An alkaline diet consists of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and herbal teas. In contrast, an acid diet includes meat, dairy, most processed grains and many beverages, including coffee and alcohol. Although eating these foods does not affect your blood pH, they can have a significant affect on your health. According to Marjorie Nolan, an American Dietetic Association spokeswoman, clinical studies have shown that eating high-alkaline foods and staying properly hydrated reduce the rate of cancer and other diseases.
Alkaline Vs. Acid Foods
When you eat food, it is broken down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are found in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash. The ash pH a food leaves behind is represented in numbers, with "+2.0" and above being very alkaline and "-2.0" and below being very acidic.
Vegetables that produce a high-alkaline ash above +2.0 and provide other benefits include carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables. These foods are typically bright in color, as in orange, red and yellow. The News Medical website reports that consuming carotenoid-rich foods such as carrots, bell peppers, beets, sweet potatoes and apricots may help prevent or delay the onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. A study published by the Institute of Nutritional Physiology in 1998 also reports that consuming plant-based carotenoids decreases DNA damage due to oxidation, thus lowering the chances for cancer development.
Leafy Green Veggies
With an alkaline ash over +8.0, dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, savoy cabbage and Swiss chard are a good choice for a high-alkaline diet since they are rich in lutein, a powerful cancer-fighting nutrient. According to the Institute of Nutritional Physiology and Federal Research Center for Nutrition, eating foods high in lutein can help prevent cancer and damage to human DNA. The Lutein Information Bureau reports that humans should eat between 4 to 8 milligrams of lutein each day. Most don't consume even half that amount. One cup of raw spinach contains 13.3 milligrams of lutein.
Believe it or not, lemons have an alkaline value of +9.9. Add it to drinks or sprinkle it over salads to replace high-calorie, high-acid dressings. Other high-alkaline fruits include avocados at +15.6 and tomatoes at +13.6. Bananas, pineapples and oranges are also good high-alkaline fruits.
Instead of high-acid coffee with a value of -25.1 or soda, try a refreshing cup of herbal tea that offers health benefits. For example, the antioxidants in chamomile tea may help prevent diabetes complications, such as loss of vision, nerve and kidney damage, and may also stunt cancer growth. Drinking a few cups of hibiscus tea has been shown to lower blood pressure, and red rooibos, a fermented South African herb, contains flavonoids with cancer-fighting properties. Coconut water is another high-alkaline beverage with an alkaline value of +9.04.
Most proteins are acidic, but there are a few that are highly alkalizing, such as raw almonds at +3.6 and chestnuts and organic soy beans at +12.8.
- WebMD: Alkaline Diet: What to Know Before Trying It
- News Medical: Consuming Carotenoid-Rich Foods May Help Prevent or Delay Onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- Organic Survivalist: Why Quinoa Should Be Your #1 Choice of Grains for Food Saving
- WebMD: Health Benefits of Tea: Herbal Teas
- Snyder Health: Food Ash pH Chart
- Martin Poole/Digital Vision/Getty Images