The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet: Key Facts

by Beth Shimanovsky on February 8, 2010 · weight loss

in weight loss

The acid alkaline balance diet is frequently referred to as the acid alkaline diet, and sometimes it is simply described as the alkaline diet. At the same time, although there are a number of different names for this ancient approach to eating, the acid alkaline balance diet may be a particularly suitable name. Why? Because the central concept at the heart of this diet is to eat so as to achieve a balanced internal pH.

It is true that some fad diets that you may have seen tell you to eat nothing but alkalizing foods. As a matter of fact, however, eating only alkalizing foods is both unhealthy and impractical.

First, a completely alkalizing diet would be pretty boring. Not only would meat, fish, and dairy foods be completely out of bounds, but so would peas, tomatoes, and even whole-grain breads.

A second issue with such a diet is that you would miss out on healthful nutrients which are found in some acidifying foods. For example, tomatoes are rich in cancer-preventing lycopene. And at least one study shows that prunes can protect against osteoporosis.

As its name suggests, the purpose of the acid alkaline balance diet is not to go to an extreme of alkalinity. Accordingly, it isn\’t necessary to eat only alkalizing foods in order to achieve a balanced internal pH.

At the same time, you probably will need to eat a lot more alkalizing foods, and fewer acidifying ones. Whether you eat this food or that food is less important than the overall ratio of acidifying to alkaline-forming foods in your diet.

In other words, if you completely eliminate sugar and acid-forming beverages like soft drinks, you have a little more margin for error, which means that you can eat a little more meat and dairy products without your body becoming too acidic. To look at it from another angle, if you choose to eat poultry, you should compensate by eating less dairy, and so on. There is no one correct answer for how to use your \”budget\” of acid-forming foods, but in general it is always a good idea to emphasize foods that are low in calories and rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other beneficial nutrients.

But on the bright side, no matter what kind of diet you have right now, you can start making simple changes to bring about a healthier acid alkaline balance.

Beth Shimanovsky writes about health and nutrition for the Alkaline Diet Blog. Visit today to learn more about acid alkaline balance diet.

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