While the stomach is acidic, the rest of the body benefits from an alkaline diet. Eating too many acids will leave to more acid within the stomach. This can cause acid reflux and other issues that become uncomfortable and sometimes painful.
The problem is there are a limited number of safe alkaline rich foods to eat on a weekly basis. While there are some well-known options, they can include lots of sodium can cause other issues for your health! But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to not supporting your alkaline based body.
Here’s a look at seven foods that you want to add into your weekly shop for their alkaline rich benefits.
Stock Up on Plenty of Spinach
Dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are extremely good for you. One of the very best is spinach. Not only is it packed with nutrients and high on the alkaline scale, but it’s also one of the most affordable. So many people are now buying it that grocery stores make sure the cost is kept low.
You can get fresh or packaged spinach, and you will benefit from the alkaline rich benefits. Of course, fresh is better, and it’s even worth considering growing your own. Baby spinach or normal spinach are options, with fully grown offering the most benefits.
Spinach is extremely easy to use in recipes. You can enjoy it in place of lettuce, opt for it in cooking, or blend it up to create a base for your smoothies.
While being rich in alkaline, it’s also rich in many other nutrients. It’s one of the best sources of iron without touching meat. You can also get plenty of vitamins A, Bs, C, E, and K! In fact, you’ll get almost all your daily amount in two cups of the dark green leaves.
Looking to cut out dairy products because of the lactose? Stock up on spinach for the calcium. You’ll also get plenty of folate, magnesium, and potassium.
Your immune system is supported, you’ll have strong teeth and bones, your energy levels will be good, and your nervous system is boosted. And on top of all that, you have all the dietary fiber you need to keep your gut working. What reason do you have not to add it to your diet?
Don’t just stick to spinach on a weekly basis. Add it in daily.
Try Out Kale for a Slight Difference
When you want something a little different to spinach, you can try its cousin, kale. Kale leaves are slightly more bitter, but they are slightly higher on the alkaline scale (only slightly though). You’ll still get all the other benefits mentioned above. In fact, kale is slightly higher in some of the nutrients mentioned compared to spinach, but also slightly lower in some. It is a toss-up between the two.
Kale makes an excellent smoothie base. Berries offer more antioxidants to your breakfast and help to balance out some of the bitterness in the leaves. You can also get rid of some bitterness through cooking, without damaging the alkaline benefits. When it’s cooked well, it does taste delicious. Steamed kale is especially tasty and beneficial for lowering cholesterol levels.
There are also some cancer-fighting benefits that spinach doesn’t have. There are four glucosinolates, which convert into compounds that fight against cancerous cells, unlike antioxidants that fight against free radicals and not the specific abnormal cells. The body won’t struggle to convert the glucosinolates right away.
This isn’t one you’ll want to eat daily when you have spinach around. You only need it 2 or 3 times a week to feel all the energy and health benefits. Check out more info on kale cake recipe here
Don’t Forget the Cucumber
When you want a vegetable that tastes great, offers hydration, and is cheap, look no further than a cucumber. You also get the alkaline rich benefits at the same time.
You can opt for baby cucumbers, normal sized ones, or even dill cucumbers. Either way, you’re getting the alkaline rich benefits from the vegetables.
Cucumbers are 95% water, and the rest is made up of fiber. You don’t get this makeup anywhere else, giving your body plenty of both nutrients to survive. Of course, this also means you’re consuming very few calories, making it the perfect vegetable for weight loss.
At the same time, you’re getting plenty of antioxidants and other nutrients to support the whole body. Cucumbers are made up of polyphenols, which were once found in only cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli. You’ll get a range of lignans, too, which have shown benefits against cardiovascular disease, ovarian cancer, and uterine cancer in studies.
It’s a vegetable that you can eat raw without any worries. In fact, it’s best eaten raw. You can also blend it down for a smoothie or juice it without too many natural sugars affecting your system. Most alkaline soups and recipes will include cucumbers as a base ingredient because it has such powerful alkaline tendencies.
You’ll also get a good intake of iron, calcium, selenium, manganese, zinc, potassium, and vitamins A, Bs, C, and K. Think of it as a less bitter and far more hydrating version of your spinach, kale, and other dark green vegetables.
You Need Your Broccoli
Of course, with all the vegetables already mentioned, cruciferous vegetables have come up. While all the family are good, if you’re going to choose one, make sure it’s broccoli. This is a powerhouse of nutrients and is one of the easiest cruciferous vegetables to use in your cooking. You can even enjoy it raw, although it can be bitter!
You want to add broccoli to your diet at least 3 times a week, but do strive for 4 times. It’s full of phytonutrients that will help to prevent cancer from developing and support the digestive system to ensure a healthy gut. A healthy gut is a healthy body, as around 80% of the immune system is housed in this part of the body!
Broccoli has also shown benefits in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, boost the metabolism, and prevent inflammation within the body. It ensures the whole immune system is working in sync and can ensure free radicals don’t get a chance to affect any cells or cause signs of aging.
When you want to get more alkaline foods in your diet, make sure you opt for raw or steamed broccoli over other forms. The alkaline benefits are released when raw or steamed. You can add in a few acids in other ways. There are so many ways that you can eat it in either form: smoothies, salads, soups, with your Sunday roast, or even as a snack.
Get More Avocados in Your Diet
While you won’t necessarily want to eat an avocado a day, you’ll want to get at least two a week. You can also split them in half, and eat half an avocado every 4-5 day.
But aren’t avocados full of fat? Won’t that negate the benefit of the alkaline? Sure, there is fat in avocado, but your body needs some fat to survive. Fat has been demonized over the years, but it’s saturated fats that you want to keep to a minimum. When it comes to the health, unsaturated fats in avocado, you want to make sure your diet is made up of at least 10% of them. Depending on a number of carbs you eat, you may want to eat more unsaturated or monounsaturated fats.
Good fats can help to boost your metabolism. They support the creation of ketones, which offers more sustained energy throughout the day. If you’re opting for a low-carb diet, you want to add more healthy fats instead of proteins for the energy and weight loss benefits!
Avocados are the easiest vegetable to add into your meals. You can opt for it chopped on top of your salad, sliced into your sandwich, spread on your toast, or blended to make your green smoothie creamy. You can also just opt for avocado oil for cooking, although this isn’t as beneficial for alkaline benefits as using actual avocados.
There are many other benefitsof avocados. They are good for the heart; they reduce the risk of cancer, they help to keep glucose levels to a minimum, and reduce inflammation in the body. They are also full of lutein and beta-carotene, which is extremely good for the eye health.
Really, if you’re going to choose just one food from this list for the week, opt for avocados. You will not regret that decision.
Get More Celery in Your Diet
Celery is one of the best vegetables when you’re losing weight. There’s a common saying that it has negative calories, but that isn’t quite true. All food has calories, but it’s the way the body uses the calories while you’re eating celery. The body needs more calories to digest celery than it gains from eating it, hence the view of negative calories.
The food is also a diuretic, which will help you get rid of some of the waste in your system. If you’re ever struggling to move your stools, you want to opt for this vegetable above all others.
Celery is very much like acucumber. It’s made mostly of water and fiber, with very few natural sugars. That means you can juice it without too many glucose problems. In fact, it’s watery base makes it an excellent main ingredient for soups and juices. It’s just not the best for smoothies since the strands can remain!
While being alkaline rich, celery is also vitamin C rich. It’s one of the best ingredients for this immune system powerhouse. It’s also high in phthalides, which studies show can help to keep cholesterol to a minimum. Worried about cancer? Celery is also packed with coumarins, which are regularly overlooked but help to prevent the growth and spread of some cancers.
Opt for celery with a little peanut butter for a healthy and nutritious snack.
Keep Ginger in Your Cupboard
Ginger is a highly beneficial ingredient to have in your cupboard. It can be known as a vegetable in its raw form, but it also becomes a spice when ground up. Either way, you’re going to get some alkaline benefits from the ingredient.
Ginger is one of the most powerful alkaline foods available. It sits at 5.6 to 5.9 on the pH scale and helps to maintain the alkaline base within the body properly. This is one of the main reasons why ginger is used in many medicinal remedies around the world. It’s one of the most beneficial during pregnancy, although best used in minimal amounts.
Many people who feel sick or suffer from acid reflux will find ginger tea helps. The tea relaxes the muscles, while the ginger gets to work on negating the acidic levels within the system.
It is also full of other nutrients that will help to support the immune system and reduce inflammation. You’ll find it easier to sleep. If you have morning sickness, ginger biscuits can help to ease nausea before you get up, helping to prevent the actual sickness part.
You can get some benefits from onion and garlic, too. These are from the same family as ginger and have similar bases.
Opt for ginger tea, grate some over your salads, or add it to your curries and stir-fries. You’ll feel great just from the aromatic scents in the air.
It’s Time to Balance Out Your System
The ingredients above are certainly worth adding to your weekly list. Some of them are good for you daily, while others will help to balance your body’s pH level just eaten on a weekly basis. They are all affordable for you to stock up on, and some will last for weeks and months (such as ground ginger).
Don’t forget to finish off your meals with some alkaline water. You’ll soon find that acid reflux and acidic issues in the body are a thing of the past.
