Our alkaline diet

Testing pH of Foods

After my last gout attack in June of this year, my research led me to be concerned about high levels of oxalic acid in my diet which may have been a contributing factor. We know that alkaline water and certain alkaline foods like black cherries help to dissolve uric acid crystals (which causes gout). In addition to reducing gout, we found research on many other positive health outcomes from a diet that keeps the blood alkaline. With so many health benefits we decided to try an alkaline diet for sixty days and see if would help us lose fat without bringing on a gout attack.

Though we were already drinking alkaline water and eating organic black cherries, we discovered some of our diet was making us acidic. We decided to stop drinking wine. Instead of wine at night we are drinking organic cherry juice (wow that was a change). We cut back on dairy and foods with gluten, as gluten causes the body to make extra acid to digest it. We made salad our evening meal (with green leafy lettuce, olives, and tomatoes) and added avocados, which is a great alkaline food. We cut back on grass-fed beef, wild salmon, and tuna, and we substituted some meals with beans and soy.

Having an overly acidic pH has been tied to obesity, diabetes, food allergies, acne, heart problems, cancers, and increased infections as it creates a friendly environment for viruses, yeasts and bacteria. To keep the pH in balance, the body dissolves the calcium from the bones, which leads to osteoporosis. If that isn’t sufficient, the body creates fat cells to store the excess acid in order to protect the internal organs from it.

Stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation also causes the body to become acidic and so does being over heated, lack of exercise, and excessive exercise. We didn’t change our exercise routine or stop drinking coffee, but we cut back on watching the news at night. We also started to measure the pH of our drinks and foods. We measure the pH of our saliva and urine to keep track of our alkaline progress.

We were delighted to see our pH measurements quickly go from acid to alkaline. We have kept our pH alkaline for 60 days now and have noticed some weight loss – about 5 pounds each. The biggest difference is that we rarely feel extremely hungry, which has been a challenge on our calorie restriction diet. Another significant benefit of our alkaline diet is that we feel upbeat and positive about everything. We are more relaxed and less worried than we have been in years. It also seems like we are more focused and productive, though we admit we go to bed earlier and sleep in later.

Since we are losing fat and feeling better, we plan to continue to monitor our pH and remain on this alkaline diet.