10 Ways to Make Your Diet More Alkaline for Better Health

Eating an alkaline diet is one of the simplest and most practical things you can do to stay healthy and prevent disease. Proponents of an alkaline diet cannot overstate its importance. She believes the overarching principle of alkaline nutrition is that the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in alkaline-forming foods, supplements, and water can help restore the body to its optimal state of balance. This, in turn, ensures the absence of ailments and diseases, filling the body with tremendous energy and vitality.

It is widely believed that over-acidification of the body can lead to chronic health problems. It is believed that bacteria, viruses and infections thrive in a highly acidic environment. In fact, pH (hydrogen potential) tests performed on many cancer patients revealed a highly acidic body environment. In everyday life, a diet that is too acidic can manifest itself in fatigue, gum and tooth problems, pain and inflammation, and premature aging.

An alkaline diet can help your body in a number of ways.

• It can help your body absorb more essential vitamins, nutrients and minerals in their natural form. Consequently, it can help your immune system better resist infections and foreign bodies that trigger body imbalances that lead to disease.

• It can help provide the means by which your body can neutralize acids and toxins that can wreak havoc on blood, lymph, tissues and cells.

• It can also help increase energy and increase strength so your body is better able to withstand the daily challenges and stress it faces.

• It can help keep various aches and pains away. Pain in different parts of the body is generally due to inflammation. This condition can be overcome with an alkaline diet rich in the mineral magnesium. As it is known to support joint and tissue health, this can help prevent arthritis, rheumatism and other annoying pains.

Starting an alkaline diet is as easy as gradually incorporating several changes and modifications into your existing diet. Although this transition requires a fundamental change in your attitude towards food, it’s important to realize that the change won’t happen overnight. The important point to remember is that small changes make a big impact.

Here are 10 steps to an alkaline diet that can do wonders for your health.

1.) Eat more vegetables and fresh fruit. Try to include vegetables and fruits in every meal. At breakfast, be sure to eat a piece of apple or banana. It may be better to take them on an empty stomach. Drinking fruit juice instead of coffee can make it better. At lunch and dinner, try adding some salad with lots of green leafy vegetables.

2.) Reduce your consumption of beef, pork, or chicken and try substituting fish (such as mackerel, salmon, trout, tuna) or turkey. The latter protein sources contain significantly less harmful fat and have more of the beneficial fats in them.

3.) Avoid eating processed foods such as luncheon meats, canned fruit, bread, peanut butter, canned soup, hot dogs, and sausage. You should also avoid condiments like ketchup, salad dressings with mayonnaise, cheese dips, and the like. These are packed with acid-forming substances that can wreak havoc in your system once digested.

4.) Reduce your sugar consumption and products made from sugar such as candies, ice cream, soft drinks, cookies, jams, donuts, puddings, chewing gum and the like. Sugary foods are also acidic.

5.) Reduce your consumption of dairy products such as milk, cheese, butter and eggs. These are mostly acid-forming foods.

6.) Eat more grilled or fried foods and less fried foods. Fried foods tend to be higher in fat and therefore higher in calories. These foods also tend to trigger higher levels of acidity in the body due to chemical interactions of the fat and oil with food and other substances in the body.

7.) Spice up your food. Most spices such as turmeric, basil, bay leaves, tarragon, thyme, coriander, dill, marjoram, cinnamon, curry, ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper contain antioxidant substances and other phytochemicals that have a positive effect on your alkaline balance and thus on your general health .

8th.) Increase your consumption of alkaline-forming grains such as quinoa, rye, wild rice and amaranth as these are good sources of vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients that form the basis of a balanced alkaline diet.

9.) Drink herbal tea instead of coffee. Coffee is highly acidic and it may be advisable to substitute herbal teas such as chamomile tea, ginger tea, lemongrass tea, fennel tea and peppermint tea to increase alkalinity in your body.

10.) drink lots of water. Aim to consume at least half your body weight in ounces of good quality water each day. If possible, choose spring water, mineral water or alkaline water. If you’re using tap water, try adding a slice of lemon or lime as these tend to increase the alkalinity of the water. Avoid drinking distilled water as it is acidic.

However, keep in mind that an alkaline diet does not mean giving up acid-forming foods. An optimal balance of consuming 80% alkalizing and 20% acidifying foods is a workable formula for maintaining healthy alkalinity levels. Too much of either food creates an imbalance, which in turn triggers the onset of disease, aches and pains.

So try to follow the above 10 practical steps towards an alkaline diet and they will gradually establish the right alkaline balance in your body. Remember that when the body’s pH is balanced, the body will reach its ideal weight and naturally correct the negative health issues.

Thanks to Edwin Bartolome

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