10 Natural Ways to Alkalize Your Diet

There are all kinds of diets out there for you to choose from, but when it comes
to getting the most health benefits, none can even compare to the alkaline diet.

The alkaline diet is based on eating alkaline foods to promote healthier cells,
better nutrient absorption, and improved immunity, while reducing plaque
buildup, bone deterioration, and inflammation. This in turn significantly
reduces your risk of developing chronic and degenerative diseases, including
cancer.

Sounds too good to be true?

Actually, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Your body is naturally inclined to be slightly alkaline, at 7.35 on the pH scale—
in fact, your body will do just about anything to keep you there. Your diet,
lifestyle, and stress levels can all contribute to creating a more unnatural acidic
environment, which promotes inflammation and diseases by affecting your
kidneys, liver, bones, muscles, tissues… right down to your cells.

Creating a more alkaline environment increases your mineral intake, which is
what makes it so helpful. Here are a few benefits:

• Stronger bones and a leaner muscle mass by increasing growth hormones
  and vitamin D production;
• Lower inflammation, which improves cardiovascular health, reduces chronic
  pain,and promotes a healthy weight;
• Boosted nutrient absorption, providing plenty of magnesium to help with
  hundreds of enzyme functions, and helping to prevent vitamin D deficiency;
  and
• Improved immunity to protect you from degenerative diseases like cancer,
  through waste removal and oxygenating the cells.

If you’re worried about your pH levels and want to get them tested, you can
purchase test strips at your local health-food store. It’s a low-cost and simple
urine test that will give you an idea of what your levels are.

If you’re ready to hop on board and take action
with an alkaline diet, here are my top 10
natural ways to alkalize your body.

Indulge in Organic

The soil in which your foods grow play the largest factor on how alkaline your
foods will be. Picking organic produce that has been grown in soil with a pH
between 6 and 7 will provide the highest vitamin and mineral content.

Hydrate with Alkaline Water

Water itself is important for your health, but ensuring that your water is
alkaline will continuously add minerals back into your body, to keep you
in balance regardless of life’s daily stressors. Adding an alkaline stick in
your water bottle keeps you hydrated and alkaline even on the go.

Say No to Sugar

Sugar is a highly acidic food, which forces your body to deplete its mineral
stores to ensure you remain in an alkaline state. By reducing or eliminating
sugar, you will find it easier to keep your pH in balance and reap the health
benefits of the alkaline diet.

Load Up on Fruits and Vegetables
 

Fruits and vegetables are your best source of alkaline foods, because they
are richest in vitamins and minerals. Eating a more plant-based diet will
help to support your body’s natural pH balance.

Include Mineral Supplements

An acidic environment requires your body to pull minerals from your  bones,
muscles, and tissues. Adding New Roots Herbal’s Calcium Magnesium
Citrates to your supplement protocol can be supportive for  keeping your
body alkalized through regular mineral intake.

Reduce Your Dairy

Dairy is also a highly acidic food, depleting your calcium stores. Though milk
is marketed as being a great source of calcium, its acidic affect removes
more calcium from the body than what it adds in. Try switching to a more
alkaline source, like unsweetened almond milk.

Go Nuts for Almonds

Almonds are alkaline-forming, due to their high calcium content (higher
than any other nut!) and dense magnesium content, which makes for an
easy alkaline snack.

Start Using Avocado Oil

Avocado is one of the top alkaline foods that you should be consuming,
making avocado oil a great addition to your cooking, baking, and salads.

Manage Your Stress

Stress promotes a more acidic state by secreting stress hormones,
which acidify the body. By learning to control your stress through
breathing exercises, adequate sleep, and exercise, you create a
more alkaline environment.

Go Green or Go Home

Consuming more greens—like spinach, kale, and broccoli—will alkalize
your body and promote the removal of toxins. Salads, smoothies, and
stir-fries are great ways to incorporate more greens in your diet.

While any new “fad” diet won’t stand the test of time, the alkaline diet
has been around for years and recognized as one of the top diets for
promoting longevity and disease prevention.

Do your body a favour and go alkaline!

 Sharisse Dalby, Nutritionist (RNC)

 Registered nutritional counselor, she helps families
 and children beat their health struggles, focusing on
 digestive and emotional issues.

 www.sharissedalby.com