Our immune system performs one of the most important functions for our body, which is to help it fight foreign invaders, including pathogens, parasites, viruses, bacteria, amongst others. It identifies the threats and immediately pushes an immune response from the body to resist the attacks, helping us continue to live a healthy life.
Spread throughout our body, the human immune system is made up of multiple cells, tissues, proteins and organs. It is a very intelligent system, as it can differentiate foreign tissues from our own. It can also analyze the tissues that are dead and with that, clear them away from the body.
For us to remain healthy for longer, our immune system needs to work to the best of its ability. We need to ensure that we keep our immune system strong so that it can protect us from all attacks. A strong immune system also retains information about the previous attacks and prepares the body for an immediate and better response in case of a similar attack in the future.
There are multiple ways to ensure a strong immune system. One of the best and most common ways is through the intake of a balanced diet and healthy food. Many food items are great for the immune system and enable it to work at its peak. Alkaline food and diets also have a great influence on making our immune system strong.
We will now discuss more regarding what alkaline food and diets are, study their impact on the immune system and reveal how you can promote your overall health by munching on these healthy snacks.
What is an Alkaline Diet?
An alkaline diet is occasionally touted as one of the best diets you can follow. People consider it as a lifestyle and a habit, which promotes healthy living. Besides being known for helping to reduce weight and preventing chronic diseases, it also helps in boosting our immune system.
The basic fundamental behind an alkaline diet is consuming more food and drinks that have a pH level of more than 7. For those unaware, a pH level of less than 7 is highly acidic, while a pH level of above 7 is considered non-acidic, i.e alkaline. Water is neutral, as it has a pH of 7.
Our stomach’s pH level generally ranges from 2 to 3.5. This level is highly acidic, but essential for the process of digestion. However, the general food we consume, such as meats, grains, eggs, dairy products, refined sugars, as well as processed food, cause our pH balance to go haywire, and thus result in issues such as acidity, acid refluxes, heartburn, as well as stomach, intestinal and gastric issues.
On the other hand, alkaline food tends to bring a balance to our stomach. It helps in countering the acids in the stomach and it creates an alkalizing effect on the entire body. The principle behind this is that when the right level of pH is maintained, then it becomes harder for any disease to establish itself in the body.
Alkaline food protects our cells, balances the levels of minerals in the body and prevents the formation of plaque in the blood vessels. It promotes cardiovascular health, aids better digestion, improves memory as well as cognition and even helps in keeping the bones and muscles healthy and strong.
But one essential benefit that we are going to discuss ahead is how an alkaline diet helps in making our immune system stronger, and in consequence it increases immunity and improves our health. Let’s take an in-depth look into the entire process.
Alkaline Food and Immunity Boost
As the old cliché goes, our bodies are a reflection of whatever we put inside it. The food we eat has a major impact on the functioning of our body, making it essential to eat nutritious and healthy food. Consequently, our immune system derives all its energy from what we eat.
If we eat natural and healthy food, then the immune system utilizes the energy from it, becomes stronger and then performs its functions to protect us. There are certain vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, as well as nutrients, which help the immune system more than others.
Alkaline food comprises mostly of raw food, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats and proteins. These are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals that support the immune system. That, in turn, makes the immune system stronger, boosts our immunity, and keeps us healthy as we are protected from attacks by pathogens.
We have talked about the alkaline diet and alkaline food, but what exactly are these? Which types of food are part of the alkaline diet? What are some of the top alkaline foods? Let’s answer all these burning questions!
Top Alkaline Food items for an Alkaline Diet
Alkaline food is mostly plant-based. And it doesn't include any meat-based items. Many foods have a great alkaline presence, such as green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, sea salt, seaweed, root vegetables such as onion, ginger, and garlic, and seasonal fruits.
Now, we will discuss some of the top foods that are highly alkaline and how they help in boosting our immunity:
Green-Leafy Vegetables
- Most of the naturally green and leafy vegetables are renowned for having high alkaline properties.
- Vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, lettuce, kale, parsley, and mustard greens have the highest alkaline level.
- These vegetables are also rich in various other essential minerals and nutrients including vitamins, iron, and zinc, which have great importance for our bodies.
- These essential nutrients are needed by our immune system to gain strength and in consequence fight against foreign invaders.
Citrus Fruits
- Citrus fruits are one of the best sources of alkalinity.
- Citrus fruits cut the stomach acid and restore the pH level of the body.
- A blessing for the body, citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, lime, etc. have high quantities of Vitamin C. This vitamin not only detoxifies the body but also works well against acidity and also against heartburn.
- Most importantly, citrus fruits are a great source of energy for our immune system. It makes the immune system stronger and enables it to improve its memory and protect the body.
Root Vegetables
- Root vegetables are another great source of alkalinity in food. These vegetables, which include the likes of potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, beetroots, lotus and carrots, bring a good level of pH balance.
- Most people tend to overcook them, which eventually makes them lose most of their great qualities. However, if cooked appropriately, they bring out multiple benefits to the body.
- These vegetables are a rich source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a phytochemical that converts into Vitamin A in the body. This antioxidant helps the immune system by keeping the healthy cells intact and as a result, making it easier to remove the dead cells.
Seasonal Fruits
- Seasonal fruits are not only worth the wait for their great taste, but also for the innumerable amount of benefits that they bring for our bodies.
- These fruits come highly loaded with vitamins, minerals, nutrients as well as antioxidants, which assist in various functions of the body.
- Seasonal fruits such as kiwi, mangoes, pineapples, apricots, grapefruit, persimmon, nectarine and watermelon are some of the best sources of food with high alkalinity.
- The multi-vitamins and antioxidants present in these fruits are great friends of the human immune system. They help in nourishing the immune system, which in turn increases our immunity and keeps us healthy.
Nuts and Seeds
- Often consumed as evening snacks or for munching when the hunger bouts kick in, nuts and seeds have high quantities of good fats and essential minerals, which produce an alkaline effect in our bodies and reduce problems such as heartburn and acid reflux.
- Although you should be careful about eating in large quantities since they are high in calories. But including nuts and seeds such as cashew, sesame seeds, almonds, chestnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. in your daily meal plan is an asset for your body.
- These nuts and seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, magnesium, and other similar nutrients, which help in boosting our immunity and protecting our body from pathogens.
- Besides, these also help in improving the memory of the immune system. It enables the immune system to retain more information about the pathogens from previous attacks and allows it to take better and quicker action in case of a similar attack in the future.
Take away
Following an alkaline diet is not very difficult. All you are required to do is to include more fresh vegetables and fruits in your diet while cutting back on animal products, packed products, and processed food items.
By adhering to the alkaline diet, you can improve the pH balance of your body, which can go haywire if you only eat acidic food items, since our stomach in itself is highly acidic. By increasing alkaline intake, you can fight against illnesses such as heartburn, acid reflux, and gastrointestinal issues.
Besides this, alkaline foods can also have a major impact on your immune system. The vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants present in alkaline foods strengthen your immune system and they enable you to stay fit and healthy for longer periods.
Besides alkaline food, you should also drink alkaline water. By using the DYLN Bottle, you can create alkaline water whenever you want. Alkaline water gets absorbed into the cells easily and it nourishes and boosts the immune system. Combined with an alkaline diet, you’ll be reaping the benefits in no time!
