limes, Orange and Grapefruit

Citrus fruits are a good example of foods that are acidic in their natural state, but which have an alkaline-producing effect within the body. You might expect that citrus fruits are "too acidic"; however, they are actually alkalizing because the minerals or “ash” they leave behind after digestion help remove hydrogen ions, decreasing the overall acidity of the body.

11 – Watermelon, Mangoes and Papaya

Many fruits have an alkaline effect, but watermelon, mangoes and papaya are among the best. Watermelon is extremely hydrating as it is 92% water. Papaya is another example of a fruit that although it is slightly acidic in nature is highly alkalizing in the body. Mangoes are excellent sources of B vitamins and vitamins A and C. Grapes, blueberries and apples are also excellent choices. However, cranberries, blackberries and prunes are among the most acidic fruits.

12 – Honey, Stevia, Maple Sugar and Raw Sugar

Honey, Stevia, maple sugar and raw sugar are good choices for sweeteners. Honey is nature's energy booster, it is a great immunity system builder and honey is a natural remedy for many ailments. Avoid artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Equal, and Sweet ‘N Low at all cost. They are extremely unhealthy and are quite acidic.

Learning to Make Healthy Choices

I think it is important to stress that when you take steps to improve your health with a raw or alkaline diet, care should be taken to always buy good quality, organic foods that have not been sprayed with pesticides, treated with chemicals or genetically modified in any way.  Organically grown foods taste better, have a higher nutrient content and are generally better for you than conventionally grown foods.

You will realize the benefits of an alkaline diet as you begin to substitute these healthy food choices for the foods you now eat in a conventional diet. You will begin to realize that alkaline foods are creating a healthier, stronger you. Isn’t that what it’s all about after all?

You can sign up for a great FREE 6-part e-course entitled  'Raw Food 101' to learn about a real-world, common sense approach to diet and better health.

The Raw Food Diet or the Alkaline Diet

For most people whether you are talking about a raw food diet or an alkaline diet, they see it as basically the same thing with similar results, namely a much improved food intake from the all too common, traditional western diet. There is, however, at least one key difference between the two and that difference lies in your priorities and your perspective on the changes you are making in your diet and lifestyle, again that's assuming that you are coming from a typical western diet.

From a purist point of view, a true alkaline diet is 80% raw but raw diets are not necessarily alkaline. However, in practice, the raw foodist often winds up with the same goal of 80% raw food and, for both; it is the transition from a traditional diet that is the key to continued success and lifestyle transformation.
 

A raw food diet is, typically, built on one basic premise; cooking food destroys the enzymes, leaches minerals, damages vitamins, and weakens antioxidants. All of which are true. To put it another way, raw food is alive and cooked food is dead.

Juicing or Blending is a Healthy Part

An alkaline diet (aka the acid/ alkaline diet or the pH diet) is built on one basic premise as well, certain foods contribute to acidification of your body, and some help to alkalize your body. It just so happens that most foods are more alkaline forming when they're in their raw state.

Alkaline diets are mostly raw, but raw diets aren't necessarily alkalizing, although for most people, this is splitting hairs. What we are really looking for here is a steadily increasing improvement in our former eating habits leading to better health and vitality but let’s look at this a little further.

For example, raw foodists will allow themselves to eat a certain amount of raw fish (sushi), raw dairy (cheese), and raw meat (tartare) - all of which can be acidifying. You'll also see a lot of "raw treats" in raw food cookbooks (like cookies, ice cream, etc)...which are also acidifying. While raw food diets are certainly much healthier than our conventional cooked diets and processed foods, eating uncooked food just because it’s raw isn't going to necessarily help you get your pH up in and of itself. It is the alkaline pH that creates an environment that is hostile to sickness and disease and allows your body to function optimally. An alkaline diet takes this into account and makes this the priority.

If your body is acidic, then you need to get more alkalizing foods into your diet and the way to begin to do that is to add more fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables to your diet. Think of a pyramid with green leafy vegetables at the wide bottom, colored foods like carrots, fruit and peppers, etc… in the middle and beans and nuts at the very top.

The Raw or Alkaline Diets 

Are Naturally Slimming

As you can see, foods are generally more alkalizing when they are in their raw form, but you also have to be eating the right kinds if you want to get your body back into it’s optimal pH balanced, healthier state and that is our ultimate goal, namely a stronger, healthier you. For more information on a raw, more alkaline diet, just follow this  link. Here’s to a stronger, healthier you.

To check out a great, FREE 6-part e-course and get started improving your health and energy, click here.

How Can An Alkaline Diet Transform Your Health?

Find Out How To Transform Your Health

The diet of our ancestors is completely different from the diet we have become accustomed to these days, especially in the western world. With the advancement of technology and our busy lifestyles, the types of foods we consume on a regular basis have changed considerably. With this thought in mind, your next trip to the grocery store, could be most enlightening. Just take a step back and notice the aisles and aisles of processed food items and animal products. You may also notice the next time you are thinking about where to grab a bite to eat that in some locales practically every street corner has one fast food franchise or another.

Often fad diets are to blame as well, for introducing new and extreme eating habits such as high-protein, low fat or low carbohydrate diets. In the recent years, consumption of animal products and refined food items has increased, as more and more people leave out the daily supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet.

It comes as no surprise that, these days, many are suffering from different types of allergies, bone diseases, heart problems and many others. Many health experts link recent rise in the instance of these diseases to the type of foods we as a society consume. There are certain types of food that disrupt the natural balance our bodies were intended to have. It only stands to reason that, after many years of this, health problems begin to arise. After individuals modify their eating habits, it can be expected that the prevention of diseases and restoration of health follows along.

Can a More Alkaline Diet Transform Your Health?

Our bodies need to maintain a healthy and steady alkaline to acid ratio, which is signified by the pH level of our body. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, and anything lower than 7 is considered acidic. Processed food items, meat and meat products, sweets, and some beverages and condiments generally produce excessive amounts of acidity in the body.

Acidosis, abnormally high acidity level in the blood and other tissues of the body, is the one thing that several different diseases have in common. And many health experts believe that acidosis is at least partially responsible for the many fatal diseases that increasing numbers of people are afflicted with these days.

Our bodies work to keep an alkaline pH, on the other hand, and naturally neutralize excess acidity in the body. This is where diet can play an important role. However, the bodies natural alkalinity can also become depleted at times. Typically this can occur when there's too much acid in the diet that needs to be eliminated, and we do not consume foods that replenish our body's alkalinity. Our bodies take those minerals needed to keep an alkaline pH from our bones, teeth and other places where it is needed in our bodies.

Maintaining a Healthy pH Level

As mentioned earlier, acidosis leads to many health-related problems. Dangerous levels of acid get to circulate in our body and break into tissues and organs when not properly neutralized. To prevent this, one must see to it that a healthy pH balance in the body is maintained. To offset the excessive amounts of acid in your body with diet is to increase your body's alkalinity.

Determining whether or not your pH levels are prevalently alkaline may be done with easy-to-use pH level strips which you can purchase in drug stores or medical supply stores. There are pH level strips meant for testing your saliva, and there are those meant for testing your urine.

Basically, a saliva pH level strip will determine how much acid your body is producing; normally it's between 6.5 and 7.5 throughout the day. While a urine pH level strip will tell how well you excrete excess amounts of acid; you should get between 6.0 and 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 at night.

The Dangers of Excessive Acid

One sign that you may have excessive levels of acid in your body is if you constantly experience exhaustion, headaches or have frequent colds and flu-like symptoms. But the ill effects of acidosis in the body don't stop there; you might be surprised at the wide range of diseases you may be at risk for due to elevated levels of acid in your body over time.

Depression, hyper-acidity, ulcer, skin dryness, acne and obesity are some of those linked to excessive acid levels in the body. Then there are those that are more serious such as joint diseases, osteoporosis, bronchitis, frequent infections, cancer and heart disease.

Even if you begin to drink coffee, energy drinks or even take medications for these conditions, the symptoms may be masked, but they will still continue to affect your health as you are not attacking them from their roots. No matter what medications you take (pills, anti-inflammatory and the like) your body will often only become more acidic because of these medications.

Raw, Alkalizing Foods

The Alkaline Diet Approach

To get to the roots of these health problems, the body's pH level should be brought back to normal. There are alkaline foods that can help replenish the depleted alkaline levels in the body while neutralizing excess amounts of acid. Through an alkaline diet, sufficient amounts of alkaline are re-introduced into the body, thus bringing back the pH level to predominantly alkaline.This is important because your body, in order to try to normalize its pH level, will leach minerals and nutrients from other parts of the body where they are also needed such as bones and teeth.

So how do you incorporate a more alkaline diet into your eating habits? First, load up on fresh fruits and vegetables, as they naturally are high in alkalinity, especially the green leafy vegetables. Second, you can start by cutting down your intake of processed foods. These types of foods contain chemicals that only increase the acidity of your body once they're digested. Third, begin to eliminate or at least minimize meat and meat products, dairies and alcohol. In order to succeed in your diet transformation it is best to begin by adding the positive things and then as your diet becomes full of nutritious, alkalizing foods begin to delete the unhealthy, acid forming items. This way your transformation becomes more of a positive experience, more about what you do eat than a negative one about what you don't eat. Although both factors are important, your mindset and ability to stick with your healthy choices is even more important. It's all about lasting results.

A Raw, More Alkaline Diet  Will Transform Your Health

Surprisingly, even citrus fruits like oranges and lemons become alkaline after they have been digested and absorbed by the body because of the minerals or "ash" they leave behind. As a general rule, 75% to 80% of your daily food consumption should consist of alkalizing foods. The more alkaline foods we provide our bodies with, the more efficient the neutralization of excess acids will be. Discover how you can kick start a more alkaline diet and get your health and vitality back. You'll be glad you did.

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