The Best Foods for the Diet
In this chapter we will look in detail at 80 alkaline-forming super foods and the 20 best acid-forming foods. Once you start incorporating these wonderful foods into your life, and seeing and feeling the benefits of eating well, you will wonder how you ever managed without them. The foods are listed alphabetically for ease.
Free Radicals and Antioxidants
These two terms crop up rather a lot in this chapter.
Free radicals are the bad guys, incomplete cells that attack healthy cells, causing damage that can lead to certain diseases, especially cancer and heart disease. Free radicals are major players in the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) and heart disease; the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes; the cloudy lenses of cataracts; the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma.
Antioxidants are the good guys. These powerful substances travel through the body neutralizing acidity and free radicals.
The 80 Top Alkaline-forming Foods
These foods should make up 80 per cent of your daily diet. Not only are all the foods alkaline forming, they have many health-giving properties in their own right. You can eat as much or as many of them as you like.
Alfalfa
Usually eaten as sprouted seeds, alfalfa can be bought from supermarkets and health-food shops. Alfalfa contains the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and some of the B-vitamins. It is high in protein, and contains a good ratio of calcium to magnesium, plus phosphorus, iron, potassium, chlorine, sodium, silicon and other trace elements. It has eight enzymes known to promote the chemical reactions that enable food to be assimilated properly within the body.
Alfalfa aids stomach ailments, ulcerous conditions, and the pain and stiffness of arthritis. It may eliminate retained water, help ease peptic ulcers, and is an excellent food for those trying to lose weight. You can add alfalfa to most dishes but it is ideal in salads and sandwiches. Try sprouting your own from seed for the freshest sprouts ever.
Almonds
Of all the different varieties of nuts, almonds have the most calcium and an even higher magnesium content, giving them a good ratio for an alkaline-forming food. They also contain essential fatty acids, vitamin A and some of the B-group, and the minerals phosphorus and potassium. Almonds help maintain strong bones and teeth because of their calcium and phosphorus content. They also lower harmful LDL cholesterol. One study found a 12 per cent decrease in LDL levels in people consuming 100mg of almonds a day for just nine weeks. Although all nuts have the ability to lower cholesterol levels, almonds have the most dramatic effect. Choose almonds in preference to other nuts as walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazils and most other nuts are acid forming.
Amaranth
Amaranth, which can be bought as flour or as grains, contains no gluten or yeast. It is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium and protein. The flour has a pleasant, nutty taste, making it the perfect choice for baking a variety of flat breads, bagels and cakes. Amaranth grains can be cooked and eaten like a cereal, or try adding it to soup for valuable protein. The grains can be gently toasted, which brings out their full flavour, and added to salads. Look out for it in health-food shops and experiment.
Apples
Apples are a versatile and potent package of natural goodness and deserve their reputation for keeping doctors away. They contain valuable bulk fibre in the form of indigestible cellulose, which is needed not only for regular bowel movements but also to carry toxins out of the body. Apples protect the heart, lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar and suppress the appetite. They contain high levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C and biotin. Be sure to eat the skin as it is high in pectin fibre, which is lost when apples are juiced. Apples also lose much of their nutritional value when dried. How many different varieties have you tried this week? Just the usual one? Be adventurous – there are dozens of varieties to choose from.
Apricots
The apricot is cherished in the Himalayan kingdom of Hunza (the land of Shangri-la in the novel and film Lost Horizon) as a source of health and exceptional longevity. Apricots are better eaten in their dried state as they have a much higher concentration of betacarotene than the raw fruit. Betacarotene converts to vitamin A in the body when needed. Apricots may protect against cancer, especially smoking-related cancers. They are extremely high on the list of alkaline-forming foods and we encourage you to eat them three times a week. They make an excellent mid-morning or afternoon snack. Add a few almonds for a more balanced snack. For some people, eating apricots alone may increase blood sugar levels too quickly, as they are also a concentrated source of sugar.
Artichokes
The artichoke is an edible thistle. Its therapeutic benefits may include lowering blood cholesterol levels and stimulating bile and urine, making it a natural diuretic. It is also a good aid to digestion. In 1969, French scientists were so successful in using artichoke extract for treating liver and kidney ailments that they took out a patent on it resulting in cynarin, a constituent of the artichoke, being formulated into a drug for lowering blood cholesterol. Russian scientists reported in 1970 that the edible parts of the artichoke had anti-inflammatory properties. Highly alkalizing, the artichoke makes an excellent starter to any meal.
Asparagus
There are many different varieties of asparagus, of which the green asparagus is the most common. Only the green tips are alkaline forming – the white stalk ends are acid forming so cut them off and discard them. Asparagus is not only much more freely available now but also more affordable. It is packed with nutrients, providing an excellent source of vitamin C and folic acid. Asparagus has been shown to protect against cataracts, macular degeneration (physical disturbance of the centre of the retina), atherosclerosis (hardened arteries), bruising and cancer, all due to its high content of antioxidants and alkalizing properties. Lightly cooked or raw in salads, asparagus adds variety and balance to any meal.
Aubergine (Eggplant)
With its satiny, purple skin, the aubergine is highly regarded in Nigeria, where it is used as a contraceptive, an anti-rheumatic agent and an anti-convulsant. In traditional Korean medicine, the dried plant, including the fruit, is consumed to treat lumbago, general pain, measles, stomach cancer and alcoholism, and is applied externally to cure rheumatism, gastritis and burns. Studies have shown that aubergines may also counteract artery damage.
Aubergines
