Alkaline Nutrition
Your body needs a balanced acid-base ratio to function. This is especially true for your enzymes and hormones, which prefer an alkaline milieu. Your organism has its own deacidification system, which works on several levels. In the blood and liver, acids and acidic metabolic products are buffered with the help of proteins. In the large intestine, the good intestinal bacteria deacidify the acidic residues of our food, while our skin and kidneys remove acids with sweat and urine.
However, the sensitive acid-base system can quickly tip over. The increased acid load in the body leads to typical symptoms and clinical pictures like hyperacidity in stomach or inflammation. The most common causes go hyperacidity are wrong food habits with sour food items or an increased production of acidic metabolites due to stress.
Especially in stress, the deacidification of our body is weakened. Another reason for hyperacidity is a lack of essential amino acids and minerals such as magnesium, potassium and calcium, which have an alkaline effect. Also in a disturbed microbiom or an exhausted liver we find the signs of hyperacidity. These are usually the consequences of poor nutrition, constant stress and/or lack of sleep.
By the way, constant excitement and outbursts of anger can also lead to acidity. The irritated nerves trigger an increased release of stomach acid. Over time, the mucous membranes of the digestive tract are getting inflamed. This also harms the good intestinal bacterias. Once the small intestine become chronically inflamed, the mucous membrane is destroyed and get little holes. This is called Leaky Gut Syndrome in Allopathic Medicine. This allows substances to enter the bloodstream, which trigger a defense reaction in the body. This first leads to food intolerances and later allergies with corresponding symptoms.
In HOLISTIC LIVING and HOLISTIC NUTRITION an Alkaline Nutrition is fundamental. Here in the magazine we introduce you to foods, dishes and drinks with alkaline properties from the ayurvedic tradition. Here you will also find a list of acidic foods, dishes and drinks that you should avoid accordingly, which helps you in your alkaline diet. At the end of this article, you will also find a Selftest, which shows you, if you are hyperacidic.
Key Alkaline food items, dishes and drinks of Clean Eating
- Herbs and Spices: anise, basil, dill, tarragon, fennel seeds, turmeric, galangal, cardamom, coriander, cress, cumin, caraway, marjoram, cloves, oregano, parsley, saffron and thyme
- Fruits: ripe and sweet apple, apricots, avocado, pear, blueberries, pomegranate, mango, honeydew melon, peach, plums and a little sweet cherries, dates, figs and raisins
- Dry Fruits: dates, figs and raisins
- Vegan Milk: oat-, rice- and almond milk
- Milk: goat or cow milk
- Natural Sweeteners: raw cane or coconut blossom, stevia, maple or agave syrup, birch sugar
- Seeds and Nuts: sesame, chiaseeds, flaxseeds and fleaseeds, sweet almonds, hazelnuts, little macadamia and brazil nuts
- Oil and Fats: Ghee, olive oil (with less than 0.3 percent acidity), linseed oil
- Vegetables: chicory, cauliflower, broccoli, fennel, cucumber, pumpkin, parsnip, parsley root, sweet potato, jerusalem artichoke and zucchini
- Salads: rocket salad, oak leaf lettuce, endive and lamb's lettuce
- Cereals: Spell, kamut, emmer, barley and oats
- Cereal Alternatives: Amaranth, tiger nut, millet, quinoa and rice
- Lentils: Mung beans, red and yellow lentils, chickpeas
Alkaline Dishes
- Kichadi
- Rice dishes
- Lentils
- Pumpkin soup
- Chicory salad
- Fennel salad
- Oat porridge
- Millet porridge
- Quinoa porridge
- Apple mash made from sweet apples
- sesame bars
Alkaline Drinks
- liquorice root tea
- fennel-anise-caraway tea
- Clove tea
- Curcuma tea
- Golden Milk
Fresh and Healthy Food
Avoid sour food items, dishes and drinks
- tomatoes, eggplants, red bellpepper, celery, leeks, spinach, swiss chard and mushrooms
- pineapple, kiwi, berries (except for blueberries), citrus fruits, rhubarb
- all wheat products, including couscous, bulgur and saitan
- all sourdough products
- red meat, especially beef and pork
- tuna and seafruits
- fermented food like tofu or kimchi
- all dairy products like cheese, quark or curd
- vinegar and sauerkraut
- coffee and tea, the black is more acidic than the green tea
- alcohol
- coffee
- smoked, fried and deep-fried foods of all kinds
- synthetic food additives
- chilies, especially the red one
- hot spice mixes
- canned food
- ready meals
- fast food like hamburger, pizza, sausages, french fries
- all ready-made sauces especially tomato ketchup
- chips and flips
- roasted nuts and seeds especially peanuts or pistachios
- carbon dioxide in drinks like lemonade and Cola
- canned juices
Selftest Hyperacidity
- there is a sour taste on your tongue
- you are belching sour after eating
- you have heartburn
- you have burning sensation or pain on empty stomach
- your faeces smell sour
- you have hot or stinging feelings when passing urine and faeces
- you are often very thirsty
- your face is easily reddening
- you heat up quickly
- you can’t tolerate heat
- you are sweating a lot
- your sweat smells sour
- you have pimples and abscesses on your skin
- you suffer from inflammation and redness of the skin
- your skin has become wrinkled and aged in short time
- you got a lot of gray hair in a short period of time
- you suffer from reddened and burning eyes
- your gums are frequently bleeding
You suffer from Hyperacidity when …
