You’ve most likely heard the hype around the benefits of filling your diet with foods that promote alkalinity in the body as opposed to acid-forming foods. Let’s take a look at the PH range. The scale goes from 0-14 with 7 being neutral. Anything above 7 is considered alkaline and anything below 7 is considered acidic. The human body maintains a blood PH of 7.40.
The slightly alkaline state of our blood is so essential that if a shift of even 0.1 above this range occurs in the blood PH, the blood becomes unable to deliver adequate oxygen and protect us from disease.
Drugs, medications, stress, environmental toxins, a poor diet—made up of today’s food, which is over processed and chemically ridden—animal protein, refined carbohydrates and dairy products create acidity in our bodies. The medical term for an acidic body is “acidosis”.
What are the symptoms of acidosis?
Weakened immune system, rapid aging, skin and hair problems, metabolic and weight regulation problems, prone to allergies, cannot effectively absorb nutrients, cannot effectively flush toxins, cannot properly cope with cholesterol, cannot properly regulate minerals such as calcium and, most importantly, cannot maintain high levels of oxygen.
If you recognize any or all of these symptoms as your own, you are not alone. Most North Americans currently consume a highly acidic diet without balancing it with alkaline foods. In order to be healthy we must learn to maintain alkaline diet every day of our lives.
Blood that is alkaline readily absorbs oxygen, and most diseases, such as cancer, cannot survive in an oxygen-rich, alkaline environment. At 7.4 PH, cancers become dormant and at 7.6 PH, all cancers die rapidly. Read more about the science of blood PH.
So, what can we do about it? Well, what we need to do is take a look at your diet. Pre-packaged, chemically-ridden food is everywhere we turn nowadays. It is so convenient and readily available, but is it worth jeopardizing our health? In 1964, 1 in 214 people contracted cancer; today, it is 1 in 3 females and 1 in 2 males who do so.
This has to do with how the quality of our food has completely gone down the drain.
These are highly acidic foods
Beef, pork, veal, shellfish, canned tuna, sardines, pinto beans, navy beans, canned fruit, white bread, white pasta, white rice, pastries, biscuits, brown sugar, eggs, camembert cheese, hard cheese, processed cheese, parmesan, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, jam, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, artificial sweeteners, coffee, beer, liquor, wine, pop and black tea—all of these foods are highly acidic.
If you love some of the foods in the above list, though, don’t panic: a good rule of thumb is to go by the 2/1 rule. For every acidic food you eat in a meal, include two alkaline foods with it. For example, scrambled eggs (acidic) with avocado (alkaline) and asparagus (alkaline).
Learn more about highly alkaline foods
Lemons, apples (sweet/green), root vegetables (beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips), alfalfa sprouts, leafy greens (spinach, kale), watermelon, avocado (ripe), banana (ripe), berries, celery, garlic, grapes, pears, pineapple, kiwi fruit, asparagus and parsley.
3 simple alkaline recipes to start your alkaline diet the right way
Lemon Water
When you first wake up, drink 12 ounces of fresh, filtered water with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Lemon juice is one of the most alkaline forming foods with a PH of 9.0. Our bodies can only digest 12 ounces of water at a time. This is a great way to start your day! Hydrating (which promotes healthy digestion and regularity) with lemon water has numerous benefits, including nutritional potency.
Lemons are full of vitamin B and C (an important antioxidant), fiber, magnesium, iron and calcium, and have more potassium than apples and grapes. Lemon juice is a great way to flush toxins from the body and helps with weight loss and increased energy. Pectin in the lemons is also very good for colon health. Hydration is wonderful for promoting healthy skin and the antioxidants in lemon can help to fight the signs of aging and even decrease blemishes.
Herbal and Green Tea
Instead of grabbing that cup of coffee or black tea, try an herbal or green tea. Coffee drinking has become a widely addictive behavior. It takes time to wean yourself off a caffeine addiction (with about 3—4 days of withdrawal symptoms), but the benefits will most definitely be worth it.
Benefits include: lower blood pressure, better sleep, better mood, decreased anxiety, fewer headaches, better nutrition, healthier teeth, saving money and it’s less taxing on your liver—pounds of chemical fertilizers bathe our coffee beans. Starting your day with green tea provides your body with a small amount of caffeine that won’t hurt and the antioxidants heal your body.
Alkaline Meal
The third thing you can do is start your day with an alkaline meal. A smoothie is a great way to consume several alkaline forming foods in one meal! Here is my go-to favorite recipe:
Alkaline Smoothie Recipe
- 2 Cups Fresh Spinach (preferably organic)
- 1½ Cups Unsweetened Almond Milk (Silk brand is a great carrageenan free option)
- ½ Cup Coconut Water (Check that there are no unfavourable additives)
- 3 Cups Fresh Pineapple
- 2 TS Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- 1 TS Chia Seeds
- 1 Ripe Avocado (medium)
- ½ Cucumber (medium)
If you are not much of a smoothie person (although I definitely suggest becoming one as there is no better way to get such a nutrient dense meal all in one), here are a few other breakfast recipes to start your morning with an alkaline meal. Print out this great alkaline/acid chart for reference.
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats recipe
- 1 Cup Steel Cut Oats
- 3½ Cups Water
- 1 Cup Green Apple (peeled and chopped)
- 1 TS Ground Cinnamon
- 2 TS Pure Maple Syrup
- 1 ts Vanilla
Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Set on low for 7-8 hours for a soft and smooth texture. This is an easy fiber-packed, alkalizing breakfast for the whole family. Top with alkalizing organic strawberries and blueberries. If you need a little extra sweetness, drizzle pure maple syrup on the top.
If you are an egg lover, even though eggs are acidic, you can use the 2/1 rule. Every acidic food should be balanced with two alkaline foods. A great scrambled breakfast recipe for egg lovers is:
Egg Lovers’ Alkaline 2/1 Breakfast recipe
- 2 Eggs (organic)
- 1 ts Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 Cup Spinach (organic)
Lay 5 asparagus spears (washed with ends cut off) on a tin foil lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and roast the asparagus for 12-15 minutes. Serve the scrambled eggs with a side of roasted asparagus.
Adding alkaline foods to your diet is a sure way to strengthen your immune system, fight disease, shed excess weight and feel more youthful and energized. So…what did you have for breakfast this morning?
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