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Alkaline Foods List - Is There a Definitive One?

By Laura Wilson

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Published: 28Oct2009
Word count: 448
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If you're looking to follow an alkaline diet then good for you - it's one of the best things you can possibly do for your health (assuming you don't smoke). Eating alkaline foods such as vegetables, sprouts, essential oils and drinking plenty of water is a great place to start but is there a reliable alkaline foods list?

The problem is, due to how different researchers and health professionals define 'alkaline foods', each alkaline foods list that you come across has slightly different foods in the alkaline and acidic categories.

Here's my top 5 steps for determining which foods are alkaline and which are acidic:

1. In general leafy, dark green vegetables are alkaline. These can and should be eaten freely and plentifully on a daily basis - raw form is best. These include foods such as spinach, kale, cucumber (ok, not 'leafy' but still dark green on the outside :-) ), watercress, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, broccoli. The dark green colour is attributed to the chlorophyll in the plant - which is pure alkaline sunlight goodness and amazingly nutritious.

2. Cold pressed omega 3 oils such as olive oil, flax seed oil, starflower oil, sesame seed oil and even (virgin) coconut oil are very alkaline. Do not fry or heat your oil, as this acidifies it and in some cases hydrogenates it, which is very harmful. So cold omega 3 oils, which can be used in salads etc are good.

3. Anything sweet is generally out. Sugar is one of the most acidic foods to your body, so obviously things such as cakes, chocolate, sweets and fizzy drink s are a no-no if you're on an alkaline diet. When it comes to fruit, I'm afraid most fruits are acidic. Grapefruits, lemons, limes and avocadoes are the only fruits (aside from tomatoes) that are truly alkaline. Some others are debatably mildly alkaline or neutral - perhaps watermelon or blueberries. It depends on how rigid you want to be with your alkaline diet.

4. Processed foods are acidic. Now this comes down to common sense. If you think of acidic foods as being harmful to your body, then it stands to reason that things such as takeaways, chips, burgers, microwave meals, reconstituted meats and dried packet foods are acidic doesn't it? We all know that these foods are not good for us and should be eaten sparingly, although in the Western world we do consume a lot of this stuff. Following an alkaline diet means a shift to healthier eating.

5. Meat and dairy are acidic. It's as simple as that really - meat and dairy products are highly acidic to you your body so must be limited heavily or eliminated altogether if you're going to go alkaline.

Would you like to know more about alkaline diet and alkaline foods? Get instant access to my free 38-page Alkaline Diet Recipes eBook by going here: Alkaline Diet Recipes Book Laura Wilson is qualified advanced fitness and dance instructor and has researched and implemented optimum health and an alkaline diet for over 10 years.

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