There are many nutritionists and naturopaths who recommend a diet rich in alkaline foods to improve the well-being of the organism.
The advice is to prefer mainly fruit and some legumes. Avoiding "acid" deficient foods such as: meat, fats, fried foods. This ensures that the body does not undergo stress with an optimal result on health.
According to the alkaline diet, one of the typical problems of modern nutrition, consisting mainly of packaged foods, is that it tends to have an acidifying effect on the body. Here then it would be good to insert more and more often foods able to bring the pH back to basicity and therefore rebalance the body.
The alkaline diet is aimed not so much at weight loss as at increasing the well-being and vitality of the body. When a situation of acidity is found, it means that there is a high concentration of hydrogen ions inside the body and this, in the long run, can lead to the appearance of various disorders. The accumulation of acid inside our body can originate from different causes: poor diet, use of drugs, bad habits such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol, stress, sedentary life and more. Many of us, therefore, are at risk of acidosis, so it can be useful to follow, at least for a period, an alkaline diet.
It is important to underline that there are foods that we consider acidic but in reality inside the body after a series of chemical reactions they turn into alkaline. An example for all is that of the lemon whose starting acids are transformed into alkaline (basic) carbohydrates useful for the body. That is why it is recommended to drink a glass of water with squeezed lemon in the morning.
The subject with acidosis is often characterized by a state of general malaise with symptoms such as: chronic fatigue, poor concentration, drowsiness, irritability, dysbiosis, candidiasis, cellulite, water retention, osteoporosis (since the bones release calcium, the most alkaline mineral) . Furthermore, acidosis initially manifests itself on the condition of the skin, hair and nails. The skin becomes pale and often impure, the connective tissue tends to become inflamed and cellulite can form, the hair becomes dull and stringy and there is an increase in their fall, the nails become weak, break easily and show furrows.
When can the organism be defined as alkaline?
Mainly following a healthy diet, eating more alkaline foods less acidic foods. Also, practicing daily exercise, drinking plenty of water and limiting the abuse of medicines and antibiotics - to be used only when needed.
In detail, here are the foods to limit:
- Refined sugar, sugary drinks
- Meat and products of animal origin from milk to cheese to yogurt
- Refined salt, refined flour (pasta, cakes, biscuits, bread)
- Margarine, coffee, black tea, chocolate, alcohol, tobacco
- Cooked foods (cooking eliminates oxygen and increases acidity), all canned foods, with preservatives, dyes and flavors
Here are the alkaline or basic foods:
- Vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables (spinach, beets, crucifers (such as broccoli, cauliflower), celery, cucumbers and onions; tubers and roots are also excellent (carrots, pumpkins, potatoes).
- Fruit, even lemon, within the body give off a highly alkaline effect (apples, grapes, avocados, pears, bananas, grapes, pineapple, melons, mangoes, papaya, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, plums, figs, dates).
- The seeds and in particular the almonds.
- Honey.
- The water.
- Cereals: millet, amaranth, brown rice, red rice, black rice, buckwheat and quinoa.
However, since the ideal diet also needs a percentage of acidity, it is good to consume whole grains, well cooked.