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Acid ash and Alkali ash Forming Foods

Acid Base Dietary Balance and its Influence on Our Health and Well-being


How to Achieve Wellbeing by Creating a Physical Alkaline Environment

The key to achieving long term wellbeing is by eating a balanced diet, regular exercises, consumption of plenty of water ( especially ionized type), stopping to smoke and avoiding alcohol.

Balanced Diet

Balanced and Mixed Diet in Moderation

Balanced diet with right food choices and minimal consumption of the acid forming food like meat, excess sugar, fat, carbonated drinks, alcohol is the way to achieve long term well-being.

The basis for proper nutrition is found in whole, pure and natural foods. The number of calories in a meal means nothing unless they come from properly balanced food. In general, raw vegetables and fruits yield an alkaline ash while foods from animal sources (meat, eggs, and milk products) as well as grains, pulses, sugar and oils yield an acid ash.

Grains, pulses, milk and milk products have far more nutritional benefits than we can think of. That they are categorized as acidic foods should not deviate our nutrition quotient one bit. Cereals, millets, pulses, cooked vegetables and milk should essentially be consumed in our daily diets. Further, we need to make healthy changes from our end such as use skimmed milk, skimmed paneer, incorporate fiber rich millets like ragi, jowar, bajra, and consume whole grains viz. broken wheat, unpolished rice, and oats.

The key is to drastically limit meat, sugar, and oil, and increase the serving size of fruits and salads in our diets to keep the ratio of acidic foods less.

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The main dish must comprise a handsome serving of raw vegetables / salad in both the main meals and we must also consume a minimum of 2 to 3 servings of fruits in a day. Our diets should normally consist of 50 percent alkaline-forming foods or higher and 50 percent acid-forming foods or lower.

Dr. Stuart Zoll, of Center for Preventative Medicine in, Florida in his book How to Optimize Your Health (2007) clearly describes how the western diet that is high in acid foods such as red meat, pork, processed meats, corn and peanuts, bagels, pastries, rolls, sugar, chocolate, candy, deserts, fried foods, carbonated drinks /soft drinks / aerated drinks and dairy products results in acid wastes building up in our body.

Our food intake should focus on consuming more natural calories – fruits (fresh and dry), nuts, seeds, green vegetables, salads, sprouts, and vegetables.

Here are some healthful tips we must try and follow:

  • Restrict the intake of overcooked and processed food as they are practically dead food, devoid of all nutrients.
  • Eat fresh seasonal fruits every day and include salad stuff at each meal.
  • Include fresh sprouts in the diet – raw in salads or cooked.
  • Substitute in-between meals with fresh fruits and nuts like almonds, figs, pistachios, walnuts.
  • Develop a habit of enjoying a glass of freshly squeezed lime juice daily.
  • Minimize fried foods, packaged food, and processed or stale food. Consume only a reasonable amount of meat and eggs and pasteurized milk in the healthiest way. Following vegetarianism would be healthier.
  • One must limit the use of unnecessary medications, caffeine and say a big no to smoking and hard spirits. Instead consume a small glass of red wine or low alcohol drinks when the occasion demands.
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Exercise

For long term well being exercise daily or at least two to three times a week.

Besides this indulge in activities that buffer the acids of daily living and promote an alkaline body. Enjoying calm music, prayer, meditation, yoga, massage and reaching out to others with love and compassion is of great help and adds to your improved quality of life and helps greatly in achieving long term happiness and well being. Drinking plenty of water.

Taking dietary supplements, such as wheatgrass juice and drinking plenty of water (at least 8 to 10 glasses in a day) is of utmost importance.

Alkaline Water

Alkaline water obtained through ionization process is also said to be a great boon. Much has been talked about consuming alkaline water nowadays.

In an alkaline water purifier, one instantly obtains a stream of alkaline water from the top and another stream of acid water from the bottom. The ionizer splits the minerals already in the water to the alkaline side and the acid side. Alkaline water also has more oxygen - more than the 2 to 1 ratio of water. This is a good way of creating a healthful environment in the body. It is said that alkaline water ionizers provide minerals like calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium to the cells. Ionized alkaline water is also said to be a very powerful antioxidant in liquid form that can be easily absorbed by the body. People who already consume it on daily basis are convinced about its benefits.

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By eating and drinking alkaline forming foods one can somewhere establish a good acid/alkaline balance. Eating alkaline foods can give the body a tremendous boost. The accumulation of the solid acid wastes hastens the ageing process and also cause of disease.

It is said that due to the metabolically generated acidic end products and most of our food being carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, the waste products are always acidic. But on eating abundant alkaline forming foods and following a quality lifestyle the body creates a long term positive, stress free environment for itself.

Abiding to this one powerfully assists the whole body to function efficiently. When the body works this way, fat and weight loss is easy, there is lesser fatigue and good looks abound.

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