The Alkaline Diet: Why Is It So Popular?

Hippocrates once said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” And this is what the famous alkaline diet is all about: changing your diet to help your body heal.

This diet plan aims to reduce your intake of acidic foods and replace them with more alkaline foods. This allows you to regulate your body’s pH and maximize the strength of your body’s organs.

In this ‘battle’ between alkaline and acidic foods, nuts and green vegetables emerge as the winners. On the other hand, we can forget about sugars and fats.

Regulate your pH with an alkaline diet

The basic philosophy behind the alkaline diet is based on the following principle: if your cells are too acidic, the body can suffer from disease and poorer health. A diet with more bases would then be better for health.

What you need to know about pH acidity:

• There are 15 levels on the pH scale.
• They go from 0 to 14, and 7 is neutral. Levels 0 to 6 are acidic, and levels 8 to 14 are alkaline (or basic).
• Regulating your pH level is vital for bodily functions. Your pH value has a direct influence on your blood pressure, blood vessels, metabolic and respiratory processes.

The unbalanced human body

When your diet contains too many acidic foods, there are many possible consequences that you may regret for years to come :

• You may be able to absorb minerals and nutrients less easily.
• Your cells may stop producing energy.
• Damaged cells can lose the ability to repair themselves.
• The immune system may respond more slowly to disease.
• You may tire more quickly and be more prone to illness.

Does society encourage acidic food?

With the constant bombardment of advertising, there are many different ways that harmful foods are promoted.

Animal products and fast food are constantly featured in advertisements. These are products that are very acidic:

• meat
• chicken
• Eggs
• dairy
• flour
• sugars

Fresh vegetables, on the other hand, don’t get much attention in advertisements. While these products are part of an alkaline diet that can help regenerate tissues and could reduce inflammation. Plus, vegetables help bring back those minerals and nutrients your body has been missing out on so much.

You make your own choices!

Products that can cause an acidic pH level

There are many foods and products that can cause various diseases and gradually cause harm to the body. For example, many drugs can increase acidity due to their side effects.

Some people choose sweeteners to avoid sugar, but these too can cause harm. That’s because they contain extremely high levels of acid.

So choosing to adjust your pH could be one of the best decisions of your life, as the long-term effects can also be felt.

The alkaline end of the pH scale

An alkaline diet requires you to consume 80% alkaline foods. Once you’ve stabilized your pH and are happy with the results, you can keep the balance with a 60/40 split.

The most commonly eaten alkaline foods are:

• Fruit
• green vegetables
• Seeds
• nuts
• Herbs and spices

Four benefits of an alkaline diet

1. Combat Aging

Thanks to this diet plan, you would ideally reach a pH of 7.36, which will keep your cells in top condition. Acidic cells would work less well and therefore you could age more quickly.

2. More energy

The nutrients and minerals you get through this diet can significantly improve the functioning of your cells.

That’s because it can be a pure energy injection for your body if you get enough minerals such as:

• potassium
• calcium
• sodium
• magnesium

3. A stronger immune system

If your body is too acidic, your blood becomes the perfect environment for bacteria or viruses and that can lead to all kinds of diseases.

A more alkaline body, on the other hand, would be a lot more resistant.

4. An ideal body weight

While weight loss is not the main goal of this diet, it does deliver results in that regard.

This diet could help you burn fat faster and thus arrive at your ideal body weight!

Tips for a Good Alkaline Diet

• Build up gradually.  Avoiding all acidic foods at once will have a negative effect. It must be a slow transition. Remember that you are embarking on a completely new lifestyle.
• Respect the 80/20 split.  Don’t rush to see faster results. So you should not only eat alkaline foods. Occasionally you can snack. That’s fine, as long as you divide your meals into 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods.
• Replace certain foods.  Replace rice with brown rice or quinoa. There is an alkaline version of almost every traditional recipe.

Always consult a doctor before making any drastic dietary changes. Finally, don’t forget to exercise enough and enjoy life!