All food not only has vitamins, minerals, fat and calories, but also a chemical charge. Foods such as meat, dairy, caffeine and alcohol are more acidic. Alkaline foods neutralize acid in your body. Both acid and alkaline compounds are produced simultaneously in your body. Your body is better when it has more alkalinity than acidity.
Nutritionists advocating an alkaline diet advise that you consume 75 percent of all of your food from alkaline sources such as fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, nuts and rice.
Fruits
All fruits are alkaline, although the fruits with the highest alkalinity are apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, peaches, pears, cherries, currants, dates/figs, grapes, grapefruit, limes, lemons, nectarines, oranges, pineapples, all berries, tangerines, tomatoes, tropical fruits, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and watermelon. Cranberries are the one fruit that has acidic properties.
Although the easiest way to introduce more fruit into your diet is to pick it up, wash it and eat it, another easy treat is a fruit salad. To cleanse and invigorate the body's tissues and glands even more, sprinkle your fruit salad with lime juice, cayenne pepper and a little bit of salt.
Vegetables
All vegetables are alkaline, although potatoes contain acid. Stir fries are a simple way to incorporate veggies that you are unfamiliar with into your diet. Start with the freshest vegetables you can find at the market, chop them up and saute on low to medium heat in a large pan with high-quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve them as a side with sandwiches or add rice and a protein for a quick weeknight meal.
You can also easily add green powdered algae products such as chlorella and spirulina or any leftover raw veggies in small amounts to fruit smoothies. Mixing veggies in with fruits is an excellent way to get kids to eat their greens.
Seeds and Nuts
Keep these on hand for snacking, toss over a salad or add into baked goods or pancakes on Sunday morning: almonds and pumpkin, sesame, flax and sunflower seeds. It is generally recommended to soak raw almonds for 12 hours for optimal digestion.
Proteins
Most traditional proteins, including meat, fish and shellfish, are acidic. Egg salad is an alkaline protein source. Whey protein powder and yogurt are also alkaline protein sources that you can add to smoothies easily. Tempeh is a little known alkaline protein, a soy protein formed into cakes and sold next to the tofu in your local health food store. Just cut it up and saute in extra virgin olive oil over low to medium heat, then throw in some veggies and rice.
Spices, Herbs and Tea
Oils, cheese and meats are rich in flavor, but their acidic nature can be difficult on your digestive system. Spices, herbs and teas can give you the flavor and bring harmony back to your body. Cinnamon, curry, ginger, mustard, chili pepper, sea salt, miso, tamari and all herbs are alkaline. Prepare green tea, herbal tea, dandelion tea, ginseng tea, banchi tea or Kombucha with lemon and honey to have on hand for sipping throughout your day.
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