Alkaline diet, the way to ultimate health.

Alkaline diet advocates explain that about 75% of our body is made up of water, a biologically useful medium that allows nutrients, oxygen, and biochemicals to move from place to place in our bloodstream. This medium can have either acid or alkaline properties, measured by a scale called pH factor, where 1.0 to 6.9 is considered acidic, 7.0 is neutral, and 7.1 to 14.0 is alkaline. Essentially, the lower the pH number, the greater the acidity and the higher the pH number, the greater the alkalinity.

A acid diet disruptes our alkaline levels that normally range between 7.25 and 7.45, thus causing an imbalance that leads to the loss of essential minerals, like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium.

Why do we need a balanced PH

Just as acid rain can damage forests and alkaline wastes can pollute rivers, an unbalanced pH can likewise destroy body cells and tissues by slowly gnawing away on our veins and arteries, like rust eating into hardwood. If ignored, an unbalanced pH will interrupt all cellular functions, including molecular transport, reproduction, and energy conversion resulting in serious degenerative diseases.

The absence of alkaline-giving nutrients makes people prone to various degenerative diseases, including the US’ top two killer diseases – cardiovascular problem and cancer. Scientific studies have also shown that systemic weight gain or obesity results from the imbalance. If we could only eliminate cardiovascular-related diseases, then that immediately translates to an additional 9.78 years to a person’s life span, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Maintaining a diet that promotes an alkaline pH within the body is good protection against cancer. When a person eats this kind of diet, the natural pH balance will lean more towards the alkaline side of the scale, instead of the acid level of the scale. Many people believe that an alkaline pH can not only protect the body against cancer, but can even help to cure it once it has developed.

What happens if we are too acid?

If the pH balance is disrupted, the body reacts by trying to restore equilibrium, which leads to serious losses of essential minerals that make you feel sluggish and prone to catch various degenerative diseases in your later years.

The secret for optimal health using alkaline diet is not in eliminating all acid-producing foods in our diet, but rather in creating balanced acid and alkaline ash foods mix in our meals. This essentially means that you do not need to starve yourself to stay in shape. A generous mix of acid and alkaline producing food is what you need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

And in this day and age of consumerism when what you consume is likely to be acid-rich meat and carbohydrates, then it helps that you veer your diet towards healthy alkaline producing food products consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.

What is an Alkaline Diet?

Many people become confused in regards to alkaline and acid diets because they think that it refers to the actual pH level of the food itself. This is not the case, as some foods which are highly acidic in their natural form, such as lemons and limes, actually have an alkaline effect on the body. An alkaline diet usually involves eating minimal amounts of meats, dairy products, white flour and white sugar, because these foods have a very acidic reaction on the body’s pH level. Instead, the diet usually focuses heavily on fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts such as almonds, and soy products, because they leave an alkaline ash within the body.

Food Table

The following chart provides information as a guide to those who want to "adjust" their body pH with a focus on their diet. Using the Acid Alkaline pH scale 0 – 14, 7 being neutral, products registering below 7 on the scale are acidic and items above 7 fall into the alkaline range.

ALKALIZING FOODS	←Highly Alkaline			ACIDIFYING FOODS	Highly Acidic→
VEGETABLES				Almost all fresh raw VEGETABLES fall under the category alkaline and form the basis of an alkaline regime. They are the richest source of nutrients on the planet, providing us with vitamins, minerals, fiber, enzymes, chlorophyll, phytonutrients and alkaline salts that hel control the toxins within our body. Over cooking destroys some of these valuable nutrients, this is why you need to target at least 40% of your food as uncooked, increasing this intake to 70 ‐ 80%, is optimal. Remember ‐ think great big salads!
Alfalfa		X
Artichokes		X
Asparagus		X
Beans (green)		X
Beetroot		X
Bok Choy		X
Broccoli		X
Brussels sprouts			X
Cabbages		X
Capsicums/Peppers, all			X	VEGETABLES
Carrots			X	Black Olives	X
Cauliflower		X		Canned Vegetables	X
Celery	X			Corn		X
Chives			X	Frozen Vegetables	X
Collard Greens		X		Mushrooms		X
Cucumber	X			Sauerkraut	X
Dandelion Greens	X			Most FRUITS are rich in nutrients, however, the sugar they contain ferments and become acidic to the body. When starting to rebalance your body it is recommended to avoid acidic forming fruits. Once the body has achieved balance, you may reintroduce them. These fruits are best eaten alone, preferable on an empty stomach, in between meals, without combining them with starches or heavy proteins.
Eggplant/Aubergine			X
Endive, fresh	X
Garlic		X
Horseradish			X
Kale	X
Leeks (bulbs)			X
Lettuce		X
Mushrooms			X	FRUITS
Onion			X	Apples	X
Parsnips			X	Apricots	X
Peas, fresh			X	Apricot, dried	X
Potatoes (with skin)			X	Bananas, ripe		X
Pumpkin			X	Blackberries	X
Radishes			X	Blueberries	X
Rhubarb stalks			X	Cantaloupe	X
Sea Vegetables, nori, wakame,			X	Cherries	X
Soy Sprouts	X			Glazed or canned Fruit			X
Spinach		X		Cranberries	X
Sprouted seeds, nuts & grains	X			Currants	X
Squash (all kinds, raw)			X	Dates	X
Sweet Potato			X	Figs	X
Tomatoes			X	Grapefruit, sweet	X
Turnips		X		Grapes	X
Watercress	X			Kiwifruit	X
Zucchini		X		Mangos	X
				Nectarine	X
GRASSES are nutrient‐dense, rich in chlorophyll. It is the chlorophyll that gives grasses the power to regenerate our bodies at a cellular level. The tough cellulose fibers in these grasses make it hard for the human body to digest – so juicing them is the preferred option.				Orange	X
				Papaya	X
				Peach	X
				Pear	X
				Pineapple	X
				Plums	X
GRASSES				Pomegranate	X
Alfalfa grass	X			Prunes	X
Barley grass	X			Raspberries	X
Kamut grass	X			Raisins	X
Wheat grass	X			Strawberries	X
				Tangerine	X
FRUIT				Lemons and limes on the FRUIT scale when tested raw, appear acidic in nature. However, tests show that when they are metabolized in the body they have an alkalizing effect, and their low sugar content makes them perfect when trying to alkaline balance your body.
Avocado (protein)	X
Banana, unripe			X
Cherry, sour			X
Coconut, fresh			X
Grapefruit, sour			X
Lemon		X		GRAINS
Limes		X		Cornmeal		X
Tomatoes		X		Couscous	X
				Oatmeal	X
Select GRAINS wisely as most grains are acidifying. Whole grains are the best choice and remember they belong to the 20% of food that is acidic.				White Rice		X
				Rice Brown	X
				Rye		X
GRAINS				Wheat, wholegrain		X
Buckwheat			X	Wheatgerm	X
Quinoa			X
Millet			X	BEANS & LEGUMES
Spelt			X	Black Beans	X
				Chick Peas	X
BEANS & LEGUMES				Kidney Beans	X
Granulated soy (cooked, ground)		X		Pinto Beans	X
Lentils			X	Red Beans	X
Lima beans		X		Split peas	X
Soybeans, fresh		X		BEANS are very high in starch and it’s best to limit them to 20% of your food.
Soy flour			X
Soy lecithin, pure	X
Soy nuts (soaked, then dried)	X
Tofu			X	NUTS & SEEDS
White navy beans		X		Cashews			X
				Hazelnut	X
NUTS & SEEDS				Pecans	X
Almond		X		Peanuts			X
Almond butter, raw		X		Peanuts butter			X
Chestnuts			X	Pistachios			X
Flax seeds			X	Walnuts		X
Pine nuts			X
Pumpkin seeds	X			DAIRY
Sesame seeds			X	Cheese, hard			X
Sunflower seeds			X	Cheese, soft		X
Tahini, sesame butter			X	Cream	X
				Eggs			X
				Goats cheese		X
				Homogenized milk	X
				Ice cream			X
Animal products are acid forming, with some being worse than others. When your body is in pH balance, you can eat 1 to 2 servings per day. If you are a meat lover keeping meat consumption to a minimum is recommended as the body takes a great deal of energy to digest. All the good energy we achieve from “fresh is best” is used by the body to digest your meats. If however, you find yourself in an acidic condition you may want to keep these at a minimum, or omit them all together for the time being. Make sure you also include plenty of alkalizing veggies.				Milk		X
				Yoghurt, sweetened		X
				Yoghurt, unsweetened	X

				MEAT, POULTRY, FISH
				Beef			X
				Chicken		X
				Duck			X
				Fish, farm raised			X
				Fresh water fish, wild	X
MEAT & DAIRY ALTERNATIVES				Lamb			X
Almonds		X		Liver or other organ meats			X
Almond milk, fresh		X		Ocean fish, wild		X
Avocado	X			Oysters			X
Soya milk, fresh			X	Sardines (canned)			X
Tempeh , fermented			X	Shell fish			X
Tofu, fermented			X	Tuna (canned)			X
Other ALTERNATIVES include beans, legumes, nuts and seeds				Turkey		X
Other ALTERNATIVES include beans, legumes, nuts and seeds				Veal			X

FATS, OILS & CONDIMENTS				FATS, OILS & CONDIMENTS PLUS
Avocado oil			X	FATS, OILS & CONDIMENTS PLUS
Bragg Liquid Aminos			X	Butter	X
Coconut oil, raw			X	Canola Oil	X
Evening Primrose Oil			X	Carob			X
Flax seed oil			X	Cocoa			X
Olive Oil			X	Grape seed oil	X
Sesame Oil			X	Jams			X
				Ketchup		X
SPICES & SEASONINGS				Malt			X
Cayenne pepper		X		Margarine	X
Celtic salt	X			Mayonnaise		X
Cinnamon		X		MSG			X
Ginger		X		Mustard			X
Herbs, most		X		Sunflower oil	X
Parsley	X			Soy sauce			X
Pepper, red		X		Table salt		X
Sea Salt		X		Vinegar			X
Spices, most		X

SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES and SUGARS have a negative effect on the body rendering them acidic forming. *Microforms (definition, see below) love all sugars including natural sugars from fruit. Simple carbohydrates include white rice, corn, white flour and anything made from the basic substances (i.e. bread & pasta). “Microforms ferments sugar in our bodies that we would otherwise use for energy and then emit acid waste as a result.” by Dr Robert Young.				BREADS, PASTA, CEREALS
				Cereals, unrefined & unsweetened		X
				Corn Tortillas			X
				Crackers, wholegrain		X
				Pasta, wholemeal		X
				Rye bread		X
				Sourdough bread		X
				Wholegrain bread		X
				Refined bread, pasta or cereal			X
ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS are highly acidifying and are not recommended. Xylitol, stevia or chicory are recommended as safe replacements for cane sugar and artificial sweeteners.				SUGARS, SWEETS & SWEETENERS
				Artificial sweeteners			X
				Barley malt syrup		X
SWEETENERS				Brown rice syrup		X
Chicory			X	Chocolates			X
Stevia			X	Fructose		X
				Honey		X
BEVERAGES & DRINKS				Maple Syrup		X
Almond milk, fresh		X		Molasses			X
Ginger tea		X		Sugar (white)			X
Ionised alkaline water	X			Sugarcane			X
Tea (herbal, green)		X
Vegetable green juices, fresh	X			BEVERAGES & DRINKS
				Alcohol			X
				Beer			X
SPROUTS are full of vitamins, minerals and complete proteins, sprouts are just about the best food you can eat. They are living plant foods that are biogenic – meaning they can transfer their life energy to you. Seeds become more alkaline as they sprout, and sprouts are packed with enzymes.				Coffee			X
				Coffee substitute drinks	X
				Fruit juice, natural fresh	X
				Fruit juice, sweetened			X
				Soda/Pop, homemade		X
				Soft Drinks			X
				Tea (black)		X
SPROUTS				Water (sparkling)		X
All sprouted seeds, nuts & grains	X			Water (spring)	X
				Wine		X
MINERALS
Cesium: ph 14	X			CHEMICALS
Potassium: ph 14	X			Chemicals			X
Sodium: ph 14	X			Pesticides			X
Calcium: ph 12	X			Herbicides			X
Magnesium: ph 9	X			Tobacco			X

Several foods are considered neutral, keep in mind that processing, preservatives and additives reduce the
alkaline/acid value rendering it acidic.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Basmati rice Brazil nuts Coconut oil, raw
Goats milk, fresh raw (if you would like to drink milk
this is the best choice)
Goji Berries
Rice Milk
Watermelon
Whey protein powder
Xylitol
*Microforms: Within our bodies, live a plague of microforms, including yeasts, fungus, molds as well as bacteria and				viruses. In an acidic environment, they get a free rein to bread down tissues and body processes. They live on glucose, which they use for energy, growth and development – depriving us of valuable energy, essential nutrients and create havoc within our bodies.