Alkaline Food Diet Plan

An alkaline food diet plan emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, roots and tubers. It's a diet based on consuming foods and drinks according to their mineral content and which have an alkaline effect on the body due to the ash residue these foods leave behind in your body.

The Basics

Human blood has a normal pH level between 7.35 and 7.45, making it slightly alkaline. Most of the foods we consume release either an alkaline base (called bicarbonate) or an acid into the blood when it is digested, metabolized or absorbed. With the advent of agriculture, the typical Western diet consisted of an increased consumption of acidic foods like grains, meat, cheese, milk, poultry, meat and salt -- the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables decreased. Supporters of alkaline diets believe that diets having too much acid-producing foods in comparison to alkaline foods disrupts the necessary balance and results in people who are prone to illness. As the body attempts to normalize the pH level of the blood, essential minerals like potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium are lost.

Supporters of Alkaline Diet Plans

Currently, there are no large or well-designed clinical trials that offer proof of alkaline diet effectiveness for general health purposes. Conventional doctors believe reducing consumption of salts, meats and refined grains is beneficial to an individual's overall health; but most won't promote that highly acidic diets are the cause of chronic illnesses. Conventional medicine does have evidence that alkaline diets can prevent osteoporosis, age-related muscle degeneration and the formation of calcium kidney stones.

Alternative practitioners and supporters of alkaline diet plans believe diets high in acidity are the leading cause of many chronic diseases and symptoms, including:
Having a lack of energy
Nasal congestion
Having frequent colds and/or flu
Anxiety, nervousness, irritability
Ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, benign breast cysts
Frequent headaches

Safety Concerns

As with any diet plan, it's always a good idea to consult with your doctor before starting to ensure it's safe for your body. If you have acute or chronic kidney failure, the alkaline diet is not recommended without doctor supervision. People who are on medications that affect potassium levels in the body or who have a preexisting heart disease should also make sure to check with their doctors before initiating an alkaline food diet.

Alkaline Foods

Consuming fresh vegetables, salads, nuts and oils is a good way to incorporate more alkaline foods into your diet. The best benefits are gained from eating vegetables and fruits in raw form, and by drinking 3 liters of pure, distilled water daily.

Ideally, people should follow the 80/20 rule when choosing alkaline or acid-forming foods. Eating 80 percent alkaline foods and a maximum of 20 percent acid producing foods is the ratio you should aim for during each meal. While some diets require measuring cups and scales to get the appropriate serving sizes, you can easily "eyeball" an alkaline diet by ensuring each meal contains 70 to 80 percent of alkaline foods on your plate before adding any acidic foods.

Vegetables:

Asparagus
Artichokes
Cabbage
Lettuce
Onion
Cauliflower
Radish
Swede
Lambs lettuce
Peas
Courgette
Red cabbage
Leeks
Watercress
Spinach
Turnip
Chives
Carrot
Green beans
Beetroot
Garlic
Celery
Wheat
Cucumber
Broccoli
Kale
Brussels sprouts

Fruits:

Lemon
Lime
Avocado
Tomato
Grapefruit
Rhubarb

Drinks:

Fresh vegetable juice
Distilled water
Lemon water (distilled water + fresh lemon or lime).
Herbal Tea
Vegetable broth
Non-sweetened soy milk
Almond milk

Seeds, Nuts and Grains:

Almonds
Pumpkin
Sunflower
Sesame
Flax
Buckwheat groats
Lentils
Cumin seeds
Any sprouted seed

Fats and Oils:

Flax
Hemp
Avocado
Olive
Evening Primrose oil
Coconut oil