Eating healthy is one of the major topics of discussion these days amongst generation Y. There is a lot of focus towards diet amongst youngsters, and this can be attributed to the fact that people have started to understand the importance of diet in maintaining their overall health and avoiding chronic diseases.
Most of the diseases and health issues of today’s world can be traced back to their dietary habits and thereby, most experts and nutritionists advise different diet plans to maintain optimal health.
The most popular diets that people are shifting towards these days include the dairy-free diet, keto diet, 5:2 diet, cancer-preventing diet, the yin and yang diet, and so on. All these diets are specifically targeted for a particular benefit. For example, a keto and 5:2 diet plans help in weight loss whereas a dairy-free diet helps in improving gut function. The cancer-preventing diet can help in protecting yourself from the life-threatening threat of cancer and the yin and yang diet is renowned for strengthening the immune system and bringing more energy to your body.
Apart from these, there is one more diet that is in the limelight amongst millennials. The Alkaline Diet is getting popular for having not just one, but multiple advantages for our body. It aims at improving overall health and has certainly caught the attention of the youngsters of Gen Y.
However, the claims regarding the alkaline diet have its supporters and doubters. It’s now time to get into the details and establish if the alkaline diet is based on facts, or is it just another fad that is blown out of proportion by some enthusiasts. Read along to find out the truth.
What is an Alkaline Diet?
Our stomach is highly acidic, generally having a pH balance in the range of 2 to 3. This facilitates the process of digestion and is important for multiple purposes. However, due to some food such as processed, packed, or junk food, the pH balance in the stomach can go haywire.
This change in the stomach’s pH balance can cause multiple issues associated with the gut. Some of the common issues that you are likely to face include acidity, heartburn, acid reflux, headache, and gut infections. If unattended or prolonged, these issues can take shape and manifest certain chronic diseases, such as GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, intestinal swellings, infections, etc.
The alkaline diet refers to a diet consisting of alkaline food, i.e. food that has a balance of more than 7 on the pH scale. The idea behind this diet is to increase the body’s alkalinity, and thereby improve the pH balance of the body to protect from all the negative impacts that can happen due to acidosis.
It includes various kinds of fresh food, including vegetables and fruits, that are highly alkaline. All of these have high healing properties. Additionally, by including this food into a specified diet, the goal is to maintain balance in the gut and bring a host of benefits across the whole body.
What exactly is included in this diet and how it improves our health? Let’s find out.
What is included in the Alkaline Diet?
As discussed above, an alkaline diet is a blessing to our bodies. It is wholesome and provides nutrition, minerals, and antioxidants that help the body to function better. Now, to begin, we will discuss in detail all the food that is a part of an alkaline diet.
When we talk of the Alkaline Diet, the food that forms an integral part of it, is dark, green, and leafy vegetables along with some fresh fruits.
The vegetables included are Spinach, Broccoli, Kale, Cauliflower, Mustard green, Lettuce, Celery, Parsley, Onion, Beetroot, Ginger, Garlic, Carrots. Whereas, the fresh fruits include citrus fruits such as Lemon, Oranges, Lime along with seasonal fruits including the likes of Kiwis, Watermelon, Pineapples, Apples, Apricots, Grapefruits.
Besides fruits and vegetables, the alkaline diet also includes options such as seeds and nuts that include Cashews, Chestnuts, Almonds, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Fox Nuts. Some other items in an Alkaline Diet are Soya Beans, Tofu, Sea Salt, Legumes.
One more interesting item that should be taken along with an alkaline diet is alkaline water. Alkaline water tends to have a pH balance of more than 9 and helps in reducing acidity by improving the pH balance of the gut. The alkaline diet works even better when you combine it with alkaline water.
You can make alkaline water at your home through various methods. However, if you are looking to get alkaline water whenever and wherever you want, then you should consider buying a DYLN Bottle. These bottles come with a VitaBead Diffuser that instantly works whenever you pour regular water into the bottle and it takes minutes to make it alkaline.
You can carry this bottle anywhere you want and drink alkaline water throughout the day. This will keep you hydrated for long hours and make you feel energized throughout the entire day.
What are the claimed benefits of an Alkaline Diet?
There is a long-standing debate between the advocates of the alkaline diet and its doubters. While the advocates claim they have experienced numerous benefits through an alkaline diet, the doubters, on the other hand, refute these.
Let’s take a further look and discuss the advantages of an alkaline diet.
Advantages of an Alkaline Diet
Promotes Weight Loss
The main concept behind losing weight is to lose more calories than you intake. By shifting to an alkaline diet, you eat more vegetables, fresh fruits, and less processed food, which helps in eating less calories and eventually aids in losing weight.
Improves Immunity
The alkaline diet is filled with minerals and nutrients including zinc, magnesium, and antioxidants. These help in making our immune system more robust and therefore make us stronger in defending ourselves against foreign invaders. The nutrients also improve the memory of the immune system and allow it to respond better in the future if our bodies are attacked by the same invader.
Resolves issues in the Gut
The alkaline diet works towards restoring the pH balance in the gut. By eating processed foods, we disrupt our gut's balance and make it highly acidic. This further leads to multiple issues and diseases. Alkaline food resolves these issues and makes you feel strong and healthy.
Prevents Chronic Diseases
The alkaline diet is scientifically proven to help in treating or preventing various chronic diseases such as heart disease and kidney disease. It aids in improving the levels of the growth hormones in the body, and these growth hormones are well known for supporting the body composition and lowering factors contributing to heart diseases.
Additionally, a study conducted in 2017 found that eating a low-acid diet helps in improving the symptoms of chronic kidney disease.
Promotes healthy Bones and Muscles
An alkaline diet helps in making your bones stronger in a couple of ways. Firstly, it reduces the loss of calcium through urine and allows the bones to get the majority of it. Secondly, it consists of nutrients and minerals that promote bone health and reduces the risk of fractures.
Besides, all of us naturally tend to lose muscle mass as we age, and this results in weakness and pain throughout the body. But, a study conducted in 2013 offered preliminary evidence that an alkaline diet increases muscle mass and eventually improves muscle health.
Conclusion
There have been plenty of debates between the proponents and the opponents of the alkaline diet. Yes, the studies are still not concluded and a lot of research is still needed to reach further conclusions, but still there are enough shreds of evidence that back all the claims about alkaline diet’s advantages for the human body.
Moreover, a key point while doing an alkaline diet is that 80% of food in the diet is alkaline, but, 20% of space is kept for acidic food to help maintain the balance. Besides, most of the components of the alkaline diet include fruits and vegetables. These are included in all forms of diets and are rich in various minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, nutrients, and detoxifying chemical compounds.
There is no scope for questioning the fundamental benefits of eating foods and vegetables, and as such, you can start an alkaline diet without any doubts or concerns. The facts in the research conducted, until now, simply outweigh the doubts, and as such, you should confidently switch to an alkaline diet without a shadow of doubt, if you aim to achieve a good overall health.
