Better health thanks to an alkaline diet?
An alkaline-rich diet promotes consuming fresh, unprocessed foods with abundant fruit and vegetables. This increases the intake of essential nutrients and antioxidants, positively affecting health. However, scientific evidence does not support the idea that an alkaline-rich diet can prevent or cure diseases. The body maintains its pH value regardless of acid or alkaline intake in the diet. Many test subjects have confirmed a positive effect on health thanks to an alkaline diet.
It is recommended to include alkaline-rich foods in the diet and reduce the consumption of acid-forming foods. A good approach is to favour whole-vegetable proteins and various fruits and vegetables. Gently produced wholemeal corn products are gluten-free and, at best, preferable to wholemeal grain products and healthy fats.
She quickly made an alkaline salad.
Ingredients:
- Mixed green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, rocket or lettuce)
- Cucumber, cut into slices
- Avocado, diced
- Tomatoes, cut into slices
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
- Mix the green leafy vegetables, cucumber, avocado and tomatoes in a bowl.
- Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
- Season with sea salt and pepper.
- Mix well, dress and serve.
- This salad can be enriched with nuts, seeds or fresh herbs.
A balanced, nutritious diet should be tailored to personal and individual needs. This is at least as necessary for personal health as an exclusively alkaline diet. Before making a fundamental change to your diet, visiting a nutritional counsellor or family doctor is advisable.
Principles of an alkaline diet
The principles of an alkaline diet are based on the idea that certain foods cause an alkaline or alkaline reaction in the body. This promotes an optimal pH value in the organism. The theory behind this concept is that an overly acidic environment in the body favours inflammatory processes and can potentially lead to various health problems.
It is important to note that various factors, including diet, influence the body’s pH. The pH measures a substance's acidic or alkaline, generally between 7.35 and 7.45.
Despite various theories, no scientific evidence supports that no diseases can occur in an alkaline environment. The body can regulate and maintain the pH value independently of alkaline or acidic food intake. The causes of diseases are manifold, and the belief that these are influenced solely by the acid-base balance needs to be more complex.
An alkaline diet can benefit health. Consuming fresh and unprocessed foods is a priority. It is recommended to include alkaline-rich foods in your diet. These include green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, celery, lemons, avocados and berries. All of these foods contain nutrients and are rich in antioxidants.
What should an alkaline diet not contain?
To eat an alkaline diet, consuming acid-forming foods should be reduced. Instead, it is recommended that wholegrain products, healthy fats, vegetable proteins, and various fruits and vegetables be favoured. Smoothies, salads, vegetable stir-fries, steamed vegetables, pulses and soups are suitable for everyday use and are alkalising.