Discover the potential benefits of an alkaline diet and when it is essential to add it to your diet in order to achieve acid/alkaline balance, plus enjoy all the foods that make up this diet.
The human body keeps itself working thanks to an internal equilibrium. Several factors cause the body to maintain an optimum equilibrium 24 hours a day, one of which is the pH of the blood. Its levels depend on the foods that you eat regularly and exercise, among others.
Benefits of the alkaline diet
There are hundreds of foods that you can eat to try to lose weight and get healthy, but it’s none other than the alkaline diet which has direct effects on the body. It helps eliminate excess toxins that acidify the body and as such prevents many illnesses.
What is the pH of the body?
To understand the alkaline diet and its health benefits, we have to understand the basic concept of pH. When we talk about the body’s pH, we’re talking about a measurement of acidity or alkalinity in the blood. It’s measured on a scale from 0 to 14. Humans should have a pH level of 7.4. This number indicates that the blood – which contains immune cells and nutrients – is in a balanced state.
Changes in the pH of the blood come as a result of not eating the right foods, or eating an excess of foods that acidify the body. When the pH is less than 7.4, the body is said to be in acidosis and when it is higher, alkalosis. The first case is more common, which is why it’s important to nourish yourself with an alkaline diet that regulates these levels in the blood.
All the changes mentioned above translate to different health problems. The first and most obvious is premature aging, obesity, osteoporosis, degenerative diseases and in serious cases, it can begin the process of different cancers, which we expand upon in our post: The secret of cancer has been revealed.
When to start an alkaline diet
When you experience symptoms like:
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Demineralization of nails and hair
- Digestive problems
- Bad breath with a sour taste
- Intestinal pain
The alkaline diet to fight acidity
For these problems and others, it’s important to balance the pH levels in the blood. The best way is to implement a diet that raises levels of alkalinity, in addition to avoiding taking synthetic medications that eat away at the digestive tract, which should be avoid by any means.
Which foods to eat to balance pH levels in the blood
To know which foods to eat in an alkaline diet, you must understand how much to eat. Specifically, nutritionists recommend a diet comprised of 80% alkaline foods and the remaining 20% acidic foods. Foods like milk, processed foods, meat, cookies, cakes and sugars are considered foods that lead to acidity in the body. You don’t have to give them up completely; it’s a matter of avoiding them in your daily diet.
On the other hand, foods that alkalinize the blood are those which work perfectly with the enzymes in the mouth, stomach, small intestine and which leave behind an alkaline residue. This category of foods is composed of seeds, fruits and vegetables, grains, beans and nuts.
Tips for eating them
To begin an alkaline diet, it’s recommended to drink fruit and vegetable juice in the mornings. For lunch, you should opt for leafy green vegetables. At night, prepare a light dinner; a dish of oatmeal with fruit is a good option. Throughout the day you can eat fruit, vegetables and purified water to keep the body hydrated.
Recipe for the alkaline diet
For breakfast
You can choose some of these foods and make different combinations so that your meal is appetizing and doesn’t get boring. This recipe for an alkaline diet is for informational purposes only; it’s recommended to consult a nutritionist who can consider the characteristics of your body in particular and adapt the diet to your needs.
Options to begin the day:
- The simplest option, drinking warm water with lemon in the morning.
- You can also start the morning with a cup of green tea sweetened with pure honey.
- Later on, you can make a green smoothie or natural fruit juice. The most common foods to include are green apple, beet, pear, spinach, berries, etc.
- You can also incorporate nuts and dried fruits, including almonds, raisins, hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts and dates.
For mid-morning
At this time of day, you can make a fresh vegetable smoothie or eat a piece of fruit.
For lunch
- You can make different types of salads for your alkaline diet, one of which could be made with steamed vegetables to which you can add nuts or fruit, like almonds or raisins.
- You can prepare some steamed sweet potatoes which will go perfectly with your salad.
- Baked fish, like salmon or tuna, which are a source of omega 3 fatty acids that are perfect for improving the health of your body.
- You can make a healthy gazpacho that would be perfect for this time of day.
Afternoon snack
At this time of day you can repeat the foods from mid-morning, including a fruit smoothie and raw vegetables.
Dinner
- For this meal, the ideal is a light dish. The most recommendable is a dish of steamed vegetables, or you can also choose a detox soup or make a vegetable soup.
Other factors that balance pH in the blood
- Doing a full-body cleanse: it’s extremely important to cleanse the body of all types of toxins that contribute to the acidity of the bloodstream. It’s recommended to stay hydrated with a liter of water per day, consuming foods that have diuretic and purifying properties.
- Exercising: in this case, exercise helps speed up elimination of toxins from the whole body. It’s recommended to start with cardiovascular exercise.
- Balancing emotional health: holistic principles confirm that the body and mind are interconnected from a biochemical point of view. Stress and tension increase the levels of acid in the body. Relaxation techniques or practicing yoga are of great help in restoring pH balance in the blood.
- Alkalinize the body: to do this, there’s nothing better than the use of baking soda, which you can use to reduce stomach acidity and alkalinize the blood, providing digestive benefits too.
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