Would you like to know how an alkaline foods chart can be your guide to healthy eating? Why should we be interested to learn about the alkalinity or acidity of the foods we eat? Could alkaline eating be really the key to good health? To answer these questions, let us first talk about the alkalinity and acidity of food and how it can affect us.
Alkaline Ash vs Acid Ash
All kinds of food and beverage that we consume contain mineral and nutrients. Some food may have higher alkaline content while others may have higher acid content. Naturally, foods that contain acid will also leave acid ash or acid residue in our body while foods that contain alkaline will leave alkaline ash or alkaline residue in our body.
Acidity is the culprit that damages our body organs and system. The more we consume highly acidic food and drinks, the more acid we collect in our system. Eventually, excessive levels of acidity will cause our organs to malfunction and in a worse case, can lead to more serious diseases.
What kinds of food or drink are high in acid content? Examples are meat, dairy, saturated fat, sweets, soft drinks, coffee and alcohol beverages. On the other hand, fresh vegetables, fruits, rhubarb, soy milk, almonds, flaxseed, broccoli and fresh vegetable juices are known to be high in alkaline content and therefore are good for your body.
Each one of us have different nutritional requirements yet it is recommended that at least 70% to 80% of our diet to consist of alkaline food groups and only 20% to 30% of acidic foods. It doesn’t really mean that you should measure every ounce of what you eat to be healthy. The important thing is to be able to distinguish which foods are acidic and which are alkaline. This is where you can use an alkaline foods chart.
With the help of an alkaline foods chart, you can tell more easily whether a certain fruit or vegetable is high in acid or alkaline content. It would be a lot easier to change your eating habits if you can have a reliable reference to guide you.