There are all types of diets out there — some good, some bad — but there is perhaps no diet better for longevity and staving off disease than an alkaline diet.
A 2012 review published in the Journal of Environmental Health found that balancing your body’s pH through an alkaline diet can be helpful in reducing morbidity and mortality from numerous chronic diseases and ailments — such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, vitamin D deficiency, and low bone density, just to name a few.
What is an Alkaline Diet?
An alkaline diet is one that helps balance the pH level of the fluids in your body, including your blood and urine. Your pH is partially determined by the mineral density of the foods you eat. All living organisms and life forms on earth depend on maintaining appropriate pH levels, and it’s often said that disease and disorder cannot take root in a body that has a balanced pH.
How do Alkaline Diets Work?
Research shows that diets consisting of highly alkaline foods — fresh vegetables, fruits and unprocessed plant-based sources of protein, for example — result in a more alkaline urine pH level, which helps protect healthy cells and balance essential mineral levels. Alkaline diets (also known as the alkaline ash diets) have been shown to help prevent plaque formation in blood vessels, stop calcium from accumulating in urine, prevent kidney stones, build stronger bones, reduce muscle wasting or spasms, and much more.
Why pH is Crucial to Health?
It is an imbalance of acidity and alkalinity that allows unhealthy organisms to flourish, damages tissues and organs and compromises the immune system.
What we call pH is short for the potential of hydrogen. It is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of our body’s fluids and tissues. It is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. The more acidic a solution is, the lower its pH. The more alkaline, the higher the number is.
A pH of 7 is perfectly neutral. The healthiest pH is one that is slightly alkaline. Optimally, we want a pH of 7.365. This number will fluctuate throughout the day, but the normal range is between 6 and 7.5.
Sticking to an acid alkaline diet may seem overwhelming at first, but the health benefits are worth it. Figuring out how to make better choices for your pH — with food and lifestyle — is a great start. It’s beneficial to know which ingredients to embrace and which ones to avoid, as well as identifying the alkalinizing super foods that can help you regain balance quickly.
How to Make Better Choices for Your pH?
- Choose white meat, seafood, or a meat substitute over red meat.
- Rather than rolls or fries, choose yeast-free bread or wild rice.
- Rather than cow’s milk, drink soy or almond milk.
- Create meals around vegetables, rather than meat or starches.
- Exchange alcoholic beverages for sparkling water.
- Fill your plate with plant foods first, leaving little room for acid-forming options.
- Choose veggies with dip or grilled fruit over prepackaged snacks.
- Cook with cold-pressed olive oil, not saturated fats or butter.
- Avoid hidden acids by requesting dressings, condiments, and sauces on the side.
- Choose a 30-minute walk over a 30-minute TV sitcom.
- Reduce stress. Take up meditation, yoga, or some other relaxing method to restore peace.
Reference: https://draxe.com/
