In order for our bodies to be fit and healthy the basic principle is that your PH level of your bloodstream should be around 7.365, any more than this will create an acidity which is the ideal environment for diseases like cancer to thrive on. With modern day living and the increase in processed and junk food consumption, we are increasingly at risk of creating a toxic environment for our bodies which sadly ultimately leads to inflammation, often resulting in disease.
Don’t worry you won’t need to rush out and get your PH level tested, if your body is highly acidic you will know as you will feel sluggish and unwell for sure! Some of the other signs are body odour, bad breath, skin blemishes, indigestion, high or low blood sugar levels and feeling tired with little energy. The good news is that there are diet and lifestyle changes you can follow to create a more alkaline environment which will greatly reduce the risk of inflammation caused by toxic levels of acidity in the body.
The types of foods you eat affect your body’s pH level. Eating foods that are too acidic can have a negative impact on overall health. On the other hand, eating foods that are alkaline tends to balance your system to the proper pH level.
Here are some tips to help create a more alkaline environment for your body!
Get into the habit of adding lemons to everything salads, juices, tea – you name it. Start your day with hot water and lemon every morning.
It is not easy at first but start to limit coffee and tea intake and swap with herbal teas such as mint, lemongrass and green tea, simple fresh mint leaves are great too.
Introduce simple green vegetable juices or smoothies to your diet – watercress, kale, apple, cucumber, basil and water is a great green alkalising juice to get you started.
If you are keeping meat, poultry and fish in your diet make sure it’s balanced with alkaline foods such as spinach, avocados and peas etc. Try limiting your meat intake and swap with protein-rich beans and pulses.
In case you didn’t know there are plenty of herbs and spices out there that fit into the alkaline category so start experimenting with fennel, cumin, cinnamon and coriander.
When it comes to acidic foods milk is on top of the list – with all the healthy plant-based milk options available on the market such as soy, coconut, rice, almond and cashew milk it should make the swap easy! Try them all to find which one that you enjoy and like the taste of.
Stay away from tap water as its full of some many harmful toxins, bottled water is obviously a better option but filtered water is even better, so it might be worth investing in a home tap water filter.
Opt for organic produce whenever possible, and look for grass-fed, free-range or wild-caught sources of beef, poultry and seafood.
Sweeten up your foods using natural sweeteners like raw honey or maple syrup instead of artificial sweeteners.
TOP ALKALINE FOODS
Leeks, courgette, beetroot, cucumber, garlic, avocado, peas, broccoli, kale, asparagus, leafy green vegetables, pearl barley, lentils, spelt, quinoa, oats, oily fish, tomatoes, lemons, almonds, grapefruit, green tea.
ACIDIC FOODS TO LIMIT OR AVOID
Butter, cheese, milk, eggs, cream, meat, seafood, white pasta, white bread, wholemeal bread, sweets, refined sugar, chocolate, biscuits, alcohol, coffee, tea, high protein foods/supplements, fizzy and high sugar drinks, peanuts.
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