Are you feeling low energy and fatigued? Do you often have headaches or suffer from allergies or indigestion? Do you suffer from depression or do you have frequent and severe mood swings?
There are a couple of different factors that affect whether or not the cells and tissues in our body can do what they are supposed to do; or whether or not there are some errors or dysfunctions. Dehydration, temperature and availability of nutrients are some of these factors.
Another important factor is pH. The pH scale goes from 0 up to 14, where 7 is the pH of water, that it’s considered neutral. Under 7 that’s acidic. Over 7 that’s alkaline. The optimal pH of the body is slightly alkaline, somewhere between 7.2 and 7.5.
The different foods that we eat and the different things that we put into our body are either going to contribute to a more acidic environment or a more alkaline environment.
Researchers have found that when the body is in an alkaline state, it actually promotes proper cell functioning and it promotes healthy tissues. When the body is an acidic state, it actually promotes the growth of cancer cells and this makes it really difficult for cells and tissues to do all the functions that they are supposed to do. Many researchers have also said that cancer cells can’t even live in an alkaline environment.
Another way to think about this is to imagine the life of a houseplant. If a houseplant is given the proper conditions it will flourish and grow. So, it needs the right amount of sunlight, the right temperature and the right amount of water. All these different factors influence whether or not that houseplant is going to live and flourish and whether or not that houseplant is going to die.
Our body works very much the same way. We want to be thoughtful about the environment that we are creating
What foods are acidic and acid forming?
One kind of misconception is to think that if something tastes acidic or is acidic, then it forms acid in the body. That’s not really quite how it works. Certain foods are acid forming and certain foods are alkaline forming.
The acid forming foods are: processed foods, refined sugars, refined grains and pretty much any time something is processed even minimally it is going to make it acid forming. Red meat is acid forming and caffeine (soda, flavored coffee drinks). The majority of the foods in our diet are acid forming and so they contributes to most of the population having an acidic environment.
A lot of doctors and researchers would argue that the acidic environment of the body is contributing towards cardiovascular diseases, obesity, heart diseases and other chronic diseases, even cancer. Avoiding these acid forming foods is a really good idea.
What are the alkaline forming foods?
The first food we are going to talk about is lemon. Some people might be confused since lemons taste really acidic, but lemons are actually alkaline forming in the body and they have a pH around 9. So lemons are a very highly alkaline food. If you are one of these people who drinks a lot of soda or who doesn’t like water, then a cool idea for you might be to add some lemon to your water. It has an excellent taste.
The next food is watermelon, it has a pH of around 9. Watermelon is known for being mostly water. It’s a diuretic so it’s great for your kidneys.
Photo: Harsha
The next category of food is comprised of fruits. In general all the fruits and vegetables are going to be alkaline forming in your body. This is another reason why everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables. But the particular ones that we are going to point out are: mangoes, papayas and melons which are also known for being highly alkalizing. They are rich in antioxidants and overall really good foods that we all have to start eating a lot more.
Next on the list there is cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper is rich in vitamin A, it has a lot of antibacterial properties and it is known to really help the endocrine system (hormones, moods, emotions). Cayenne pepper is a great spice to add in to other foods. Start incorporating it more into your diet as soon as possible.
While pretty much all of the foods and vegetables have an alkalizing effect on the body, one vegetable that really stands out is asparagus. Asparagus has high pH and it also has some amino acids that are really important for our nervous system.
A couple of other fruits that are worth mentioning are grapes, bananas, apples, berries and pineapples. Not only these fruits have a huge range of different vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients, but they also are highly alkalizing.
Another good thing about fruits and especially pineapples is that they contain fiber. High-fiber foods will make you feel full and satisfied.
Then there are high quality fermented foods such as miso, tempeh which is fermented tofu, sauerkrauts and yogurt.
Additionally we have fruit juices which generally have a pH around 8.5 depending on the fruits. Make sure that you are drinking a 100% natural fruit juices, because a lot of the commercial fruity drinks only contain a small amount of actual juice.
The last alkalizing group of foods is composed by the sea vegetables such as nori and the sea weed which is the paper used to wrap up sushi. You can add those sea weeds to salads, soups and pretty much everything you like.
What other alkalizing foods do you consider healthy and good for our body? Leave a comment below and let us know.
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