The acid-alkaline diet

Some people call this diet alkaline acid diet and acid alkaline diet as well. The goal of this diet is to better the intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, roots, tubers, nuts and legumes. What is the history of alkaline diet?

Back in the days before agriculture, the ancestors lived on a hunter-gatherer diet. That diet is pretty much different from the one people are following nowadays. In that diet the focus was on animal meat and minimally processed plant. However, things have changed drastically since then.When people created the stone tools, grains were brought into the diet. When automated rolling and sifting devices were created, people started consuming refined grains.The domestication of livestock allowed people to consume milk and cheese and other milk products. The intake of salt increased drastically with the mining technology, process and transport. When people thought of animal husbandry the meat intake also increased. The industrial revolution introduced sugar and since then people have been consuming it a lot more often.

Nowadays, pretty much all the foods a person intakes will release some acid or an alkaline base into the blood once it was digested, absorbed and metabolized. Foods like fish, grains, meat, cheese, milk and salt all create acid. Because all these foods are a part of a typical Western diet, people are nowadays eating food which produces more acid. Because of the decreased intake of fresh fruit and vegetables the Western diet is producing even more acid. The blood of the people is slightly alkaline. A normal pH level should be between 7.35 and 7.45. People who recommend alkaline diet claim that a person's diet should reflects that pH level. The Western diet is not alkaline enough and that disturbs the balance. Because of that some very important minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium are lost. People need to maintain the balance in order to stay free of certain diseases. Why do people try alkaline diets?

Alkaline diet is usually recommended to people who are suffering from a lack of energy, excessive mucus production, nasal congestion, frequent colds and flu, anxiety, nervousness, irritability, headache, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries or benign breast cysts.

A lot of doctors agree that the introduction of fresh fruit and vegetables and the lesser intake of meat, salt and refined grains is good for the health it is not necessarily the reason for the showing up of certain chronic illnesses. A person who follows an alkaline diet is more likely to prevent the formation of kidney stones, osteoporosis and age-related muscle wasting.

There are still no effective trials done to determine the effectiveness of this diet and a person should talk to a doctor before deciding to follow this diet.