The food preferences of the modern generation have shifted, from healthy and low-cal, to tastier and more palpable. With so many options available these days, as well as ordering from the comfort on your home being much easier, people are getting diverted towards poor food habits.
We tend to consume more unhealthy and fast food and, as a result, do not intake enough food that brings nutrients and minerals to the body in enough quantity. This has a slow, yet severe impact on the functioning of the body, and eventually on our overall health and well-being.
Junk food may be tastier, but it holds less nutritional value and is highly acidic. It messes with our digestive system and causes several issues such as stomach irritation, acidity, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal issues. The acidic level of our stomach is already quite high to enable it to digest food easily. However, by eating extremely acidic food, we tend to create an imbalance that leads to the aforementioned issues.
By changing your dietary habits, you can have better control over your overall health. Experts recommend eating a balanced diet full of nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants to fulfill your body’s needs. In fact, a high-alkaline diet is the recommended choice for many since it fulfills all of the nutritional needs, and provides multiple other benefits.
So what exactly is an Alkaline Diet and what benefits does it have? Let’s find out!
What is an Alkaline Diet?
Alkaline Diet, also popularly known as the Alkaline Ash Diet, is a diet based on the ideology that including alkaline food and replacing the acid-forming food in your diet can improve one’s health. It includes food that has a pH level of 7 or above, intending to change the pH balance of the body and bringing more balance.
The alkaline diet is often associated with multiple health benefits. It is claimed that eating food with higher alkaline levels can improve digestion, cure acidity and similar gastrointestinal problems, fight obesity, reduce fatigue, detoxify the body, and remove allergies.
Keep in mind that the scientific jury hasn’t given these claims a complete thumbs up yet, as a lot of research still needs to be done. However, there are no doubts about the fact that some alkaline food is undeniably healthy and brings multiple benefits to the body. On top of that, the initial research done on various aspects of alkaline food benefits has only brought positive results.
Another part of the Alkaline diet that many people tend to ignore is the Alkaline water. You must avoid drinking regular water and switch to Alkaline water, since it has multiple benefits and it serves your gut well. It gets absorbed quickly into the cells to keep you hydrated for a longer period. It improves blood circulation by detoxifying the body and helps to manage body weight.
Drinking Alkaline water regularly also prevents conditions like acid reflux and high blood pressure. Moreover, Alkaline water isn’t even difficult to get. You can just go ahead and buy the DYLN Bottle, which makes your regular water alkaline and provides you alkaline water anytime you want. It is available for a cheap price and is designed to be easily carried everywhere to provide you alkaline water anytime and anywhere you want.
What is included in the Alkaline Diet and what is excluded?
Food that has a pH balance of more than 7 is included in the Alkaline diet. Some of the best examples of food high in alkaline level include:
- Citrus fruits such as lemon, lime, and oranges
- Seasonal fruits like kiwis, pineapples, watermelon, apples, grapefruit, and apricots
- Green vegetables such as spinach, kale, lettuce, mustard green, arugula, celery, and parsley
- Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli
- Root vegetables such as ginger, onion, potato, carrots, beetroot, and garlic,
- Nuts and seeds such as cashews, chestnuts, almonds, fox nuts, sesame seeds
- Legumes, soya beans, tofu, and sea salt, etc.
On the other hand, food that is more acidic and has a pH level of less than 7 are excluded from an Alkaline diet. These include some of our favorite munching snacks, for example - processed food, dairy, eggs, meat, grains, canned or packaged snacks, etc.
Alkaline Food Recipes to make at home:
Spinach with Chickpeas and Lemon
This is a great alkaline recipe for lunch that you can easily prepare. This recipe is full of nutrients, proteins, fibers, and all the minerals that will fulfill all your body needs. It’s fairly easy to cook, and is a great option for those with a busy lifestyle.
Ingredients required (serves 2)
Spinach – Few washed leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 3 tablespoon
Onion – 1 Large (thinly sliced)
Garlic Cloves – 4 (minced)
Grape Tomatoes – ½ Container (minced)
Lemon - 1 (large and juicy)
Crushed Red pepper Flakes – 1 tablespoon
Ginger – 1 tablespoon (grated)
Chickpeas – 1 large can
Sea Salt/Himalayan Salt – to taste
Instructions for making this recipe
To make this recipe, start by adding 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add the onion in it, and stir for 5 minutes till the onion gets a little brown. Continue by adding finely chopped garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and lemon, as well as crushed red pepper flakes on top of it, and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Proceed to add rinsed and drained chickpeas to the mixture and continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. You can now add the spinach leaves and wait for them to wilt a bit. Once they start wilting, you can add lemon juice and sea salt. Now cook for 2 more minutes on medium flame.
The lip-smacking alkaline-rich dish is now ready to serve. You can eat it for lunch, and even as an evening snack.
Scrambled Tofu and Tomato
This is a great alkaline breakfast option that can be made easily in a short period. Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, but it does not have to be the most boring one with regular cereals and bread. Rather, you can have this alkaline brekkie and energize your body to cope with the rest of your day.
Ingredients required (serves 2)
Tofu – 300-400g firm
Coconut Oil – 1 tablespoon
Tomatoes – 2
Baby Spinach – 2 handfuls
Arugula – 1 handful
Onion – ½
Turmeric – Small pinch
Himalayan Salt – as per taste
Small Red Pepper – ½
Small quantities of Basil, Coriander and Cayenne Pepper for seasoning
Instructions for making this recipe
This is a quick recipe that can be prepared within a few minutes. You can start by crumbling the tofu with your hands and putting it in a bowl. Next, take the onion and red pepper and fry it up in coconut oil till it turns a bit brownish.
Take baby spinach and a pinch of turmeric and mix it with the tofu. Continue by dicing the tomatoes into fine pieces and adding it to the mixture. Throw this in with the onion and red pepper, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes till the tofu is warm.
Just before you are about to finish, add in some basil leaves, coriander, and cayenne pepper for seasoning and adding to the overall taste. Take it off the heat now and serve along with baby corn. Have this delicious alkaline breakfast and set off for the day, full of energy.
Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Red Onions
If you are bored of your regular dinner options and want some change, then this can be a great rotation option. This dish will not only satisfy your taste buds but will also get easily digested, enabling you to feel light and have a good night’s sleep.
Ingredients required (serves 2)
Cauliflower – 1 head
Red Onion – ½ (sliced)
Cilantro – ½ cup
Salt – ½ tablespoon
Turmeric Powder – 1 tablespoon
Tahini – 2 tablespoons
Cumin Seeds – 1 tablespoon
Small quantities of black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander as a mixture.
Instructions for making this recipe
Start by cutting the cauliflower head into bite-sized pieces and placing it in a microwave heatable bowl. Next, add tahini and alkaline water from the DYLN Bottle to the bowl and mix it well, since it will coat the cauliflower. Preheat your oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now proceed to add seeds, turmeric powder, the mixture of black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and coriander, salt, onion, as well as cilantro to the bowl. Spread and mix it thoroughly with clean hands.
Now you can spread the coated cauliflower on a baking sheet and put it in the heated oven to bake it for around 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take it out of the oven and flip the cauliflower pieces. Put it back and bake for another 15 minutes. Once done, take it out again and serve it hot. Entice your taste buds with a delicious and healthy meal.
Seaweed Wraps with Quinoa and Fresh Vegetables Fillings
For your evening hunger pangs and to fulfill your evening snack and munching cravings, the nutrition filled wraps are a great option. Seaweed and quinoa are known to be full of protein, nutrients, and fiber, and their antioxidant properties are highly regarded as well. These highly nutritious ingredients cooked and served in a wrap are not only tasty to eat but are also very filling and healthy for your body.
Ingredients Required (serves 2)
Cooked Quinoa – ½ cup or 125 ml
Coriander Leaves – ¼ cup (fresh and finely chopped)
Garlic – 1 teaspoon (fresh and finely chopped)
Sesame Seed Oil – 1 tablespoon
Raw Seed Mix – 1 tablespoon
Cucumber Sticks - ¼ cup
Raw Carrot Sticks – ¼ cup
Red Chilli – 1 teaspoon (seeded and chopped)
Ginger – 1 teaspoon (grated)
Coriander Leaves – ¼ cup (fresh, finely chopped)
Nori Sheets – 2
Instructions for Making this Recipe
Take a bowl and put cooked quinoa, garlic, ginger, red chili, coriander leaves as well as raw seed mix in it. Mix it well by adding sesame seed oil on top of it. Be thorough in your approach and mix it properly. Meanwhile, lay down the 2 nori sheets on a flat surface.
Next, pick the mixture from the bowl and spread it equally on both the nori sheets. Spread it equally across the nori sheet and top it up by putting cucumber as well as carrot sticks on it. Now roll the nori sheets so that all the ingredients within get wrapped up properly.
You can either have it as it is or heat it a little for a minute in the microwave. The wraps taste best when consumed with soy sauce or pickles. These will fill up your stomach in no time and provide your body a whole lot of essential nutrients along with the satisfaction of taste buds.
Final Words
An alkaline diet is one of the best ways to consume some delicious and healthy food and to increase your daily nutritional intake. This diet plan consists of natural food and eliminates all the processed items in your diet, with the sole focus of adding alkalinity and therefore improving the pH balance of your gut for a healthier living.
Many think of alkaline food to lack taste and consider it difficult to consume. But this is solely a myth, as alkaline food comes straight from nature and when cooked with delicious alkaline recipes, you can make some great dishes.
These dishes can satisfy your taste buds and strengthen your body by providing it the essential nutrients necessary for its healthy and supreme functioning. Moreover, these are easy to cook, take less cooking time and can be cooked at home, making it standout as the best when compared to your regular favorite dishes.
So you should follow the above shared recipes and checkout some more here, and start implementing these in your daily diet to achieve optimum results.
