The Whole Food Blog

In order to help the body keep an appropriate alkaline balance, it is important to consume the healthiest mix of alkaline foods and acid foods. The blend that alkaline diet proponents recommend is 80% alkaline foods to 20% acid foods.

Sustaining a perfect pH balance plays an important role in your total well-being because viruses, yeast, bacteria and harmful organisms flourish when the body leans to the acid side of the scale. So, choosing more alkaline foods than acid foods creates an uninviting environment for the things that may contribute to disease.

The healthiest alkaline foods to choose are alkaline fruits, fresh veggies, and herbal teas. Simple seasonings like pepper, garlic, and basil can be healthy choices. Leafy green veggies such as lettuce, spinach, and rainbow chard are some of the best alkaline foods. Carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and other orange or yellow vegetables also help contribute alkalinity to the diet. There are a few fruits and vegetables considered to be acid foods, so be aware of your intake of plums, corn, green olives, and cranberries. It is interesting to note that green bananas are thought to be acid foods while ripe bananas are alkaline foods. Also, this may seem at odds with normal thinking, but citrus fruits are usually said to be alkaline foods. Keep in mind that what is being evaluated is the pH balance these foods register once they have been digested.

It is important to remember that a percentage of acid foods should be consumed along with the alkaline foods. Most experts recommend primarily alkaline foods, but about twenty percent of your intake should be acid foods. Common acid foods are pasta, meats and fish. Of course, sodas, coffee, alcohol, sugar, and artificial sweeteners can really tip pH balance to the acid side of the scale. Other items that are considered healthy may also be acid foods, such as nuts, whole grains and beans. This doesn’t mean you should avoid them altogether. It just means that you should be cognizant of the number of alkaline foods that you consume each day.

Cliff Smith is co-owner of the fastest growing health food store online. He created the Alkaline Food Test at www.BestHealthFoodStore.net as a simple way for consumers to measure their daily consumption of alkaline foods and acid foods.