The Alkaline Diet

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.

Examples

  • pH 2 stomach acid
  • pH 3 - 3.5 wine
  • pH 7.0 water (neutral)
  • pH 7.35 venous blood
  • pH 7.4 arterial blood
  • pH 8 baking soda
  • pH 8.5 sea water
  • pH 12 caustic soda

    • It is essential that your blood is always slighty alkaline, with a pH around 7.4 otherwise it would kill you. If we put too much acid food into our system then our bodies have to fight to maintain the right alkalinity.

    We can help our bodies to maintain the right levels of acidity and alkalinity by regulating the food we eat. This is the basis of the alkaline diet.

    You are looking for a mix of food that is predominantly alkaline. If you refer to the list below you should be aiming for 75% alkaline and 25% acid food types. Try to avoid any food with a pH 5.5 or less.

    Note that 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.

    The purpose of this page is not to go into too much detail about how the alkaline diet works. Its purpose is to provide a reference table of the foods that you should be eating and the balance you should be looking for.

    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.

    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 - 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.


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