How to Follow the Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet is often the eating plan of choice for people who are trying to slow the progression of arthritis, relieve chronic headaches, comb at sinusitis symptoms, fight fatigue and inhibit the growth of cysts or tumors. There have been no large clinical studies performed to determine the efficacy of the alkaline diet. The basis of this diet is to eat foods that help the body to maintain a healthy alkaline level of 7.4 percent while keeping the acid level low.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Plan your meals ahead of time when following the alkaline diet. Most foods are allowed in moderation, making this diet adaptable.

2. Select fruits from this list when planning your daily meal intake. Fruits that increase alkaline levels while being metabolized are:
   *Dried figs and apricots
   *Oranges
   *Apples
   *Bananas
   *Blackberries
   *Pineapple
   *Raisins
   *Cantaloupe
   *Watermelon
   *Dates

3. Choose alkaline-producing vegetables for your meal plans, including:
   *Beet greens
   *Cabbage
   *Dandelion greens
   *Baked potatoes
   *Carrots
   *Cauliflower
   *Broccoli
   *Celery
   *Eggplant
   *Swiss Chard
   *Mushrooms
   *Squash
   *Turnips

4. Eat small amounts of foods which produce acid during digestion. These should not be eliminated from your diet. When you follow the alkaline diet, you should eat about 75 percent alkaline producing foods, and 25 percent acid producing foods.

5. Create a meal plan that adds the following foods in small amounts:
   *Meat
   *Cheese
   *Nuts
   *Cranberries
   *Plums
   *Brussels sprouts
   *Asparagus

Tips & Warnings

• Talk with your doctor before you go on a diet.
• Eat a variety of nutrients.
• Monitor your progress as instructed by your doctor.
• Do not eliminate acid producing foods completely from your diet, as this may cause your alkaline level to become too high.

[micanator]

on 5/18/2008 The Alkaline Diet is awesome. I started it to help with low energy and eczema. It is great for numerous health problems. I created a blog about my story if anyone is interested in checking it out: http://alkalineaciddiet.blogspot.com/