Jennifer Koslo - The Alkaline Diet for Beginners: Understand PH, Eat Well, and Reclaim Your Health

Copyright 2016 by Rockridge Press, Berkeley, California

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H ave you ever wondered what the Alkaline Diet is and how it works, but have struggled to find straightforward answers? Proponents of the diet suggest that replacing acid-forming foods with alkaline foods in your diet can improve health, help you lose weight, and fight serious diseases like cancer. But is there any strong evidence behind the diet, and if so, who can benefit from following it?

Without getting too technical, our bodies maintain a delicate pH balance, and for good health, our bodies need to be slightly alkaline. will cover everything you need to know about pH, but for now, know that the pH scale runs from 0 to 14a pH over 7 is alkaline, and a pH lower than 7 is acidic. Now think of the Standard American Diet. Most people are bathing their cells in an acid bath by making poor choices several times a day by eating processed carbs, refined sugar, alcohol, factory-farmed red meat, fried and fatty foods, and full-fat dairy products. This type of diet takes a toll on the body, especially the digestive system, liver, and kidneys, and can result in chronic health problems such as hypertension, cancer, and renal disease.

Conversely, by filling your plate with alkaline-forming foods like leafy greens, veggies, fruits, sprouted grains, almonds, beans, root vegetables, and some tubers, you feed your body and cells vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, antioxidants, and phytochemicals that can provide protection from disease. Simply put, healthy food creates healthy cells and junk creates junk. As a general rule of thumb, if you want to follow an alkaline diet, 80 percent of what you eat should be alkalizing foods and the remaining 20 percent acid-forming foods. A superb array of high-alkaline recipes, starting , will make sure youre never bored and always satisfied with your meals.

If at first this all sounds overwhelming, take heart. Following a more alkaline diet means choosing fruits, vegetables, plant proteins, healthy fats, and whole, unprocessed foods over prepared and highly processed foods that generally contain far too much sodium, unhealthy fats, and other additives. You wont have to count calories or cut out whole food groups; you just need to become familiar with which foods are more alkaline forming and which are more acid forming. If given a list of foods, most people could put them in the acid or alkaline group the majority of the time: Eat the foods you know are good for you, and stay away from the foods you know are bad for you.

So who can benefit, and is there any evidence to support this type of eating plan? The Alkaline Diet is for anyone who wants to decrease their risk for chronic diseases like hypertension, stroke, and type 2 diabetes; minimize their risk for kidney stones; or simply move toward a more plant-based eating style. While not designed for weight loss, this can be an added bonus for most people following the Alkaline Diet. Eating whole, unprocessed foods means eating lots of fiber-packed veggies, fruits, and beans, which boost satiety (that satisfied feeling signaling youve had enough), so you shouldnt be hungry on this diet. In chapter 1, you will find out how a few simple food substitutions and additions can correct your acid-base woes and steer your diet in the direction of good health.

Of course, to get the full benefits of the Alkaline Diet, it is also important to include a program of regular exercise, get a sufficient amount of quality sleep, hydrate, and include daily stress-reducing activities in your schedule.

Look at your plate and peek in your glass. What direction are you moving on the pH scale?