Alkalizing your body can help you improve your health and reach your ideal weight. The process starts by reducing the amount of acid you put into your body. Alkalizing foods will help you balance out the acidic foods you do eat and help your body maintain the optimal pH of 7.35 without having to neutralize acid by storing it excess body fat.
Alkaline foods have a pH higher than 7.0. Unlike acidic foods that can be as low as 2.5, alkaline foods are usually only slightly above 7.0. This means it can take a lot of alkaline foods to balance out a smaller amount of acidic foods.
Green vegetables are one of the best sources of alkalizing foods. You don't need to worry about which vegetable. If it is green, it probably has a pH of around 7.5 to 8.0 and is full of beneficial vitamins and minerals. Cucumbers are one of the most alkaline vegetables you can eat.
Sprouts are another great source of alkalizing nutrients. Sprouting seeds are full of nutrients and are more alkalizing than the seeds they come from or the foods they grow into. Common sprouts include alfalfa, bean, and broccoli. Almost any bean, grain, or seed can be sprouted to provide an alkalizing food.
One of the best sources of alkalizing foods is grasses. You won't eat the grass, but you can juice it or get it in supplement form. Some of the most alkalizing grasses are wheat grass, kamut grass, and barley grass. Wheat grass, in particular, is becoming very popular at health food stores and juice bars.
There are a few alkalizing foods that may surprise you. Lemons, limes, and grapefruits all have an alkalizing effect on your body. While they are chemically acidic, they have an alkalizing effect on your body. Try starting your day with a grapefruit or squeezing some lemon into your drinking water throughout the day to help you alkalize.
The key to eating alkalizing foods is buy organic whenever possible and eat them fresh. Organic foods are healthier, taste better, and usually are more alkaline than their chemically fertilized counterparts. If you have to cook your vegetables, cook them as little as possible and try to keep the temperature below 118 which is where many beneficial enzymes are destroyed.
Alkalizing your body is a balance of eating more alkaline foods and less acidic foods. Start by adding a fresh green vegetable to every meal. This will help balance any acidic food you eat and also help you get full sooner so you eat less of the acidic foods on your plate. After that, find a fresh vegetable that you can snack on instead of a sugary, acidic candy bar. Wash it all down with a glass of water with a little lemon juice squeezed into it instead of a soft drink or coffee. These simple changes can go a long ways towards alkalizing your body and helping you reach your optimal weight.