Alkaline Diet: How Can It Improve Your Health?
The alkaline diet – also known as the alkaline ash diet – is designed to regulate and optimize the pH levels in the body. Eating an alkaline-rich diet has shown to have unique health benefits. pH imbalance is said to increase susceptibility to illness. Alkaline foods are thought to help the body produce elements such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium as they restore your pH equilibrium.
Our bodies take the food we eat and turn it into energy through a series of chemical reactions – also known as our metabolism. As the metabolism burns food, an “ash” residue, known as metabolic waste, is left behind. This ash can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline-rich depending on your diet.
What can I eat on an alkaline diet?
With the alkaline diet, the intention is to eat foods that will produce that alkaline ash. Foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, soybeans, and legumes are alkaline-producing items. Foods like dairy, processed foods, and alcohol fall on the acidic side and should be consumed in fewer quantities.
See a full list below:
Alkaline Foods to Eat More Of:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Lean meats (chicken, fish)
- Certain grains (quinoa, brown rice)
- Soy and tofu
- Legumes and beans
- Seeds
- Nuts
Acidic Foods to Eat Less Of:
- Red Meats
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Grains
- Alcohol
- Soda
- Peanuts and walnuts
- Other packaged, processed foods
How does the alkaline diet work?
Our metabolisms burn the food we eat through chemical reactions and convert it into energy. As your body burns food, it leaves behind a sort of “ash,” called metabolic waste. Food like nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes leave behind alkaline-heavy ash, as opposed to foods like alcohol, dairy, and junk foods that leave behind acidic ash.
What can it do for my health?
Some studies have shown that cancer cells thrive in highly acidic environments – also known as environments with very low pH. Supporters of the alkaline diet believe that if you eat a diet of alkaline-enriched (high pH) foods and limit acidic foods, you can raise the body’s pH levels and make your body a poor environment for cancer.
A higher dietary acid load is said to increase metabolic acidosis and increase the risk of kidney disease progression. High acid levels are also thought to cause kidney stones. In a 2015 study, researchers found that a higher dietary acid load was associated with a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
High levels of acid in the body have been shown to increase your risk of other chronic diseases like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A 2016 study uncovered a link between dietary acid load and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The same study also found a link between dietary acid load and insulin resistance, a contributing factor to diabetes. An alkaline diet is thought to be ideal in helping prevent these diseases while improving your overall health.
In addition to an alkaline-enriched diet, Balance7 is a great way to regulate your pH balance in as little as 72 hours. Our alkaline-enriched concentrate is designed to get your body where it wants to be while helping prevent and fight multiple diseases.