Each person has different ways to make sure that they can maintain an alkaline lifestyle. It is acceptable to make some small changes and gradually, we will be able to reduce the consumption of various acid-forming foods. Here are steps we should do:
- The first step should be quite obvious. We should gradually replace our less healthy foods with fresh fruits and vegetables. During breakfast, some people tend to consume a lot of acid-forming foods, such as fried eggs, fried bacon and sausage. Alternatively, we could start our day with a glass of hot tea and some fruits. Instead of coffee, we should drink fruit juice that we have prepared the previous night. If we need some filling carbohydrate we could eat some bread.
- We could still consume meat, but we should replace chicken, pork and beef with various fish, such as turkey, tuna, trout, salmon and mackerel. In this case, we could avoid consuming less harmful fat and we could gain many more benefits.
- If possible, we could avoid eating various processed foods, such as sausages, hotdogs, canned soups, peanut butter, breads, canned fruits and luncheon meat. It is also a good idea to limit the intake of cheese dips, salad dressings, ketchups and others; because obviously, not many of us could avoid them entirely. These foods are known for their high acid-forming substances that can wreak havoc in our system.
- It is important to lower the consumption of sugar and other sweet foods, such as pudding, donuts, cookies, carbonated soft drinks, ice cream, candy and similar things. High sugar foods could be considered as acid-forming, so we should try to avoid them.
- Roasted and grilled foods are better than fried ones. The frying process adds extra fat in our meal and it will elevate the calories content. It means that fried food have higher acid-forming properties. The best cooking process is steaming, because unlike boiling, much of the nutrients are retained and won’t dissolve in water. Also, the steaming process doesn’t add extra fat to food. As an example, fish and various spices can be wrapped in large-sized lettuce, tied and then steamed.
- Reduce the consumption of dairy products, such as butter, cheese and milk. Eggs are also considered as an acid-forming food.
- Add plenty of spice in our food. We could add cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, marjoram, cinnamon, dill, cilantro, thyme, oregano, basil, tarrago, bay leaves, basil, turmeric and many others. They contain various phytochemicals, flavonoids and various antioxidant substances that will not only increase the alkalinity of our food, but they will also neutralize free radicals.
- Add more seeds, nuts and grains in our diet. Amaranth, wild rice, rye and quinoa are healthier grains than regular wheat and white, polished rice. Other than nuts, we could also add sesame and other seeds into our diet. This will make sure that we have a properly balanced alkaline diet.
- It is better to drink regular tea than coffee. If possible we could drink peppermint tea, fennel tea, lemongrass tea, ginger tea and chamomile tea.
