The Greatness of Alkaline Foods, the new style

pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of something. The alkaline diet is also called the acid-alkaline or alkaline ash diet which claims to alter the pH value of the human body, improve well-being, manage weight, and more.

Blood pH generally ranges from 7.2 to 7.4. The Alkaline diet is based on the concept that a few foods can cause your body to produce acid. Alkaline foods are vital in maintaining pH balance in the body.

Experts suggest that having a balanced meal with a good blend of all the food groups is important to uplift overall wellness, rather than restricting to certain food items.

Acid foods and Acid food groups

Acidic foods fall into the acidic range of the pH scale and are different from acid-forming foods. Acidic foods have an acidic pH that doesn’t always leave acidity behind. Whereas acid-forming foods promote acidity in the body.

Acidic foods (pH 0 - 6.9): meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, grains (rice, oats, pasta, cornflakes), alcohol

Neutral (pH 7): natural fats (olive oil, butter, milk)

Alkaline (pH 7.1 - 14): fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, soy products

Most acidic foods

Red and processed meats

High phosphorus food is red and processed meats. Phosphorus, plus the high protein content of these foods, equals an even higher dietary acid load. It’s not just red and processed meat either. Eating any animal protein, such as eggs and poultry, also creates an increased acid load.

Processed grains

Refined grains include foods like baked goods, fast food, and white bread. These noms all wind up contributing to a higher acid load. Adding fruits, vegetables, and other alkaline foods to these grains can help to reduce the dietary acid load.

Dairy products

When you eat dairy foods such as cheese, milk, and ice cream, you’re eating high amounts of phosphorus. Research also links dairy with other acid-forming compounds like sulfur-containing amino acids and chloride.

Acidic fruits

Although citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit have a high pH level, they don’t create acid in your body when eaten.

On the other hand they’re considered reflexogenic foods, which can make acid reflux worse. For this reason, the National Institute of Health recommends avoiding or reducing citrus fruit intake if you have GERD (aka acid reflux).

Tomato products

Similar to citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato products have a high pH that can trigger acid reflux and make symptoms worse.

But eating raw tomatoes may be more tolerable compared to tomato products like ketchup, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. This is because raw tomatoes are slightly less acidic than their canned counterparts.

Acidic veggies

There are very few acidic vegetables, but some veggies can become acidic depending on how they’re prepped.

Benefits Of Alkaline Foods In Your Diet

One of the most important benefits of alkaline foods is that it protects bone density and muscle mass. While a high acid level in the body can cause inflammation, an alkaline diet can boost immune functions and reduce swelling and redness. By including alkaline in your diet plan, it helps in preventing obesity by lowering the level of leptin and also helps in eliminating toxins from the body.

The alkaline diet

The alkaline diet emphasizes eating fresh whole foods with a variety of fruits and vegetables and limited processed food. It allows for small amounts of animal protein and dairy while reducing refined grains, providing a wide array of nutrients. The alkaline diet encourages people to eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed meats and high-fat dairy products.

Lose Weight with Alkaline Foods

Quinoa is one of the most nutritious grains among the grains family. It is rich in protein, and phosphorus, and consists of 2 times more iron than wheat. Also, it is a good source of vitamin B, which further helps in improving the metabolic process in the body.

Lemon has a never-ending list of health benefits. It is considered to be the best weight loss ingredient for ages. It also helps in dealing with problems associated with the gastrointestinal tract, problems with metabolism, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. The most effective way to consume lemon water is by drinking it on an empty stomach. This not only helps in losing weight, but at the same time, it eliminates toxins from the body.

Basil provides beneficial plant compounds, which have antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, it helps in reducing stress and is a good sleep inducer. Taking a 1,200 mg of daily dosage of basil for 60 days helps in reducing 30 % of stress. Some people have a tendency to gain weight due to stress and so Basil is the perfect thing to go for!

Grapes Freshly extracted grape juice consists of around 70 to 80% water and many dissolved solids. Grapes also contain calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus — the elements, which are necessary for having healthy bones.

Cauliflower consists of vitamins С, А, В, and also choline, which strengthens the nervous system and helps prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the liver. The Cauliflower diet has been in the limelight resulting in quick weight loss and improving metabolism. Dishes such as cauliflower soup and broth for dinner can work wonders and can act as a catalyst in promoting weight loss.

Bananas: Although banana contains around 27 grams of carbs, the fruit can help stop weight gain because it has only 105 calories and three grams of filling fiber. Ripe bananas contain vitamins and alkali, which normalize the blood sugar level and also help in preventing acidity. Thus, can be included in the diet to lose weight quickly.

The alkaline diet - Advantages & Negatives

Advantages

The diet is heavy on fruit, vegetables, and grains and cuts back on red meat, added sugar, and processed and junk foods.

Some people find they have more energy, experience fewer gut problems, and lose weight.

Unlike some other diets, the alkaline diet does not eliminate entire food groups. People can still consume acid-forming foods; they simply eat less of them.

The diet is not expensive to maintain.

Negatives

The claims about how this diet works have not been supported by any reliable scientific evidence.

Proponents of this diet advise limiting meat, dairy, and eggs, all of which are beneficial to health and contain important proteins and nutrients.

The human body strictly regulates its own pH, which is one of the main roles of the kidneys.

A very low protein alkaline diet can help in losing weight quickly, but can also lead to several other health issues

Source & Credits

https://greatist.com/health/acidic-foods#nonacidic-and-low-acid-foods

https://www.fithealth.cyou/2021/12/importance-of-alkaline-foods-new-trend.html