To understand how the alkaline diet works you need to know some basic chemistry. Every liquid is either acidic or alkaline. Whether they are body fluids, like stomach acid and blood, or drinks, like wine or coffee.
The measuring scale we use is pH (potential of hydrogen).
The scale goes from 0 to 14, where 0 is the most acidic, and 14 is the most alkaline.
Alkaline Foods and Your Body Chemistry
Anything that you eat or drink can range from very acidic to very alkaline. These are absorbed into the body through the stomach or intestine wall directly into the bloodstream. The problem for the body is that the pH balance of your entire body, especially the blood system has to be controlled exactly. The liver in particular has to keep the Ph of the blood exactly the same, which is very slightly alkaline, or you would die.
So, the more you can ensure that your meals are not too acidic, or very alkaline for that matter, the less work your liver has to do to keep the balance.
Some foods that are slightly acid have an alkalising effect on the body when they are digested. For example, lemons. By the time a lemon has been digested and absorbed into the body it is alkaline. When we talk of an alkaline diet we are referring to the chemical effect these foods after they have been digested.
You should be aiming for 75% alkaline and 25% acid food types. Try to avoid any food with a pH 5.5 or less.
Acidic Foods Are Stored As Fat
If your meals are too acidic then your liver has to call in backup and what would you know. the best (fastest) way to get rid of acid producing foods is to convert and store it as fat.
So the solution is simple. Keep your meals alkaline.
You can see in the table below what the bad acidic food types are. It really is no surprise.
Acidity and Alkalinity of Common Foods
- pH 9.0 (Very Alkaline diet) Lemons, Watermelon
- pH 8.5 Agar Agar, Cantaloupe, Cayenne, Celery, Dates, Figs, Karengo, Kelp, Kudzu Root, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley, Seaweeds, Seedless Grapes (sweet), Watercress, Seaweed, Asparagus, Endive, Fruit Juices, Grapes (sweet), Kiwifruit, Passionfruit, Pears (sweet), Pineapple, Raisins, Umeboshi Plums, Vegetable Juices
- pH 8.0 Apples (sweet), Alfalfa Sprouts, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Currants, Dates, Figs (fresh), Garlic, Grapefruit, Grapes (less sweet), Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh, sweet), Pumpkin (sweet), Sea Salt (vegetable)
- pH 7.5 Apples (sour), Beans (fresh, green), Beets, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carob, Cauliflower, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes (with skin), Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberries, Strawberries, Squash, Sweet Corn (fresh), Turnip, Vinegar (apple cider)
- pH 7.0 - 7.25 Almonds, Artichokes (Jerusalem), Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Eggplant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives (ripe), Onions, Pickles (homemade), Radishes, Sea Salt, Spices, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice) Chestnuts (dry, roasted), Egg Yolks (soft cooked), Essene Bread, Goat's Milk and Whey (raw), Mayonnaise (homemade), Olive Oil, Sesame Seeds (whole), Soy Beans (dry), Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Sprouted Grains, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet), Yeast (nutritional flakes)
- pH 7.0 (Neutral) Butter (fresh, unsalted), Cream (fresh, raw), Cow's Milk and Whey (raw), Margine, Oils (except olive), Yogurt (plain)
- pH 6.75 - 7.0 Barley malt syrup, Barley, Bran, Cashews, Cereals (unrefined with honey-fruit-maple syrup), Cornmeal, Cranberries, Fructose, Honey (pasteurized), Lentils, Macadamias, Maple syrup (unprocessed), Milk (homogenized) and most processed dairy products, Molasses (unsulphered organic , Nutmeg, Mustard, Pistachios, Popcorn & butter (plain), Rice or wheat crackers (unrefined), Rye (grain), Rye bread (organic sprouted), Seeds (pumpkin & sunflower), Walnuts, Blueberries, Brazil nuts, Butter (salted), Cheeses (mild & crumbly), Crackers (unrefined rye), Dried beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo), Dry coconut, Egg whites, Goats milk (homogenized), Olives (pickled), Pecans, Plums, Prunes, Spelt
- pH 6.5 Bananas (ripe), Buckwheat, Cheeses (sharp), Corn & rice breads, Egg whole (cooked hard), Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Oats, Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (wholegrain & honey), Peanuts, Potatoes (with no skins), Popcorn (with salt & butter), Rice (basmati), Rice (brown), Soy sauce (commercial), Tapioca, Wheat bread (sprouted organic)
- pH 6.0 Cigarette tobacco (roll your own), Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Fish, Fruit juices with sugar, Maple syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pickles (commercial), Breads (refined) of corn, oats, rice & rye, Cereals (refined like weetbix or corn flakes), Shellfish, Wheat germ, Whole Wheat foods, Wine, Yogurt (sweetened)
- pH 5.5 or less (Very Acidic diet) Artificial sweeteners, Beef, Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks, Sugary cereals (like cheerios or sugar puffs), Cigarettes (tailor made), Drugs, Flour (white wheat), Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes from white flour, Pork, Sugar (white), Beer, Brown sugar, Chicken, Deer, Chocolate, Coffee, Custard with white sugar, Jams, Jellies, Liquor, Pasta (white), Rabbit, Semolina, Table salt refined & iodized, Tea black, Turkey, Wheat bread, White rice, White vinegar (processed), wine
Alkaline Diet Recipes
If you are looking for some good recipes to help you make the transition then there is an excellent free vegan recipe book with a lot of good alkaline diet recipes at this site link.
Alkaline diet - further reading
If you are interested in knowing more about the alkaline diet then the book 'pH Miracle' by the microbiologist Dr. Robert O. Young has a detailed explanation of how alkalinity works within the body. The book also contains a number of recipes and a full program to move from your existing diet to an alkaline diet, in simple stages.
There is another alkaline diet book by Felicia Drury Kliment called 'The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet' that looks into the diet in relation to various health problems.