Alkalizing your diet has many positive health benefits. The standard diet in the West usually has an acidifying effect on our bodies which negatively impacts upon our pH balance. Some of the benefits that we can expect if we alkalize include, feeling more energetic and alert, improved digestion and regular bowel movement as well as better skin condition. It can also help motivate us out of feelings of malaise and give u a more positive outlook.
Anyone interested in alkalizing for health has come to the right place. This site contains plentiful information about the alkaline acid diet. There are many ways we can begin to move towards an improved pH balance as we attempt to alkalize. Eating more healthy foods which have alkali properties, primarily fruit and vegetables, as well as consuming alkaline drinks will help us fight the negative consequences of a typical acid diet.
Green drinks, made from vegetables are a great way to consume many more portions than we would typically eat. I use a Magimix juicer to create my own alkalizing health drinks. I look at the price of my juicer as an investment. Firstly I can now prepare homemade fruit and vegetable drinks for the price of the produce itself and a little effort on my part. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, the Magimix le duo juicer is an investment in my own health. It allows me to have as many alkalizing drinks each day as I care to make.
Even without a fruit and vegetable juicer it is possible to lower the acidity of our diets. Replacing acidic soft drinks with water allows us to improve the body’s pH health. Powdered alkaline green drinks like Supergreens give us the nutrients from a wide range of herbs and plants without having to prepare the vegetables ourselves.
Following the alkaline acid diet can help with weight loss but rather than being a “diet”, the alkaline diet is really just about sensible eating. There are no foods that we are supposed to deny ourselves. Instead we just have to be aware of the alkalizing potential of the foods we eat and drink. Any day where we consume less than five servings of fruit and vegetables will likely overall be an acidifying day.
I try to aim for over ten servings of fruit and vegetables a day. This may sound like a lot but considering an alkalizing juice will contain about five servings, we can see that with a further serving or two at meal times as well as snacking on fruits like apples and bananas throughout the day, it is fairly easy to exceed my target.
If you want to feel better, start alkalizing your diet today.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
fruit alkaline drinks
Following an alkaline diet requires us to consume reasonable amounts of fruits and vegetables that are said to have an alkalizing effect on the body. There are a wide variety of green alkaline drinks that can help to improve health and energy levels. However drinking spinach juice isn't always the most appetizing option.
Personally I enjoy a vegetable alkaline drink but my real passion lies in making my own fruit alkaline drinks. While the pH of fruits in their raw state is often acidic, this is not the determining factor when deciding whether a foodstuff has an acidifying or alkalizing effect upon the body.
Once the fruit is consumed and processed by the body, it is the pH of the resulting "ash" that is important to followers of an alkaline acid diet. See the reference at the end of this article for further details regarding the PRAL calculation. This formula takes the values of various nutrients from a food stuff and the resulting value determines whether a food is acid or alkaline.
While there is sometimes disagreement amongst those looking to become healthier by consuming alkalizing foods, I am satisfied that my understanding of the scientific papers is correct and that foods such as oranges and lemons are indeed alkaline. This is also the case with alkaline coffee. Even though I love drinking coffee and according to the acid diet science it is "healthy", I limit my consumption as after the energy boost I usually find there is a come down period shortly after.
So today I wanted to discuss the health benefits I am deriving from my favorite alkaline fruit juice. Well, it actually has some vegetables in there too. I am talking about carrot, orange and ginger juice. Adding double the amount of oranges to carrots ensures a sweet fruitier juice that avoids an earthen taste that can occur when drinking a higher ratio of carrots.
Particularly in the summer months when it is important to hydrate with alkaline fluids, 4 oranges, 2 carrots and a chunk of ginger provides an amazing hydration boost any time of the day. I like to have an alkaline drink at the start of each day to set my body off on the right track.
Another excellent alkaline fruit juice that I enjoy is orange and grapefruit. The ratio to which I make this drink is 3 oranges for each grapefruit that I add. The amount of liquid that comes from a grapefruit is amazing.
While I love drinking freshly squeezed orange juice adding something to the mix offers the possibility of extra nutrition in my fruit alkaline drink.
References: Remer T., Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1995; 95:791-797
Personally I enjoy a vegetable alkaline drink but my real passion lies in making my own fruit alkaline drinks. While the pH of fruits in their raw state is often acidic, this is not the determining factor when deciding whether a foodstuff has an acidifying or alkalizing effect upon the body.
Once the fruit is consumed and processed by the body, it is the pH of the resulting "ash" that is important to followers of an alkaline acid diet. See the reference at the end of this article for further details regarding the PRAL calculation. This formula takes the values of various nutrients from a food stuff and the resulting value determines whether a food is acid or alkaline.
While there is sometimes disagreement amongst those looking to become healthier by consuming alkalizing foods, I am satisfied that my understanding of the scientific papers is correct and that foods such as oranges and lemons are indeed alkaline. This is also the case with alkaline coffee. Even though I love drinking coffee and according to the acid diet science it is "healthy", I limit my consumption as after the energy boost I usually find there is a come down period shortly after.
So today I wanted to discuss the health benefits I am deriving from my favorite alkaline fruit juice. Well, it actually has some vegetables in there too. I am talking about carrot, orange and ginger juice. Adding double the amount of oranges to carrots ensures a sweet fruitier juice that avoids an earthen taste that can occur when drinking a higher ratio of carrots.
Particularly in the summer months when it is important to hydrate with alkaline fluids, 4 oranges, 2 carrots and a chunk of ginger provides an amazing hydration boost any time of the day. I like to have an alkaline drink at the start of each day to set my body off on the right track.
Another excellent alkaline fruit juice that I enjoy is orange and grapefruit. The ratio to which I make this drink is 3 oranges for each grapefruit that I add. The amount of liquid that comes from a grapefruit is amazing.
While I love drinking freshly squeezed orange juice adding something to the mix offers the possibility of extra nutrition in my fruit alkaline drink.
References: Remer T., Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 1995; 95:791-797
Thursday, July 2, 2009
green alkaline drinks
If you are researching alkaline green drinks or looking for information on green alkaline foods you have come to the right place. The alkaline acid diet promotes pH balance of the body. This is achieved by consuming alkaline foods. A high alkaline foods diet involves consuming alkaline and acid foods in a ratio of 80/20 alkaline to acid. One way to alkalize the body is by eating green alkaline foods and drinking green alkaline drinks. Alkaline greens such as leafy green vegetables have plenty of nutrition and are effective to alkalize the body.
Green leafy vegetables and green plants form a major part of a high alkaline foods diet. If there is an official alkaline diet, I am sure it would advocate the need to consume alkaline greens. Followers of the alkaline diet consume lots of fruit and vegetables every day. The reasons are many. Alkaline greens help improve overall health and well being. Consuming alkaline green drinks can help ward off illness. Scientists have shown that an alkaline diet helps reduce bone loss. Others claim that it can help with serious physical ailments as well as issues such as depression.
Reducing the acid produced in the body from eating an acidic Western diet can help improve athletic performance too. Our general wellness can also be increased through alkalizing the body with green alkaline food and drink. Eating an alkaline diet is mainly about healthy eating. Whereas some crash diets promote severely reducing calories or even using diet pills, the acid alkaline diet advocates awareness of eating healthy alkaline foods that provide the nutritional needs of our body. Green alkaline juices can help in this regard. Wanting to becoming healthier and consuming a high alkaline foods diet can work together with an exercise program suitable to your current fitness levels while moving away from unhealthier habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
What are green alkaline foods?
There are a variety of green alkaline drinks that promote health and well being. Alkaline green drinks whether made from powder or from fresh vegetables have an earthy taste with mildly astringent feeling. Some take to alkaline drinks straight away but for others, alkaline green drinks are something that might take a while to get used to. Regardless of whether you like the taste of green drinks or not, it is hard to argue that they do not help alkalise your body. When Popeye ate his can of spinach the next second he was bulging with muscles. Alkaline green drinks may not have quite that effect but they are effective at improving the pH balance of the body.
InnerLight SuperGreens is a commercial alkaline green drink that comes in powder form. Super Greens alkaline diet was created by Dr. Robert O. Young. The Inner Light alkaline green formula contains forty nine different vegetable, grass and grain products. It is much more than simply alkaline water. InnerLight SuperGreens is quite expensive so may not be for everyone. The ingredients used in this green alkaline drink are organic. Rather than consume an alkaline green drink, there is the option to take Inner Light capsules instead. Green drink is concentrated grasses and greens.
Rather than consuming a manufactured alkaline green drink, as long as you have a vegetable juicer, making your own green alkalizing green juice is possible. I feel that organic green drinks are the best. I love making my own juices and organic vegetables means I am at less risk from chemicals added to enhance longevity of the produce I eat. Simply choose a variety of greens, e.g. spinach, kale, even wheat grass if you have a wheat grass juicer, and get to work. Green superfoods help charge your whole body and improve your outlook throughout the day. If the taste is too much for you adding an apple to your green alkaline juice makes it easier to handle. Alkaline greens help fight the effects of an acid diet.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
alkalize your body
how to alkalize your body
There are a variety of ways to alkalize your body. The method used to alkalize the body that will be discussed in this health article is changing the pH of the body by dietary means through eating a high alkaline foods diet. Followers of the alkaline acid diet know that by eating more alkaline foods they can improve the body's pH balance.
Eating a high alkaline foods diet can reduce the potential renal acid load of your body. This can have a variety of beneficial health effects. The alkaline acid diet food recommendations suggest eating alkaline acid foods in a ratio of 80/20 alkaline to acid forming foods. It is argued that this will produce a beneficial pH balancing effect. Typically foods to alkalize your body are vegetables and fruits. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption means it is possible to alkalise your body by simply changing the foods you eat. Fruit and vegetables are beneficial to health not just for their alkalizing effects. They also have an abundance of minerals and nutrients.
Following an alkaline acid diet can improve energy levels, increase concentration, give a greater feeling of overall well being, make you more alert, improve health in general and ward off illness. Everyone knows the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Perhaps the person who coined this saying followed the alkaline acid diet themselves! How much fruit and vegetables you have to consume to alkalize your body depends upon your current dietary regimen. If you eat a typical Western acidic diet, comprising of high quantities of meat and processed foods, then you will require more alkaline foods than someone who is a vegan. The alkaline acid diet is not about becoming a vegetarian although doing so certainly would have an alkalizing effect upon the body. Rather, by simply increasing your alkaline food consumption and reducing the low nutrition acid foods in your diet it is easy to alkalise your body.
how do you alkalize your body?
Alkalizing the body is not particularly difficult. All you have to do is start eating more fruit and vegetables. Perhaps this is easier said than done. One of the best ways to make it easy for yourself to alkalize the body is to make your own fruit and vegetable juice. Not long ago I bought myself a Magimix le duo fruit and vegetable juicer. Using a juicer means it is possible to have about five servings of fruit and vegetables in around a pint of juice. Depending upon the ingredients you use of course. Some produce more fluid than others. This doesn't necessarily mean that more fluid makes it easier to alkalise your body though. It comes down to the fruit and vegetables you use.
Having one or two fresh juices a day helps alkalize your system and balance pH levels. Even if you changed nothing else in your diet but simply added juices to help alkalize the body this by itself would help reduce the acid load on your body. If you are trying to lose weight however, this might not be a good idea as even though juices are healthy, it would increase your total calories for the day. The alkaline acid diet can certainly be used for weight loss. If this was your aim you would want to increase your alkaline food consumption and use these to displace some acid foods in your diet that are of poor nutritional quality.
Just because a food is classified as an acid food however doesn't mean that it is bad for you. This can often be a confusing aspect for anyone researching the alkaline diet. It is not a case of acid foods being bad and alkaline foods being good. This is too absolute a view point. For example, egg yolks are very acidic foods. They are also full of nutrients. So even though they have an acidifying effect upon the body, this doesn't mean that eating acidic foods is necessarily bad. This is a very good reason not to be dogmatic in applying the alkaline acid diet to all your dietary decisions.
Ideally you want to alkalise your body with fruit and vegetables. Simply trying to eat or drink more servings of fruit and veg than you currently do is the best place to start. If you don't eat much at present you could perhaps do what the saying says and eat "an apple a day". Taking things a step further, having an alkaline breakfast of grapefruit or grated carrots is an excellent way to alkalize your body at the start of the day. How do you alkalise your body?
how I alkalize my body
Personally I feel that taking baby steps whenever you want to make dietary changes is the best way. This is how I am going about alkalizing my diet. Just gently increasing the vegetables I consume on a daily basis. My breakfast is always alkalizing as I use my juicer every morning. Then even if I don't eat masses of vegetables throughout the day I know that by the time it comes to my evening juice I will be reaching double figures for the amount of fruit and vegetables I consume in a day. It is not difficult to alkanize your body, you just have to take the steps necessary to allow you to eat the desired amount of alkaline foods. Fruits that alkalize your body are an excellent way to go.
Other ways that make it possible to alkalise the body include eating a vegetarian meal once a week, or more often if desired. This doesn't mean french fries and donuts for dinner. This kind of vegetarianism is definitely not a good way to attempt to alkalize your body. Simply because it won't work. As stated above, it is not that meat is necessarily bad for you. All that is required to alkalize your body effectively is to eat adequate quantities of nutritious vegetables.
I have found alkalizing my body beneficial mainly for the general boost to my feeling of well being throughout the day. I now sleep a little less than before I changed my diet perhaps because I have more motivation and am involved with more activities. People looking to loose weight can also prosper on an alkaline diet. This way of eating itself may not be enough to loose weight but it certainly can help with how we feel about ourselves. Used in conjunction with an appetite suppressant such as hoodia diet pills it may be a good way to feel better and reduce body weight.
To conclude, alkalizing your body is simply about getting healthier. Eating more nutritious meals whether alkaline or acid foods is going to have health benefits. Including the alkalizing aspect of the alkaline acid diet puts the focus firmly on eating adequate fruit and vegetables while limiting foods with poor nutritional values, overly fatty foods, highly processed foods, foods with additives for example. Even if you don't concern yourself with the alkaline diet, taking steps to alkalize your body will likely have positive health outcomes.
There are a variety of ways to alkalize your body. The method used to alkalize the body that will be discussed in this health article is changing the pH of the body by dietary means through eating a high alkaline foods diet. Followers of the alkaline acid diet know that by eating more alkaline foods they can improve the body's pH balance.
Eating a high alkaline foods diet can reduce the potential renal acid load of your body. This can have a variety of beneficial health effects. The alkaline acid diet food recommendations suggest eating alkaline acid foods in a ratio of 80/20 alkaline to acid forming foods. It is argued that this will produce a beneficial pH balancing effect. Typically foods to alkalize your body are vegetables and fruits. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption means it is possible to alkalise your body by simply changing the foods you eat. Fruit and vegetables are beneficial to health not just for their alkalizing effects. They also have an abundance of minerals and nutrients.
Following an alkaline acid diet can improve energy levels, increase concentration, give a greater feeling of overall well being, make you more alert, improve health in general and ward off illness. Everyone knows the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Perhaps the person who coined this saying followed the alkaline acid diet themselves! How much fruit and vegetables you have to consume to alkalize your body depends upon your current dietary regimen. If you eat a typical Western acidic diet, comprising of high quantities of meat and processed foods, then you will require more alkaline foods than someone who is a vegan. The alkaline acid diet is not about becoming a vegetarian although doing so certainly would have an alkalizing effect upon the body. Rather, by simply increasing your alkaline food consumption and reducing the low nutrition acid foods in your diet it is easy to alkalise your body.
how do you alkalize your body?
Alkalizing the body is not particularly difficult. All you have to do is start eating more fruit and vegetables. Perhaps this is easier said than done. One of the best ways to make it easy for yourself to alkalize the body is to make your own fruit and vegetable juice. Not long ago I bought myself a Magimix le duo fruit and vegetable juicer. Using a juicer means it is possible to have about five servings of fruit and vegetables in around a pint of juice. Depending upon the ingredients you use of course. Some produce more fluid than others. This doesn't necessarily mean that more fluid makes it easier to alkalise your body though. It comes down to the fruit and vegetables you use.
Having one or two fresh juices a day helps alkalize your system and balance pH levels. Even if you changed nothing else in your diet but simply added juices to help alkalize the body this by itself would help reduce the acid load on your body. If you are trying to lose weight however, this might not be a good idea as even though juices are healthy, it would increase your total calories for the day. The alkaline acid diet can certainly be used for weight loss. If this was your aim you would want to increase your alkaline food consumption and use these to displace some acid foods in your diet that are of poor nutritional quality.
Just because a food is classified as an acid food however doesn't mean that it is bad for you. This can often be a confusing aspect for anyone researching the alkaline diet. It is not a case of acid foods being bad and alkaline foods being good. This is too absolute a view point. For example, egg yolks are very acidic foods. They are also full of nutrients. So even though they have an acidifying effect upon the body, this doesn't mean that eating acidic foods is necessarily bad. This is a very good reason not to be dogmatic in applying the alkaline acid diet to all your dietary decisions.
Ideally you want to alkalise your body with fruit and vegetables. Simply trying to eat or drink more servings of fruit and veg than you currently do is the best place to start. If you don't eat much at present you could perhaps do what the saying says and eat "an apple a day". Taking things a step further, having an alkaline breakfast of grapefruit or grated carrots is an excellent way to alkalize your body at the start of the day. How do you alkalise your body?
how I alkalize my body
Personally I feel that taking baby steps whenever you want to make dietary changes is the best way. This is how I am going about alkalizing my diet. Just gently increasing the vegetables I consume on a daily basis. My breakfast is always alkalizing as I use my juicer every morning. Then even if I don't eat masses of vegetables throughout the day I know that by the time it comes to my evening juice I will be reaching double figures for the amount of fruit and vegetables I consume in a day. It is not difficult to alkanize your body, you just have to take the steps necessary to allow you to eat the desired amount of alkaline foods. Fruits that alkalize your body are an excellent way to go.
Other ways that make it possible to alkalise the body include eating a vegetarian meal once a week, or more often if desired. This doesn't mean french fries and donuts for dinner. This kind of vegetarianism is definitely not a good way to attempt to alkalize your body. Simply because it won't work. As stated above, it is not that meat is necessarily bad for you. All that is required to alkalize your body effectively is to eat adequate quantities of nutritious vegetables.
I have found alkalizing my body beneficial mainly for the general boost to my feeling of well being throughout the day. I now sleep a little less than before I changed my diet perhaps because I have more motivation and am involved with more activities. People looking to loose weight can also prosper on an alkaline diet. This way of eating itself may not be enough to loose weight but it certainly can help with how we feel about ourselves. Used in conjunction with an appetite suppressant such as hoodia diet pills it may be a good way to feel better and reduce body weight.
To conclude, alkalizing your body is simply about getting healthier. Eating more nutritious meals whether alkaline or acid foods is going to have health benefits. Including the alkalizing aspect of the alkaline acid diet puts the focus firmly on eating adequate fruit and vegetables while limiting foods with poor nutritional values, overly fatty foods, highly processed foods, foods with additives for example. Even if you don't concern yourself with the alkaline diet, taking steps to alkalize your body will likely have positive health outcomes.
Monday, June 8, 2009
acid diet
The alkaline acid diet proposes that we increase the quantity of alkaline foods in our diet and limit the acid foods that we eat. This is to help us maintain the healthiest pH balance.
Depending on where we start determines how much we will want to change the food we eat. When I started on the alkaline diet I was eating less than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. This was definitely an acid diet.
A simple way to think about how acidic your diet is to your body is to count the servings of fresh fruit and vegetables you eat in one day on your fingers. If you run out of fingers, you may well be on your way to alkalinity. Conversely, if you don't make it off your first hand, this indicates an acid diet.
Want Health then Alkalise
Eating an acid diet is not the healthiest way to live. Here are some of the areas alkalizing your diet may help with:
How to alkalize
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to start of on the alkaline acid diet is to make changes to one of your meals. This gradual approach will be less of a shock to the system and may be easier to stick with as it doesn't involve massive change all at one time.
Personally I started with the first meal of the day and thought about how I could begin eating alkaline acid diet breakfast foods. I looked at what I was eating for breakfast, typically toast and eggs. Then decided how I could replace these acidic foods to get a more alkalizing effect in the morning.
I have tried things like eating grated carrots as well as eating a grapefruit breakfast. These are good options to reduce the acidity of the diet. An even better way though simply because it is possible to increase the quantity consumed is to make fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
The official alkaline diet is not a no acid diet. Instead it is more of a high alkaline foods diet. Processed low in nutrition foods are not good for the body. This is something most people know about. People who are interested in the alkaline acid diet often consume alkaline green drinks. These can be make fresh, from powder or even taken in capsule form. It depends whether you would rather have fresh green vegetables or a manufactured product. Powdered green alkaline drinks, even though they are not fresh use a greater variety of raw ingredients compared to a fresh green juice. The advantage of fresh juice is simply that it is made from raw green leafy vegetables. The simple message seems to be, if you want health then alkalise. Not going as far as a no acid diet. This may be as harmful for the body as a high acid diet. If you want to alkalize your body, the simple message from alkaline acid diet food chart lists suggests that we should eat alkaline and acid foods in a ratio of 80/20.
A no acid diet would mean that the pH balance of your body we become unbalanced. This can result in a condition know as alkalosis. It appears that an acid diet alone is unlikely to result in this medical condition. Hyperventilation can cause alkalosis. Eating a high alkaline foods diet can help with acid diet osteoporosis. Vegetables and foods that leave a higher than neutral pH mean that the rate of bone breakdown is reduced. As we get older this can certainly be beneficial.
Alkaline acid diet foods for children are fine. Most parents are keen for their children to eat their greens. Whether we are aware of alkaline green vegetables or simply know that eating vegetables is good for health doesn't really matter. The fact that alkaline acid diet food helps us regardless of our age is the important point. I am always keen for my son to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables for a whole variety of reasons, nutritional content, water content and other alkaline acid diet issues.
Depending on where we start determines how much we will want to change the food we eat. When I started on the alkaline diet I was eating less than five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. This was definitely an acid diet.
A simple way to think about how acidic your diet is to your body is to count the servings of fresh fruit and vegetables you eat in one day on your fingers. If you run out of fingers, you may well be on your way to alkalinity. Conversely, if you don't make it off your first hand, this indicates an acid diet.
Want Health then Alkalise
Eating an acid diet is not the healthiest way to live. Here are some of the areas alkalizing your diet may help with:
- greater energy levels
- reduces aches and pains
- aids digestion
- weight loss
- increased mental clarity
- boost to vitality
- overall well being
How to alkalize
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to start of on the alkaline acid diet is to make changes to one of your meals. This gradual approach will be less of a shock to the system and may be easier to stick with as it doesn't involve massive change all at one time.
Personally I started with the first meal of the day and thought about how I could begin eating alkaline acid diet breakfast foods. I looked at what I was eating for breakfast, typically toast and eggs. Then decided how I could replace these acidic foods to get a more alkalizing effect in the morning.
I have tried things like eating grated carrots as well as eating a grapefruit breakfast. These are good options to reduce the acidity of the diet. An even better way though simply because it is possible to increase the quantity consumed is to make fresh fruit and vegetable juice.
The official alkaline diet is not a no acid diet. Instead it is more of a high alkaline foods diet. Processed low in nutrition foods are not good for the body. This is something most people know about. People who are interested in the alkaline acid diet often consume alkaline green drinks. These can be make fresh, from powder or even taken in capsule form. It depends whether you would rather have fresh green vegetables or a manufactured product. Powdered green alkaline drinks, even though they are not fresh use a greater variety of raw ingredients compared to a fresh green juice. The advantage of fresh juice is simply that it is made from raw green leafy vegetables. The simple message seems to be, if you want health then alkalise. Not going as far as a no acid diet. This may be as harmful for the body as a high acid diet. If you want to alkalize your body, the simple message from alkaline acid diet food chart lists suggests that we should eat alkaline and acid foods in a ratio of 80/20.
A no acid diet would mean that the pH balance of your body we become unbalanced. This can result in a condition know as alkalosis. It appears that an acid diet alone is unlikely to result in this medical condition. Hyperventilation can cause alkalosis. Eating a high alkaline foods diet can help with acid diet osteoporosis. Vegetables and foods that leave a higher than neutral pH mean that the rate of bone breakdown is reduced. As we get older this can certainly be beneficial.
Alkaline acid diet foods for children are fine. Most parents are keen for their children to eat their greens. Whether we are aware of alkaline green vegetables or simply know that eating vegetables is good for health doesn't really matter. The fact that alkaline acid diet food helps us regardless of our age is the important point. I am always keen for my son to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables for a whole variety of reasons, nutritional content, water content and other alkaline acid diet issues.
Friday, May 29, 2009
alkaline acid diet challenges | coffee
As an alkaline acid dietary challenge for the month of May I tried giving up coffee to evaluate whether it is a good or bad thing for me. I have been trying to eat a high alkaline foods diet for pH balance since March. In a paper published in 1995 researching the acidifying and alkalizing effects of various foods upon the body, the authors classify it as an alkaline food. So is it a case of alkaline coffee or acidic coffee? Originally when I decided to quit I was under the impression that its classification fell under acid foods. Now I believe that this is not the case. Many charts list coffee as acidic.
Unfortunately I failed on my alkaline acid diet challenge as I only lasted 20 days before a sweet old lady gave me a cup of coffee and I felt it would have been too rude to decline. However even with the shorter time frame I gained valuable insight into its effects on my body as well as how it impacts my diet.
Regardless of whether coffee is acid or alkaline, I have decided that drinking it is okay for me so long as I do it in moderation. Too much and there is always a crash afterwards. Of possibly more concern is that drinking too much displaces other drinks from my diet, e.g. water and Japanese green tea. The alkaline diet and healthy diets in general stress the importance of consuming adequate amounts of water throughout the day. There are also notable health benefits attributed to green tea.
What I dis-like about the acid alkaline diet information available online is that the majority of it suggests that we should simply use the acid/alkaline food classifications as guidelines to help us make decisions on what to eat. In an attempt to alkalize the body we must not forget the importance of nutrition. By their very nature, alkaline foods are nutritious. However many acidic foods also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals and give other health benefits.
So is coffee alkaline or coffee acid? According to many of the alkaline acid diet food chart lists, coffee is acidic. However using the PRAL calculation, the acid/alkaline ash comes out as alkaline coffee rather than coffee = acid. The thing to remember with the acid alkaline diet is that making food choices to eat a high alkaline foods diet based solely on the ash pH may not be the only factor to take into consideration. Certainly if all you are worried about is the pH balance of your body, eating alkaline foods will alkalize your body. However nutritional values as well as pH balance is important too.
What seems to affect my body more than drinking coffee is consuming decent quantities of alkaline foods, namely fruit and vegetables each day. When I am eating over ten servings per day, the adverse effects of "bad foods" is diminished. I have always known that eating fruit and vegetables is a good thing. The acid alkaline diet literature has simply reminded me of that fact and made me excited to be doing so. Anyone trying to eat a high alkaline foods diet need not worry about acidifying effects of coffee.
For my next alkaline acid dietary challenge I am planning on completely giving up alcohol for the month of June. Drinking mildly alkaline coffee is something I will do on an occasional basis.
References: Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791
Unfortunately I failed on my alkaline acid diet challenge as I only lasted 20 days before a sweet old lady gave me a cup of coffee and I felt it would have been too rude to decline. However even with the shorter time frame I gained valuable insight into its effects on my body as well as how it impacts my diet.
Regardless of whether coffee is acid or alkaline, I have decided that drinking it is okay for me so long as I do it in moderation. Too much and there is always a crash afterwards. Of possibly more concern is that drinking too much displaces other drinks from my diet, e.g. water and Japanese green tea. The alkaline diet and healthy diets in general stress the importance of consuming adequate amounts of water throughout the day. There are also notable health benefits attributed to green tea.
What I dis-like about the acid alkaline diet information available online is that the majority of it suggests that we should simply use the acid/alkaline food classifications as guidelines to help us make decisions on what to eat. In an attempt to alkalize the body we must not forget the importance of nutrition. By their very nature, alkaline foods are nutritious. However many acidic foods also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals and give other health benefits.
So is coffee alkaline or coffee acid? According to many of the alkaline acid diet food chart lists, coffee is acidic. However using the PRAL calculation, the acid/alkaline ash comes out as alkaline coffee rather than coffee = acid. The thing to remember with the acid alkaline diet is that making food choices to eat a high alkaline foods diet based solely on the ash pH may not be the only factor to take into consideration. Certainly if all you are worried about is the pH balance of your body, eating alkaline foods will alkalize your body. However nutritional values as well as pH balance is important too.
What seems to affect my body more than drinking coffee is consuming decent quantities of alkaline foods, namely fruit and vegetables each day. When I am eating over ten servings per day, the adverse effects of "bad foods" is diminished. I have always known that eating fruit and vegetables is a good thing. The acid alkaline diet literature has simply reminded me of that fact and made me excited to be doing so. Anyone trying to eat a high alkaline foods diet need not worry about acidifying effects of coffee.
For my next alkaline acid dietary challenge I am planning on completely giving up alcohol for the month of June. Drinking mildly alkaline coffee is something I will do on an occasional basis.
References: Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
alkaline acid diet diary
Today I decided to keep a complete record of the foods I ate as part of my alkaline acid diet. Plenty of what I eat could certainly be considered acid foods. However my diet is much better than at the start of the year as the amount of alkaline foods made up of fruit and vegetables that I eat has greatly increased. A large part of this increase comes from all the juices I make with my magimix le duo juicer.
breakfast: carrot (2), orange (3) and ginger (slice) juice; white rice; natto
between breakfast and lunch: 5 cups of green tea
lunch: chirashi-zushi; soba noodles; prawn tempura; fruit salad + yogurt; green tea; iced coffee
afternoon: 3 cups of coffee + piece of cake
late afternoon snack: banana
post gym: almonds (5); cashews (5); banana/soy/protein shake
dinner: white rice; tinned fish (saury); kimchi; boiled cabbage
evening juice: apple (2), spinach (1 serving) and ginger (slice) juice
Alkaline foods: 2 carrots, 3 oranges, 2 bananas, 1 portion of boiled cabbage; 2 apples; 1 portion of spinach, small serving of fruit salad
Even though thinking only in terms of alkaline and acid food my diet appears to still be made up of too high a proportion of acid foods, I am feeling much better about myself because of the amounts of fruit and vegetables I am now eating. My current goal is to ensure I eat over 10 servings of alkaline foods each day. In effect, this translates to over 10 pieces of fruit and vegetables. The majority of this comes from juicing. Something else I would like to increase is the amount of solid alkaline foods that consume. Eating more potatoes instead of rice is one simple option I can pursue.
Starting the day with an alkaline breakfast sets me up well and consuming 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables means it is easy to push on during the rest of the day to reach 10 or more servings of foods that alkalize.
Alkaline foods are really just healthy foods so the alkaline acid diet has a lot in common with a simple common sense balanced diet.
Reference: Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791
breakfast: carrot (2), orange (3) and ginger (slice) juice; white rice; natto
between breakfast and lunch: 5 cups of green tea
lunch: chirashi-zushi; soba noodles; prawn tempura; fruit salad + yogurt; green tea; iced coffee
afternoon: 3 cups of coffee + piece of cake
late afternoon snack: banana
post gym: almonds (5); cashews (5); banana/soy/protein shake
dinner: white rice; tinned fish (saury); kimchi; boiled cabbage
evening juice: apple (2), spinach (1 serving) and ginger (slice) juice
Alkaline foods: 2 carrots, 3 oranges, 2 bananas, 1 portion of boiled cabbage; 2 apples; 1 portion of spinach, small serving of fruit salad
Even though thinking only in terms of alkaline and acid food my diet appears to still be made up of too high a proportion of acid foods, I am feeling much better about myself because of the amounts of fruit and vegetables I am now eating. My current goal is to ensure I eat over 10 servings of alkaline foods each day. In effect, this translates to over 10 pieces of fruit and vegetables. The majority of this comes from juicing. Something else I would like to increase is the amount of solid alkaline foods that consume. Eating more potatoes instead of rice is one simple option I can pursue.
Starting the day with an alkaline breakfast sets me up well and consuming 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables means it is easy to push on during the rest of the day to reach 10 or more servings of foods that alkalize.
Alkaline foods are really just healthy foods so the alkaline acid diet has a lot in common with a simple common sense balanced diet.
Reference: Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791
Saturday, May 2, 2009
acid alkaline foods
To be able to follow the alkaline acid diet we have to be aware of the acidity in food. Which food groups are acid foods and which are alkaline foods? Broadly speaking, fruit and vegetables are alkaline foods while processed foods, dairy and meats are acidic foods. However do we really need an alkaline acid diet to tell us that eating more fruits and vegetables is good for us? Also does it seem strange that citrus fruits like oranges and lemons would be classed as alkaline foods? What about the conflicting information on various food charts? For example, coffee can't really be "mildly alkaline" and "highly acidic" at the same time, can it?
Firstly, we all know that eating a higher percentage of fruit and vegetables in our diets is a good thing. It ensures we get sufficient vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy. The acid alkaline diet attempts to show that there is a further nutritional benefit from fruit and vegetables, predominately alkaline foods, which is the alkalizing effect they have upon us. The alkaline acid diet proposes that it is the acidity in food which causes our body to function sub-optimally.
Benefits of eating a healthier diet, like the acid alkaline diet include, potentially reducing the risk or severity of cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disease and acne.
Typical Western diets include too much of what are termed acid foods, in too high quantities. Consuming this kind of dietary acid load may lead to a disruption in delicate alkaline acid balance in our bodies and eventually may even lead to chronic diseases through continuous borrowing of the body's alkaline reserves in an effort to rid ourselves of excess acidity. I have previously discussed negative health impacts of eating an acid rich diet.
alkaline foods
As already stated, fruit and vegetables are alkaline foods. This may seem strange when you consider that lemons have a pH of between 2 and 3. But according to the science, lemons are alkaline foods. It is not the acidity of the food itself that is important. Rather it is the protein and mineral composition which determines what sort of pH effect it will have on us.
The notion of acid and alkaline comes not from the actual acidity or alkalinity of foods in their natural state. Instead it refers to the ash the food leaves after it has been burnt, or metabolized by the body. So even though lemons are without question acidic in their natural state, after our bodies metabolize citrus fruits, they leave an alkaline ash.
A study that influences many acid alkaline food charts comes from 1995 and was conducted by Remer and Manz. The research paper, Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH, lists many foods and provides values that signify how acidic or alkaline their ash is. Some highly alkaline fruit and vegetables include, spinach, raisins and dried figs.
acid foods
Eating so called acid foods is not a bad thing in itself. Rather it is eating a diet that contains too high a percentage of acidic foods that could become a problem. The acidity of foods themselves is not necessarily the problem either. Fish, meat, bread and rice all appear to be acidic. However eating a diet that neglects to incorporate a high percentage of alkaline foods along with foods from the acidic side of the scale may lead to health problems already mentioned.
There are plenty of acid foods that are good for us in many respects. Particularly acidic foods include brown rice and egg yolks. Unless you were being dogmatic about the alkaline acid diet, many people would still want to include these in their diets. So the important point to bear in mind is that eating acid foods is fine, even to be encouraged as by virtue of their acidity doesn't make them un-nutritious foods. If you are keen on keeping your body in a healthy state of alkaline acid balance however, you must ensure that you consume plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Not only does this provide you with high levels of nutrients and minerals, they help your body neutralize the acidic effects of the acid foodstuffs that you consume.
References: Uriel S. Barzel and Linda K. Massey Excess Dietary Protein Can Adversely Affect Bone The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 6 June 1998, pp. 1051-1053 http://jn.nutrition.org/
Firstly, we all know that eating a higher percentage of fruit and vegetables in our diets is a good thing. It ensures we get sufficient vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy. The acid alkaline diet attempts to show that there is a further nutritional benefit from fruit and vegetables, predominately alkaline foods, which is the alkalizing effect they have upon us. The alkaline acid diet proposes that it is the acidity in food which causes our body to function sub-optimally.
Benefits of eating a healthier diet, like the acid alkaline diet include, potentially reducing the risk or severity of cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disease and acne.
Typical Western diets include too much of what are termed acid foods, in too high quantities. Consuming this kind of dietary acid load may lead to a disruption in delicate alkaline acid balance in our bodies and eventually may even lead to chronic diseases through continuous borrowing of the body's alkaline reserves in an effort to rid ourselves of excess acidity. I have previously discussed negative health impacts of eating an acid rich diet.
alkaline foods
As already stated, fruit and vegetables are alkaline foods. This may seem strange when you consider that lemons have a pH of between 2 and 3. But according to the science, lemons are alkaline foods. It is not the acidity of the food itself that is important. Rather it is the protein and mineral composition which determines what sort of pH effect it will have on us.
The notion of acid and alkaline comes not from the actual acidity or alkalinity of foods in their natural state. Instead it refers to the ash the food leaves after it has been burnt, or metabolized by the body. So even though lemons are without question acidic in their natural state, after our bodies metabolize citrus fruits, they leave an alkaline ash.
A study that influences many acid alkaline food charts comes from 1995 and was conducted by Remer and Manz. The research paper, Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH, lists many foods and provides values that signify how acidic or alkaline their ash is. Some highly alkaline fruit and vegetables include, spinach, raisins and dried figs.
acid foods
Eating so called acid foods is not a bad thing in itself. Rather it is eating a diet that contains too high a percentage of acidic foods that could become a problem. The acidity of foods themselves is not necessarily the problem either. Fish, meat, bread and rice all appear to be acidic. However eating a diet that neglects to incorporate a high percentage of alkaline foods along with foods from the acidic side of the scale may lead to health problems already mentioned.
There are plenty of acid foods that are good for us in many respects. Particularly acidic foods include brown rice and egg yolks. Unless you were being dogmatic about the alkaline acid diet, many people would still want to include these in their diets. So the important point to bear in mind is that eating acid foods is fine, even to be encouraged as by virtue of their acidity doesn't make them un-nutritious foods. If you are keen on keeping your body in a healthy state of alkaline acid balance however, you must ensure that you consume plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Not only does this provide you with high levels of nutrients and minerals, they help your body neutralize the acidic effects of the acid foodstuffs that you consume.
References: Uriel S. Barzel and Linda K. Massey Excess Dietary Protein Can Adversely Affect Bone The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 6 June 1998, pp. 1051-1053 http://jn.nutrition.org/
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Acid alkaline diet for healthy bones
Following on from a recent post about the science of the acid alkaline diet, I have found more research on dietary acid and alkalinity intake. These papers conclude that it appears beneficial for the health of our bones to eat more alkaline foods.
The acid alkaline diet advocates a diet high in alkali foods and low in acid foods. Typically in a ratio of 80:20 or 75:25. Foods rich in both potassium, bicarbonate are considered alkali foods. Looking at an alkaline acid diet food chart helps determine what we want to eat more and less of in our diet.
However in our Western diets there are few foods that are good sources of both potassium and bicarbonate. The scientific literature suggests that eating alkali foods promotes healthy bones and can play a positive role proactively combating osteoporosis. There are a variety of other claims made for the alkaline acid diet from re-energizing your body to preventing migraine headaches.
10 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis in the U.S. today. A further 34 million are estimated to have low bone mass placing them at increased risk. The costs associated with the disease are estimated to have exceeded $20 billion.
An acid alkaline diet is possibly a way to protect people from bone resorption, the process by which bone is broken down. Not only would there be the beneficial effects to personal health but also there could potentially be a massive reduction in health care costs associated with osteoporosis - simply by following an acid alkaline diet.
It is widely believed that our modern western diet is very different from that which early humans once consumed. Sodium and potassium intake in pre-agricultural days was 600 mg/day and 7000 mg/day respectively. Those figures are vastly different these days, 4000 mg/day and 2500 mg/day respectively. Without even thinking about it, our ancestors followed an acid alkaline diet. Perhaps not having green alkaline drinks but just through their regular diet long ago.
What most people would consider healthy eating comes close to what the acid alkaline diet proposes. Whereas consuming a diet high in meat, dairy, breads, sugar, preservatives could be considered an acid diet. The typical westerner now-a-days consumes an acid diet.
Increasing dietary vegetable intake, following an acid alkaline diet, to about ten servings per day has been proven to have positive effects on health. Even without scientific proof of the acid alkaline diet, most people would likely agree that eating more vegetables would have a beneficial effect upon our health.
Reasons to follow an alkaline acid diet
Evidence suggests that a typical western diet has an overall acidifying effect upon the body. Following the acid alkaline diet is one way we can attempt to reduce and neutralize the effects of an acid diet. This means we can get our body back into balance and gain wide ranging health benefits. Discussed above are the beneficial effects the acid alkaline diet has upon our bone health.
The scientific literature supports eating more healthily. The dietary advice promotes similar food types to that of alkaline diet supporters.
Evidence supporting the alkaline acid diet
Eating a typical Western diet which is low in fruit and vegetables while being high in protein has an acidifying effect upon our bodies. This has been proven in various scientific studies, cited below. The effect of this kind of acid diet has is detrimenal to our bones.
In a study in The New England Journal of Medicine, following a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in sweets and snacks, similar to an acid alkaline diet, it was shown that the amount of urinary calcium excretion decreased by about 25%. One theory is that the acid alkaline diet allows more calcium to be conserved for bone retention.
When we digest our food and drink, it is broken down and leaves either an acid or an alkaline "ash". Diets high in protein but low in fresh fruit and vegetables generally produce an acid ash. Our bodies have to remain in an slightly alkaline pH balance. So something needs to be done about the acidity of our bodies.
Getting rid of excess dietary acid through going to the toilet seems as obvious as it does logical. However even though this is what happens, there is a catch. Our kidneys cannot deal with any pH below 5. So if our acidic ash is lower than this the body has to dilute it, in other words, make it less acidic.
Alkaline compounds are required to reduce the pH of acidic ash in our bodies. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of alkaline ash themselves. Not eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables means our bodies may turn to our bones in an effort to dilute the body's acidic ash. Supplementing diets with chemical salts is another way to counteract the negative effect an acid ash has on our bones.
A seperate study shows that by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet, the amount of calcium excreted via urine is reduced by about 30%. This tells us that fighting an acid diet by increasing the amount of fresh produce we eat is an effective way to counteract the breaking down of our own bones.
Advice regarding alkaline acid diets
Some studies suggest it is not 100% clear whether the beneficial effects upon bone retention are due specifically to the alkali properties of fruit and vegetables consumed. Others are clear in their support for increasing the alkalinity of our diets. This is easily accomplished by consuming fruit alkaline drinks.
The beneficial effects could perhaps be due to other nutrients present. What is interesting to me is that it doesn't overly concern me if the acid alkaline diet is good because of the alkaline content of fruit and vegetables or due to their other nutritional values. The foods championed by the acid alkaline diet have been proven to have positive effects on our health in a variety of areas. That is why I am continuing to move away from an acid diet and follow the acid alkaline diet.
References:
Susan A. Lanham-New - The Balance of Bone Health: Tipping the Scales in Favor of Potassium-Rich, Bicarbonate-Rich Foods - American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 138:172S-177S, January 2008
Lawrence J. Appel et al. A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure - The New England Journal of Medicine Volume 336:1117-1124 April 17, 1997 Number 16
Uriel S. Barzel and Linda K. Massey Excess Dietary Protein Can Adversely Affect Bone - The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 6 June 1998, pp. 1051-1053
The acid alkaline diet advocates a diet high in alkali foods and low in acid foods. Typically in a ratio of 80:20 or 75:25. Foods rich in both potassium, bicarbonate are considered alkali foods. Looking at an alkaline acid diet food chart helps determine what we want to eat more and less of in our diet.
However in our Western diets there are few foods that are good sources of both potassium and bicarbonate. The scientific literature suggests that eating alkali foods promotes healthy bones and can play a positive role proactively combating osteoporosis. There are a variety of other claims made for the alkaline acid diet from re-energizing your body to preventing migraine headaches.
10 million people are estimated to have osteoporosis in the U.S. today. A further 34 million are estimated to have low bone mass placing them at increased risk. The costs associated with the disease are estimated to have exceeded $20 billion.
An acid alkaline diet is possibly a way to protect people from bone resorption, the process by which bone is broken down. Not only would there be the beneficial effects to personal health but also there could potentially be a massive reduction in health care costs associated with osteoporosis - simply by following an acid alkaline diet.
It is widely believed that our modern western diet is very different from that which early humans once consumed. Sodium and potassium intake in pre-agricultural days was 600 mg/day and 7000 mg/day respectively. Those figures are vastly different these days, 4000 mg/day and 2500 mg/day respectively. Without even thinking about it, our ancestors followed an acid alkaline diet. Perhaps not having green alkaline drinks but just through their regular diet long ago.
What most people would consider healthy eating comes close to what the acid alkaline diet proposes. Whereas consuming a diet high in meat, dairy, breads, sugar, preservatives could be considered an acid diet. The typical westerner now-a-days consumes an acid diet.
Increasing dietary vegetable intake, following an acid alkaline diet, to about ten servings per day has been proven to have positive effects on health. Even without scientific proof of the acid alkaline diet, most people would likely agree that eating more vegetables would have a beneficial effect upon our health.
Reasons to follow an alkaline acid diet
Evidence suggests that a typical western diet has an overall acidifying effect upon the body. Following the acid alkaline diet is one way we can attempt to reduce and neutralize the effects of an acid diet. This means we can get our body back into balance and gain wide ranging health benefits. Discussed above are the beneficial effects the acid alkaline diet has upon our bone health.
The scientific literature supports eating more healthily. The dietary advice promotes similar food types to that of alkaline diet supporters.
Evidence supporting the alkaline acid diet
Eating a typical Western diet which is low in fruit and vegetables while being high in protein has an acidifying effect upon our bodies. This has been proven in various scientific studies, cited below. The effect of this kind of acid diet has is detrimenal to our bones.
In a study in The New England Journal of Medicine, following a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and low in sweets and snacks, similar to an acid alkaline diet, it was shown that the amount of urinary calcium excretion decreased by about 25%. One theory is that the acid alkaline diet allows more calcium to be conserved for bone retention.
When we digest our food and drink, it is broken down and leaves either an acid or an alkaline "ash". Diets high in protein but low in fresh fruit and vegetables generally produce an acid ash. Our bodies have to remain in an slightly alkaline pH balance. So something needs to be done about the acidity of our bodies.
Getting rid of excess dietary acid through going to the toilet seems as obvious as it does logical. However even though this is what happens, there is a catch. Our kidneys cannot deal with any pH below 5. So if our acidic ash is lower than this the body has to dilute it, in other words, make it less acidic.
Alkaline compounds are required to reduce the pH of acidic ash in our bodies. Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of alkaline ash themselves. Not eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables means our bodies may turn to our bones in an effort to dilute the body's acidic ash. Supplementing diets with chemical salts is another way to counteract the negative effect an acid ash has on our bones.
A seperate study shows that by increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet, the amount of calcium excreted via urine is reduced by about 30%. This tells us that fighting an acid diet by increasing the amount of fresh produce we eat is an effective way to counteract the breaking down of our own bones.
Advice regarding alkaline acid diets
Some studies suggest it is not 100% clear whether the beneficial effects upon bone retention are due specifically to the alkali properties of fruit and vegetables consumed. Others are clear in their support for increasing the alkalinity of our diets. This is easily accomplished by consuming fruit alkaline drinks.
The beneficial effects could perhaps be due to other nutrients present. What is interesting to me is that it doesn't overly concern me if the acid alkaline diet is good because of the alkaline content of fruit and vegetables or due to their other nutritional values. The foods championed by the acid alkaline diet have been proven to have positive effects on our health in a variety of areas. That is why I am continuing to move away from an acid diet and follow the acid alkaline diet.
References:
Susan A. Lanham-New - The Balance of Bone Health: Tipping the Scales in Favor of Potassium-Rich, Bicarbonate-Rich Foods - American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 138:172S-177S, January 2008
Lawrence J. Appel et al. A Clinical Trial of the Effects of Dietary Patterns on Blood Pressure - The New England Journal of Medicine Volume 336:1117-1124 April 17, 1997 Number 16
Uriel S. Barzel and Linda K. Massey Excess Dietary Protein Can Adversely Affect Bone - The Journal of Nutrition Vol. 128 No. 6 June 1998, pp. 1051-1053
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Alkaline acid diet science
In the U.K., medical advice suggests we should eat five or more servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. The alkaline acid diet simply takes this advice a stage further.
The alkaline acid diet involves basing your diet around vegetables, citrus fruit, nuts, tubers, and legumes (alkaline foods) and steering clear of grains, dairy products, meat, excess salt, caffeine and alcohol (acid foods). Regardless of the term alkaline acid diet, most of you would likely agree that reducing the amount of so called acid foods while at the same time increasing consumption of alkaline foods is a good thing.
After scouring the internet I am beginning to discover some actual science upon which the alkaline acid diet is based. The science suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults.
Eating more alkaline foods, or simply healthy foods, like vegetables as we all know is considered better than an acid diet of processed foods which often have high sugar and salt content.
The clinical experiment, quoted above, while not explicitly comparing an alkaline diet to an acid diet does suggest that the same benefits derived from dietary alkaline supplementation could also be observed by moving from the acid diet end of the spectrum to the alkaline diet side.
This study found that doses of bicarbonate reduced the amount of calcium excreted and had a positive effect on bone resorption - the process by which bones are broken down and calcium transferred to the blood stream.
Scientific information that backs up some of the claims made about the alkaline acid diet is reassuring. If a less acidic diet can play a part in reducing the breakdown of bone tissue it could be argued that the alkaline acid diet even promotes longevity. The study that this article about the alkaline diet is based on does not discuss how to lose weight fast. It's focus was more about the overall condition of the body.
Not only that but from my own experiences moving away from an acid diet and now eating and drinking much more vegetables, I feel I am becoming much healthier. Put simply, I just feel better physically and mentally!
So there is scientific evidence supporting the alkaline acid diet. Undoubtedly there will be more available which just makes me more determined to find it as I proceed with my own alkaline acid diet.
Reference:
Bess Dawson-Hughes et al. Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & metabolism
The alkaline acid diet involves basing your diet around vegetables, citrus fruit, nuts, tubers, and legumes (alkaline foods) and steering clear of grains, dairy products, meat, excess salt, caffeine and alcohol (acid foods). Regardless of the term alkaline acid diet, most of you would likely agree that reducing the amount of so called acid foods while at the same time increasing consumption of alkaline foods is a good thing.
After scouring the internet I am beginning to discover some actual science upon which the alkaline acid diet is based. The science suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults.
Eating more alkaline foods, or simply healthy foods, like vegetables as we all know is considered better than an acid diet of processed foods which often have high sugar and salt content.
The clinical experiment, quoted above, while not explicitly comparing an alkaline diet to an acid diet does suggest that the same benefits derived from dietary alkaline supplementation could also be observed by moving from the acid diet end of the spectrum to the alkaline diet side.
This study found that doses of bicarbonate reduced the amount of calcium excreted and had a positive effect on bone resorption - the process by which bones are broken down and calcium transferred to the blood stream.
Scientific information that backs up some of the claims made about the alkaline acid diet is reassuring. If a less acidic diet can play a part in reducing the breakdown of bone tissue it could be argued that the alkaline acid diet even promotes longevity. The study that this article about the alkaline diet is based on does not discuss how to lose weight fast. It's focus was more about the overall condition of the body.
Not only that but from my own experiences moving away from an acid diet and now eating and drinking much more vegetables, I feel I am becoming much healthier. Put simply, I just feel better physically and mentally!
So there is scientific evidence supporting the alkaline acid diet. Undoubtedly there will be more available which just makes me more determined to find it as I proceed with my own alkaline acid diet.
Reference:
Bess Dawson-Hughes et al. Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & metabolism
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Acid diet tips
Starting a new diet can be a daunting prospect. Let me be clear, my "diet" has nothing to do with losing weight, I weigh 66kg and am 186cm tall. So could probably be considered under weight. What I want from my alkaline acid diet is to feel healthy and energetic! To feel good about myself.
So here are some tips if you want to start an alkaline acid diet or any other diet for that matter.
Personally the thought of picking a day and deciding my diet will be different from that day forth hasn't worked for me in the past. So when I decided to dabble in the acid alkaline diet I tried a different approach.
Firstly, I decided to work on my breakfast and not worry about changing anything else. For me this approach works really well. Rather than wholesale change I'm taking a much more gradual approach.
For breakfast I am having either:
Grapefruit and a drink of water, or fruit and or vegetable juice made with my Magimix Le Duo juicer and scrambled eggs.
Having the choice of two different breakfasts and further choice in the type of juice I decide to make is keeping my acid alkaline breakfasts interesting.
I still drink coffee throughout the day; drink alcohol (sometimes to excess) occasionally; eat cakes and donuts; eat fatty meat; and probably do a host of other things that aren't particularly healthy.
However taking just one step at a time on the alkaline acid diet is keeping me motivated to continue to improve my health.
Gradual change may be worth considering if you want to improve your diet.
So here are some tips if you want to start an alkaline acid diet or any other diet for that matter.
Personally the thought of picking a day and deciding my diet will be different from that day forth hasn't worked for me in the past. So when I decided to dabble in the acid alkaline diet I tried a different approach.
Firstly, I decided to work on my breakfast and not worry about changing anything else. For me this approach works really well. Rather than wholesale change I'm taking a much more gradual approach.
For breakfast I am having either:
Grapefruit and a drink of water, or fruit and or vegetable juice made with my Magimix Le Duo juicer and scrambled eggs.
Having the choice of two different breakfasts and further choice in the type of juice I decide to make is keeping my acid alkaline breakfasts interesting.
I still drink coffee throughout the day; drink alcohol (sometimes to excess) occasionally; eat cakes and donuts; eat fatty meat; and probably do a host of other things that aren't particularly healthy.
However taking just one step at a time on the alkaline acid diet is keeping me motivated to continue to improve my health.
Gradual change may be worth considering if you want to improve your diet.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Acid diet confusion
As I read more about the acid alkaline diet I am becoming more confused as to what foods I want to be eating to actually move from an acid diet towards an alkaline diet.
In particular, although finding food charts of acid foods and alkaline foods is easy on the internet, I am left wondering how much authority these various charts have. So far I have been unable to locate an acid alkaline food chart attributed to an actual scientist. This worries me somewhat as I view finding an authority resource on the alkaline acid diet as essential to being able to implement it successfully.
While I search for scientifically proven information, there are certain trends in the available information regarding acid foods and alkaline foods.
For example, on the acid side are things like alcohol, coffee, fatty meats and most things we typically consider unhealthy. I am still looking for confirmation of how much acid, eating these so called acid foods actually produces in the body.
However just looking at the above brief list, these acid foods have been proven to have a variety of adverse effects on health, e.g. excess consumption of fatty foods being linked with cardiovascular disease.
So forgetting about the acid food label, it makes sense to want to reduce one's fatty meat consumption anyway.
For the time being, this is how I am implementing my alkaline acid diet. Reducing consumption of so called acid foods and replacing them with better alkaline foods. Really all I am doing is substituting high fat meats for all kinds of vegetables and at the same time looking to reduce my alcohol and coffee intake.
I'm still eating fish and chicken, rice and bread even though on many of the acid alkaline food charts you can see that these foodstuffs often fall on the acid side.
While I work on improving my diet in general, I will continue to research the alkaline acid diet in an effort to find scientific proof of the benefits it claims.
So far I am really enjoying making juice and eating and drinking substantial quantities of vegetables each day as I continue my journey on the alkaline acid diet.
In particular, although finding food charts of acid foods and alkaline foods is easy on the internet, I am left wondering how much authority these various charts have. So far I have been unable to locate an acid alkaline food chart attributed to an actual scientist. This worries me somewhat as I view finding an authority resource on the alkaline acid diet as essential to being able to implement it successfully.
While I search for scientifically proven information, there are certain trends in the available information regarding acid foods and alkaline foods.
For example, on the acid side are things like alcohol, coffee, fatty meats and most things we typically consider unhealthy. I am still looking for confirmation of how much acid, eating these so called acid foods actually produces in the body.
However just looking at the above brief list, these acid foods have been proven to have a variety of adverse effects on health, e.g. excess consumption of fatty foods being linked with cardiovascular disease.
So forgetting about the acid food label, it makes sense to want to reduce one's fatty meat consumption anyway.
For the time being, this is how I am implementing my alkaline acid diet. Reducing consumption of so called acid foods and replacing them with better alkaline foods. Really all I am doing is substituting high fat meats for all kinds of vegetables and at the same time looking to reduce my alcohol and coffee intake.
I'm still eating fish and chicken, rice and bread even though on many of the acid alkaline food charts you can see that these foodstuffs often fall on the acid side.
While I work on improving my diet in general, I will continue to research the alkaline acid diet in an effort to find scientific proof of the benefits it claims.
So far I am really enjoying making juice and eating and drinking substantial quantities of vegetables each day as I continue my journey on the alkaline acid diet.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Magimix Le Duo review
A vegetable juicer seems like an essential piece of equipment for anyone serious about following an alkaline acid diet. I opted for the Magimix Le Duo juicer as my parents have one and it is still juicing 10 years on.
There are a variety of fruit and vegetable juicers on the market today. The two main types are centrifugal fruit and vegetable juicers and masticating vegetable juicers. The Magimix Le Duo is a centrifugal juicer. Check out a Breville centrifugal juicer review if Magimix is not available in your area.
What I love about the Magimix juicer is that it's so easy to assemble that you can skip reading the instruction manual and get straight to the juicing!
The Magimix Le Duo is perfect for small kitchens as it takes up very little space on the work surface. The juice exit spout is about 15 cm above the work top so it's easy to fit a jug underneath. A possible improvement to the Le Duo would be for the dispensing shute to be slightly higher so that a pint glass could fit below. That said, I quite like using a measuring jug so I can check the exact amount of juice that I make.
Adding fruit and vegetables to the Le Duo is done through an opening in the top of the clear plastic lid. You then use a plunger to push your fruit and veg down into the juicer. The opening is a reasonable size. It requires that carrots be chopped in two length ways and apples to be cut into eighths to be able to fit, if you use massive carrots and apples like I do anyway!
The teeth on the Magimix are amazingly efficient at turning solid vegetables into pulp and the centrifugal cylinder sucks out all the juice. Even though the feeder opening on the Magimix isn't huge, the juicer is so powerful that it is literally a matter of seconds to go from solid vegetables to a vitamin packed juice.
Juicing for one person with the Le Duo is pure joy. There's no need to empty the cylinder halfway through which can be the case if you are making a family sided batch.
Even if you do have to empty the cylinder halfway, it's straight forward. Included in the package is a scoop that is the perfect size to remove the majority of the vegetable pulp from the juicer.
I had to pay nearly double the price for my Magimix Le Duo juicer buying it in the far east as opposed to the U.S. or U.K. However I feel it was worth it as it allows me to drink quality fruit and vegetable juices every day.
The Magimix Le Duo juicer also comes with a citrus juicer attachment. It's so fast to blast out some squeezed grapefruit juice!
On the down side, the Le Duo doesn't handle green leafy vegetables as well as more solid vegetables. The leafy greens get kind of stuck in the input funnel and it takes a bit of effort to push them through. It is much more suited to making alkaline fruit drinks.
The Magimix Le Duo is the only fruit and vegetable juicer I have ever used and even though it doesn't deal with green leafs as well as I would like, for the foreseeable future it is the only fruit and vegetable juicer I shall be using. If you are following the alkaline acid diet or not, it is a great piece of kitchen equipment. Check out the Magimix Le Duo juicer today! You can read a further Magimix le Duo review on the site the Juice Fiend.
People in the U.S. may have a hard time finding this machine so you may want to consider a Jack LaLanne juicer instead. This is also a centrifugal juicing appliance that works in a similar way to the Magimix model discussed here.
Acid diet grapefruit breakfast
Eating grapefruit for breakfast as part of an acid alkaline diet is a refreshing way to start the day. Two grapefruits and a large glass of water perhaps doesn't sound particularly filling but I feel pretty full after putting it away. What's even better is that it is often close to lunch time before I start to feel hungry.
As I aim to eat a more alkaline based diet, eating grapefruit in addition to making juice with vegetables a few times a week for an alkaline breakfast will be an enjoyable way to start the day.
A question you may have when you start to eat a shed load of grapefruit is "What do I do with all the peel?". One option would be to use it in your garden. Now it's not too much use throwing raw peels about the place so one solution would be to use a compost tumbler to help get things into a more nutritious state for the soil.
As I aim to eat a more alkaline based diet, eating grapefruit in addition to making juice with vegetables a few times a week for an alkaline breakfast will be an enjoyable way to start the day.
A question you may have when you start to eat a shed load of grapefruit is "What do I do with all the peel?". One option would be to use it in your garden. Now it's not too much use throwing raw peels about the place so one solution would be to use a compost tumbler to help get things into a more nutritious state for the soil.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Giving up coffee - plan
On various alkaline acid food charts, coffee appears on the acid food side.
As part of my alkaline acid diet I am going to give up coffee for the month of May and observe any changes to my health. Living in Japan makes it easy for me to simply drink green tea instead.
If it really is an acid food I expect to see some positive health changes as I usually drink about five cups (not mugs!) a day.
A possible problem with this acid diet challenge is that I am continuing to increase my fruit and vegetable consumption. So positive health effects, assuming there are any, may come not from reducing my acid food consumption but from increasing the quantities of alkaline foods in my diet. Even with this caveat, I am going to continue with this test. Then in June, when I start drinking coffee again after my fruit and vegetable consumption stabilizes at a higher level of about ten portions a day, perhaps I will notice a change in my condition at that time.
I'm not sure how important, if at all, giving up coffee is as part of the alkaline acid diet. It will be an interesting challenge anyway. How addicted am I?
Other than the alkaline acid diet, there are other reported health costs and benefits associated with drinking coffee.
As I proceed with this dietary challenge, I will continue to research whether coffee really is an acid or alkaline food. This is possibly the hardest part of the alkaline acid diet, determining which side of the scale foods fall on.
As part of my alkaline acid diet I am going to give up coffee for the month of May and observe any changes to my health. Living in Japan makes it easy for me to simply drink green tea instead.
If it really is an acid food I expect to see some positive health changes as I usually drink about five cups (not mugs!) a day.
A possible problem with this acid diet challenge is that I am continuing to increase my fruit and vegetable consumption. So positive health effects, assuming there are any, may come not from reducing my acid food consumption but from increasing the quantities of alkaline foods in my diet. Even with this caveat, I am going to continue with this test. Then in June, when I start drinking coffee again after my fruit and vegetable consumption stabilizes at a higher level of about ten portions a day, perhaps I will notice a change in my condition at that time.
I'm not sure how important, if at all, giving up coffee is as part of the alkaline acid diet. It will be an interesting challenge anyway. How addicted am I?
Other than the alkaline acid diet, there are other reported health costs and benefits associated with drinking coffee.
As I proceed with this dietary challenge, I will continue to research whether coffee really is an acid or alkaline food. This is possibly the hardest part of the alkaline acid diet, determining which side of the scale foods fall on.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Magimix Le Duo ordered
After having my grapefruit, water and protein shake for breakfast I was excited to be on the way to alkalinity. I remembered while at work that years ago I bought my parents a Magimix juicer. So I decided to search the online Japanese shops for a good juicer for myself.
I have seen a few juicers in Japan and compared to the Magimix one I bought my parents they are rubbish. They have a tiny cylinder that revolves and don't have very many "teeth" with which to juice the fruit and vegetables.
As I searched the Rakuten online shop I actually came across a Magimix Le Duo juicer!
Remembering the fun I used to have with my family when we made our juices together with the Magimix Le Duo juicer, I felt compelled to opt for the same one.
After work I went to a nearby electrical store but was very disappointed with the standard of Juicers that they were selling. There was no Magimix in sight. So it was back to the internet to purchase online. It came to just over 31,000 yen.
Up till this stage I was feeling great that I managed to find a juicer I know works well. Then for some reason I decided to go and look at the Magimix website. There I discovered that the juicer I just ordered in Japan costs 87.99 pounds in the UK. That's not much more than half what I paid for my Magimix Le Duo!
I'm hoping that my one has been adjusted to the correct voltage here. Perhaps if I used one from the U.K. I would find that it lacked power.
Even though I may have paid over the odds for my Magimix Le Duo juicer I am looking forward to its arrival. It will certainly help with my alkaline acid diet breakfasts and possibly a whole lot more.
I want to track down some recipes for making juice before my Magimix Le Duo arrives.
Edit: My Magimix Le Duo has arrived. If you are interested in a quality centrifugal juicer the review may interest you.
I have seen a few juicers in Japan and compared to the Magimix one I bought my parents they are rubbish. They have a tiny cylinder that revolves and don't have very many "teeth" with which to juice the fruit and vegetables.
As I searched the Rakuten online shop I actually came across a Magimix Le Duo juicer!
Remembering the fun I used to have with my family when we made our juices together with the Magimix Le Duo juicer, I felt compelled to opt for the same one.
After work I went to a nearby electrical store but was very disappointed with the standard of Juicers that they were selling. There was no Magimix in sight. So it was back to the internet to purchase online. It came to just over 31,000 yen.
Up till this stage I was feeling great that I managed to find a juicer I know works well. Then for some reason I decided to go and look at the Magimix website. There I discovered that the juicer I just ordered in Japan costs 87.99 pounds in the UK. That's not much more than half what I paid for my Magimix Le Duo!
I'm hoping that my one has been adjusted to the correct voltage here. Perhaps if I used one from the U.K. I would find that it lacked power.
Even though I may have paid over the odds for my Magimix Le Duo juicer I am looking forward to its arrival. It will certainly help with my alkaline acid diet breakfasts and possibly a whole lot more.
I want to track down some recipes for making juice before my Magimix Le Duo arrives.
Edit: My Magimix Le Duo has arrived. If you are interested in a quality centrifugal juicer the review may interest you.
Monday, April 6, 2009
alkaline breakfast
The alkaline acid diet is all about reducing the amount of acid producing foods that we eat and increase the amount of alkaline foods in our diets. This is to help us with the pH balance of our bodies. If you want to eat a high alkaline foods diet, hear are some alkaline diet breakfast ideas.
The suggested ratio of food types in this diet seems to be 80/20 - alkaline/acid. The alkaline acid diet is a great diet if you want to feel healthier and more energetic. It could also be used as part of a weight loss plan along with appropriate exercise. It is not specifically a weight loss diet but rather a pH balancing diet to cleanse the body of excess dietary acid which the typical western diet contains.
Focusing on one meal at a time is a great way to test whether you are interested in following a particular eating regimen. This article discusses ways we can change the food we eat in our breakfast diet to eat what we could term an alkaline diet breakfast. Moving away from an acid breakfast is not particularly difficult, it just requires us to ensure that we have fruit and vegetables in our fridge that we can prepare easily in the morning as part of a high alkaline foods diet. Following you will find some specific alkaline diet breakfast ideas.
Even though they are citrus fruits, grapefruits often appear on the alkaline side of alkaline diet food charts and are one alkaline breakfast suggestion. Initially you might think that grapefruits are acidic foods however when we "burn" them, grapefruits leave an alkaline ash. Grapefruits are typically associated with breakfast anyway so it's easy to start, or continue, eating them.
In a quest to find the perfect alkaline breakfast foods I also want to do it while sticking to a tight budget. My aim is to increase my financial health at the same time as my physical well being. So what are the best foods for an alkaline diet breakfast that will satisfy both my stomach and wallet?
Particularly in the summer, eating a couple of grapefruits and drinking a large glass of water is appealing. It's a pretty simple and cheap alkaline breakfast. While you might think that grapefruit would be an acid breakfast, it is not the acidity of the grapefruit that counts, it is the pH of the "ash" in our bodies after we burn, or digest, our food. So these refreshing fruits make perfect alkaline diet breakfast foods.
Living in Japan, another easy alkaline breakfast idea is miso soup with seaweed. Adding some tofu is another way to enjoy miso soup. You can also get miso in the west although it might simply be a little more expensive.
Other alkaline breakfasts include eggs cooked in your favorite way with a side serving of tomatoes or possibly making juice, for example apple and spinach juice may be more to your liking. Many alkaline breakfast foods are available to choose from.
There are various alkaline acid food charts available online advising what are acidic and alkali foods. Sometimes the information is conflicting however we can get a rough idea of what side of the scale foods fall on as we endevor to improve our pH balance and alkalize the body. Looking at these food lists will help you decide what alkaline diet breakfast food to eat.
Changing your diet, starting with your morning meal is an easy step to take. Trying some of the ideas above or making your own decisions based on alkaline acid food chart lists will allow you to have some good tasting, nutritious, alkaline breakfasts.
Once you are happy with your breakfasts you can then consider altering other areas of your diet on your alkaline acid diet journey. For me eating an alkaline diet breakfast sets me up perfectly for the day ahead. Alkalie breakfast foods contain plentiful amounts of energy and nutrition.
I hope the above alkaline breakfast tips are useful.
The suggested ratio of food types in this diet seems to be 80/20 - alkaline/acid. The alkaline acid diet is a great diet if you want to feel healthier and more energetic. It could also be used as part of a weight loss plan along with appropriate exercise. It is not specifically a weight loss diet but rather a pH balancing diet to cleanse the body of excess dietary acid which the typical western diet contains.
Focusing on one meal at a time is a great way to test whether you are interested in following a particular eating regimen. This article discusses ways we can change the food we eat in our breakfast diet to eat what we could term an alkaline diet breakfast. Moving away from an acid breakfast is not particularly difficult, it just requires us to ensure that we have fruit and vegetables in our fridge that we can prepare easily in the morning as part of a high alkaline foods diet. Following you will find some specific alkaline diet breakfast ideas.
Even though they are citrus fruits, grapefruits often appear on the alkaline side of alkaline diet food charts and are one alkaline breakfast suggestion. Initially you might think that grapefruits are acidic foods however when we "burn" them, grapefruits leave an alkaline ash. Grapefruits are typically associated with breakfast anyway so it's easy to start, or continue, eating them.
In a quest to find the perfect alkaline breakfast foods I also want to do it while sticking to a tight budget. My aim is to increase my financial health at the same time as my physical well being. So what are the best foods for an alkaline diet breakfast that will satisfy both my stomach and wallet?
Particularly in the summer, eating a couple of grapefruits and drinking a large glass of water is appealing. It's a pretty simple and cheap alkaline breakfast. While you might think that grapefruit would be an acid breakfast, it is not the acidity of the grapefruit that counts, it is the pH of the "ash" in our bodies after we burn, or digest, our food. So these refreshing fruits make perfect alkaline diet breakfast foods.
Living in Japan, another easy alkaline breakfast idea is miso soup with seaweed. Adding some tofu is another way to enjoy miso soup. You can also get miso in the west although it might simply be a little more expensive.
Other alkaline breakfasts include eggs cooked in your favorite way with a side serving of tomatoes or possibly making juice, for example apple and spinach juice may be more to your liking. Many alkaline breakfast foods are available to choose from.
There are various alkaline acid food charts available online advising what are acidic and alkali foods. Sometimes the information is conflicting however we can get a rough idea of what side of the scale foods fall on as we endevor to improve our pH balance and alkalize the body. Looking at these food lists will help you decide what alkaline diet breakfast food to eat.
Changing your diet, starting with your morning meal is an easy step to take. Trying some of the ideas above or making your own decisions based on alkaline acid food chart lists will allow you to have some good tasting, nutritious, alkaline breakfasts.
Once you are happy with your breakfasts you can then consider altering other areas of your diet on your alkaline acid diet journey. For me eating an alkaline diet breakfast sets me up perfectly for the day ahead. Alkalie breakfast foods contain plentiful amounts of energy and nutrition.
I hope the above alkaline breakfast tips are useful.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Acid diet or alkaline acid diet?
The alkaline acid diet has many different names which all refer to the same type of diet, namely one that is high in alkaline foods and low in acid foods. Typically the proposed ratio in is 80:20 - alkaline foods : acid foods. The diet is often referred to as an alkaline diet, acid alkaline diet or even alkaline ash diet.
Why might you consider the alkaline acid diet?
The acid alkaline diet is worth considering if you often feel run down; lethargic; tired; are prone to colds or just generally un-healthy. Research also indicates that a diet rich in acid foods may also be a factor in increased bone loss in otherwise healthy individuals. It could certainly also be used as a part of a weight loss program.
The typical western diet could certainly be termed an acid diet. An acid diet is high in meat, grain, processed foods with high sugar and salt content.
It is widely accepted that eating much more fruit and vegetables is a gateway to health and well-being although it is a route so many of us often avoid. Why is this? Possibly just because the typical Western diet is easier than preparing fresh fruit and salads. But this needn't be the case.
The premise of the alkaline acid diet is that we should eat foods that reflect the natural pH level of our own blood which is slightly alkaline.
Foods of the acid alkaline diet: vegetables, fresh low sugar fruit, roots and tubers, nuts and legumes.
Foods to avoid: grains, dairy, meat and too much salt and alcohol.
Looking at the foods to eat and foods to avoid of the acid alkaline diet, it looks pretty similar to simply eating healthily. But everything needs a name...
There are some so called acidic foods that it's hard to believe are that bad for you. Is bread really un-healthy? At least the alkaline acid diet doesn't propose cutting it out completely.
Living the alkaline acid diet?
Rather than completely changing the way you eat in an instant it is easy to move gradually to a healthier diet. This is definitely one of the attractions of the acid alkaline diet. Rather than the focus being on what not to eat it is more concerned with raising the amount of alkaline foods you consume. Particularly if you are more interested in health than weight loss, simply consuming more alkaline foods will likely make you feel more energetic throughout the day.
One way to start would be to begin to eat more of an alkaline breakfast. This is a great introduction to pH balance. An alkaline breakfast not only tastes great but also gives you energy to start the day, keeps hunger at bay and is a great motivator to get you more interested in the alkaline acid diet itself.
It is easy to alkalize your body. Why not give it a try? The alkaline acid diet is very similar to common sense healthy eating that we all know but don't necessarily do.
Why might you consider the alkaline acid diet?
The acid alkaline diet is worth considering if you often feel run down; lethargic; tired; are prone to colds or just generally un-healthy. Research also indicates that a diet rich in acid foods may also be a factor in increased bone loss in otherwise healthy individuals. It could certainly also be used as a part of a weight loss program.
The typical western diet could certainly be termed an acid diet. An acid diet is high in meat, grain, processed foods with high sugar and salt content.
It is widely accepted that eating much more fruit and vegetables is a gateway to health and well-being although it is a route so many of us often avoid. Why is this? Possibly just because the typical Western diet is easier than preparing fresh fruit and salads. But this needn't be the case.
The premise of the alkaline acid diet is that we should eat foods that reflect the natural pH level of our own blood which is slightly alkaline.
Foods of the acid alkaline diet: vegetables, fresh low sugar fruit, roots and tubers, nuts and legumes.
Foods to avoid: grains, dairy, meat and too much salt and alcohol.
Looking at the foods to eat and foods to avoid of the acid alkaline diet, it looks pretty similar to simply eating healthily. But everything needs a name...
There are some so called acidic foods that it's hard to believe are that bad for you. Is bread really un-healthy? At least the alkaline acid diet doesn't propose cutting it out completely.
Living the alkaline acid diet?
Rather than completely changing the way you eat in an instant it is easy to move gradually to a healthier diet. This is definitely one of the attractions of the acid alkaline diet. Rather than the focus being on what not to eat it is more concerned with raising the amount of alkaline foods you consume. Particularly if you are more interested in health than weight loss, simply consuming more alkaline foods will likely make you feel more energetic throughout the day.
One way to start would be to begin to eat more of an alkaline breakfast. This is a great introduction to pH balance. An alkaline breakfast not only tastes great but also gives you energy to start the day, keeps hunger at bay and is a great motivator to get you more interested in the alkaline acid diet itself.
It is easy to alkalize your body. Why not give it a try? The alkaline acid diet is very similar to common sense healthy eating that we all know but don't necessarily do.
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