When a person’s pH chronically measures a 6.5 pH or below, he or she is an unhealthy state of being. The pH level indicates the percentage of acid/alkali compounds in your body. A reading below 7.0 pH is considered overly acidic.
The goal of the alkaline weight loss plan is to achieve the ideal body pH of 7.35 and maintain it. This measurement can be taken using a pH strip two or thee times a day for several days. It will indicate if you are in proper balance of acid and alkaline substances in the body, a neutral state. Once you maintain a proper pH, the weight will peel off.
Not Like Other Diets
It is important to realize this is a diet unlike others. You do not need to religiously count calories, or carbohydrates or fats. To lose weight on an alkaline diet you need to balance your body pH. You do this by eating 80 percent alkalizing foods to 20 percent acid forming foods. You may even eat more food, and more often, if you are eating nutritious foods high in alkalizing properties.
Finding Alkaline/Acid Food Charts
Alkaline and acid-forming food charts on the Internet can be useful guides to get started, but not all are accurate. While books about the alkaline diet can help you zero in on what kinds of alkalizing foods to eat, there is a certain amount of discovery and personalization that takes place. Not all people tolerate foods the same. You choose what is best for you. There are plenty of choices but some may be unfamiliar and seem foreign or too exotic. There are plenty of good recipes and menu planning found in most books about the alkaline diet.
Be courageous. Through experimenting with fesh fruits and vegetables you have never experienced before your diet becomes a dazzling array of new tastes on the alkaline diet. The important thing is to choose from a list of nutritious foods that research shows are alkalizing.
The food tables in the The Acid Alkaline Food Guide by authors Susan E. Brown, PhD., CCN, and Larry Trivieri, Jr., are comprehensive and researched. The food tables in this handy pocket book indicate alkalizing or acidifying effects of approximately 1,000 foods.
Food Suggestions for Weight Loss
Be ready to be astonished. A banana is listed in the tables as highly alkalizing while a pomegranate is mildly acidifying. Cashews are medium alkalizing, but beware of peanuts. They are acidifying. Back off bagels as they are highly acidifying, and even whole wheat bread, sadly, is medium acidifying.
There are many surprises discovering what is acid forming and what is not. Lemons are high in acids but they become alkalizing in the body, according to Dr. Brown and Triveri's food guide. An apple a day will alkalize, and so will a cup of green tea. An abundance of alkaline forming foods is the key to weight loss.
Alkaline Beverages
A trip to a health store or large supermarkets that specializes in organic products and whole foods may help you locate alkalizing powders and drinks. Alkalizing beverages such as a vitamin C powder packed with minerals and vitamins can be mixed into a refreshing glass of water.
Substituting Alkaline for Acifying Foods
Apple Cider Vinegar and olive oil mixed together make an alkalizing salad dressing. Alkalizing cashew butter can be substituted for acidifying peanut butter at the same cost and has a similar creamy flavor. Alkalizing miso paste on toasted sprouted grain bread is a better choice than butter on whole wheat. Cooking with alkalizing coconut oil instead of olive oil changes the taste to a more delicate flavoring.
Remember that the alkaline diet allows 20 percent acid forming foods. That means you might choose to have toast in the morning and eat 3 ounces of fish, or 3 ounces of steak with your dinner. Adding the bread, meat or fish to your daily meal plan requires consuming 80 percent more alkalizing fruits and vegetables that day as well.
Warning
Before embarking on the alkaline diet it is highly advised that dieters seek the medical advice of their physician or alternative health practitioner with expertise in nutrition. The suggestions here may not fit your individual situation and caution is advised.
Partial list of alkalizing foods (80 percent):
- Fruits: apples, bananas, berries, cherries, peaches, pears, grapes, oranges, lemons, limes, melons, mandarin oranges, papayas, and more.
- Vegetables: potatoes, brussell sprouts, cabbage, squash, carrots, celery, lettuce, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, lentils, leeks, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, and more.
- Nuts and Seeds: Macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds.
Partial List of Foods to Minimize (20 Percent)
- Proteins: meats & fish, soy, tofu, all types.
- Dairy Products: most cheeses, milk, yogurt, eggs
- Nuts: peanuts, walnuts, peanut butter
- Sodas
- Processed foods
- White and whole-wheat flour products, including breads
- Sugar
- Salt
References
Susan E. Brown, PhD, CCN, and Larry Trivieri, Jr. The Acid Alkaline Food Guide: A Quick Reference to Foods & Their Effect on pH Levels. Garden City Park, New York. Square One Publishers. 2006
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