Alkaline Forming Foods

Alkaline forming foods are very important to our health.  In 1931, Dr Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for proving that cancer cannot survive in an alkaline, oxygen-rich environment.  He showed that cancer in fact thrives in an acidic, low-oxygen environment.  So we must do whatever we can to maintain the correct pH for optimum health.

If you do not have an alkaline water machine, you can manipulate the pH of your body with what you eat and drink.  Different foods, when they are digested, will have the tendency to shift your body towards being more acidic (bad), or more alkaline (good).

Strangely enough, it is not whether the food itself is alkaline or acidic, it is what it does to you AFTER it has been digested.  For example, lemons are acidic, and yet they have a very alkalising effect on the human body after digestion.

The following list is not exhaustive, but it helps to show which foods make your body more acidic and which foods make you more alkaline.

Experts recommend a diet of 30% acid forming foods and 70% alkaline forming foods to maintain health, or a diet of 20% acidic and 80% alkaline foods if you are trying to recover your health.

Fruit:

Alkaline forming – apples, apricots, avocado, bananas, berries, cherries, citrus fruit (lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit), coconuts, dried fruit (dates, figs, prunes, raisins) fresh figs, grapes, kiwifruit, mangoes, melons (cantaloupe, honey dew, watermelon), nectarines, olives*, papayas, peaches, pears, persimmons, plums, tomatoes.

Acid forming – canned fruit, cranberries, glazed fruit, pomegranates, rhubarb, strawberries*.

Vegetables:

All vegetables are alkaline forming – alfalfa, barley grass, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, garlic, green beans, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkin, radishes, sea vegetables, spinach, sprouts, squash, sweet potatoes, wheatgrass, wild greens.

Nuts:

Alkaline forming – almonds, almond milk, Brazil nuts, chestnuts.

Acid forming – cashews, filberts, macadamias, peanuts, peanut butter, pecans, roasted nuts, tahini, walnuts.

Seeds:

Alkaline forming – all sprouted seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds.

Acid forming – chia, flax*, pumpkin*, sesame*, sunflower*.

Beans and peas:

Alkaline forming – all sprouted beans, limas, soybeans, soymilk*, mung beans, white beans.

Acid forming – aduki, kidney, lentils, Navy.

Grains:

Alkaline forming – all sprouted grains, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, quinoa*, rice milk*.

Acid forming – barley, breads, brown rice, oats, processed grain, rye, wheat.

 

Seasonings, Condiments and Dressings:

Alkaline forming – chilli pepper, cinnamon, curry, ginger, herbs (all), miso, mustard, sea salt, table salt (sodium chloride), Tamari.

Acid forming – jams, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar.

Meat and dairy:

Alkaline forming – goats milk, non-fat organic milk.

Acid forming – all animal meats, butter, cheese, eggs, fish, ice cream, milk, poultry, yoghurt.

Sugars:

Alkaline forming – honey, Stevia.

Acid forming – alcohol of any kind, artificial sweeteners, brown sugar, cane sugar, carob, malt sugar, maple syrup*, milk sugar, white sugar.

Oils:

Alkaline forming – olive oil*, soy oil*, flaxseed oil*.

Acid forming – avocado oil, butter, canola oil, corn oil, cream, hemp seed oil, nut oils, safflower oil, Sesame seed oil, sunflower oil.

Beverages:

Alkaline forming – alkaline water, fresh coconut water, green juices (vegetable juices), mineral water.

Acid forming – beer, black tea, coffee, soda, soft drinks, sweetened juices, wine.

Other alkalising food:

Apple cider vinegar, bee pollen, fresh fruit juice, green juices, lecithin granules, probiotic cultures, tempeh (fermented), tofu (fermented), vegetable juices, whey protein powder.

Other acid forming substances and food:

Alcohol, aspirin, cocoa, drugs (medicinal), drugs (recreational), herbicides, pesticides, some chemicals, tobacco, vinegar.

*Foods marked with an asterisk may be borderline, because on some lists they are acidic and on others, they are alkaline.

You can test yourself with litmus paper to determine your pH.  A little book of 80 test strips is just pennies on eBay.

Saliva has an optimum pH of 7.5, but you should only test yourself at least 2 hours after eating.

Urine should have a pH of 7.4 mid morning, but will only be 6.5 when you first wake up, because it is more concentrated.

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