The Benefits of an Alkaline Detox

Does your body need a reset? While there's no easy button for a full-body detox, there is one simple solution: breakfast.

That's right. Many of the cleansing benefits you're searching for are waiting in many of the foods you eat. With an alkaline detox, you can neutralize acids in your blood and restore your body's balance for overall healthier living.

Interested in learning more? Keep reading to learn all about the benefits of an alkaline detox.

The Alkaline Detox Diet

pH levels range from 0 to 14. To maintain alkaline levels, you want a seven or higher.

A proper alkaline diet can help your body maintain a balanced pH level.

When the body converts food into energy, it can leave metabolic waste. This waste is either alkaline, neutral, or acidic. According to the alkaline detox diet, metabolic waste can impact your body's acidity.

So why do people think an alkaline detox can help the body?

Acidic metabolic waste is thought to leave your body vulnerable to disease. The Alkaline waste, on the other hand, is thought to support immunity.

For example, a low-protein alkaline detox diet can help patients with chronic kidney disease. 

By eating certain foods, you can provide your body with more alkaline waste. 

You'll want foods that contain calcium, potassium, and magnesium to produce more alkaline. Foods with protein, sulfur, or phosphate, however, can add more acid to your blood. These foods are best avoided during an alkaline detox. 

However, it's important to note what you eat won't substantially alter your body's pH levels. Rather, your body tries to keep your pH level consistent. While on an alkaline detox diet, the foods you'll eat will benefit your overall health and weight loss goals. 

During an alkaline detox, you will eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. You'll want to stay hydrated throughout the detox, too.

The smallest changes in your pH levels can have a great impact on your overall health.

Detox For Disease Prevention

Lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition, especially eating processed foods and low activity are the major contributors of several diseases.

Another benefit of detoxification is it helps to eliminate the toxic substances from our bodies and naturally promotes healthy body weight. Some research even concludes that an alkaline cleanse can prevent certain diseases such as;

• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Gout
• Eczema

How Does Alkaline Help Detoxify the Body?

There are numerous claims floating around about how alkaline in the body can benefit your overall health. These include alkaline's ability to:

• Slow the aging process (by helping the body absorb antioxidants quickly)
• Cleanse the colon
• Support the immune system
• Increase hydration levels
• Improve skin health
• Lose weight
• Regulate the body's pH levels
• Prevent chronic diseases (including cancer)
• Improve hair health
• Boost heart health (by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol)
• Detoxify the entire body

According to this study, alkaline helps reduce high-shear blood viscosity. As a result, the blood flows more efficiently, helping to increase oxygen delivery throughout the body. This can help speed up the recovery phase after an intense workout, reducing exercise-induced dehydration in athletes. 

Higher pH levels can also deactivate pepsin, which is the main enzyme that causes acid reflux.

However, more studies are necessary to determine the overall benefits of an alkaline detox on the body.

Side Effects

Undergoing an alkaline diet is considered safe. However, it's important to note that you're lowering the stomach's natural acidity. Your stomach needs acid to kill bacteria and other pathogens from flooding into the bloodstream.

Excessive alkaline can also cause gastrointestinal issues. Remember, everything in moderation. Too much of a good thing can agitate your body's normal pH level.

This might cause metabolic alkalosis, which leads to:

• Vomiting
• Hand tremors
• Nausea
• Muscle twitching
• Confusion
• A tingling sensation

Metabolic alkalosis could also decrease your body's free calcium, which will impact your bone health. Too much alkaline can also leave your body deficient in other essential minerals. 

Make sure to drink water from a stainless steel bottle instead of plastic. Otherwise, you might experience these negative effects on plastic on the human body.

Before starting an alkaline detox, speak to your physician.  

What Foods to Eat for an Alkaline Detox

An alkaline detox diet is only one way to boost your alkaline levels. 

Eating certain foods while avoiding others can also help your body maintain a higher pH level. As a result, you can protect yourself from certain health conditions and boost your overall health. 

Foods You Need To Eat

Here is a list of alkaline detox diet foods that can increase your pH levels:

• Fresh fruits
• Vegetables (especially leafy greens)
• Soybeans and tofu
• Tempeh
• Nuts (hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, macadamias, almonds)
• Seeds (sesame, chia, pumpkin, sunflower)
• Legumes
• Oils (virgin olive, coconut)
• Spices and herbs (mint, turmeric, parsley, garlic)
• Herbal teas (peppermint, chamomile, clivers, burdock, red clover)

For a daily dose of alkaline, consider making a green juice. Combine your favorite green veggies, including spinach, kale, and celery, with a green apple. Blend and enjoy!

What Foods to Avoid

Other foods can increase your body's acidity levels. Here are a few foods to avoid in order to maintain your body's pH level:

• Alcohol
• Sugar
• Grains (quinoa, rice, oats, rye, wheat)
• Animal protein (eggs, fish, chicken, pork, lamb, beef)
• Dairy (except ricotta and whey)
• Coffee

Not all of these foods and beverages are acid-forming. However, they can act as a stimulant, so it's best to avoid them.

Notice that animal proteins made the list. Since these proteins can increase acidity, an alkaline detox diet is often considered completely vegetarian.

You'll also want to avoid wheat and gluten. If you're serious about an effective alkaline detox, make sure to check labels. Gluten doesn't only appear in wheat, so you may need to double-check in some instances. 

Your Guide to Detoxify: Resetting Your Body with an Alkaline Detox

Ready to give your body a break and press that real-world restart button? With this guide, you can start an alkaline detox today! Review what's in your fridge, check the cabinets, and clear out the acid-producing foods.

Then, start detoxing!

In addition to an alkaline detox, you can also use natural techniques to benefit your body from the inside, out. Explore the Body section of the blog for more tips to help you discover a happier, healthier nature. 

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