Many people do not understand of following an alkaline rich diet. By incorporating foods from an acid alkaline food list into ones diet, a healthy weight can be maintained and struggles with common ailments such as cancer and cardiovascular disease can be avoided completely. It is vital to remember how much what we put into our bodies can affect our health. After all, the saying goes, we are what we eat.

The level of acidity and alkalinity in our bloodstreams is measured in terms of the pH balance, which is on a scale of 0 to 14 with 0 being the most acidic. We ideally want to keep our pH balance slightly higher than 7, which means we want to lean slightly on the side of alkalinity. There are terms used to describe where ones pH levels fall on the pH balance scale. Acidosis is defined as an acidity of the blood that falls below 7.35 and alkalosis occurs if the pH level rises above 7.45.

We can do this by eating foods that contain high levels of alkaline, which can be found on the list of acid and alkaline foods. In general terms, it is best to eat foods that come straight from the earth and have not been processed or changed with additives or preservatives. But, even within the natural foods, there are some that are better in terms of alkalinity levels. For example, alfalfa grass contains higher levels of alkaline than asaparagus. While both are healthy food choices, if you are trying to increase the alkaline in your diet, alfalfa grass is the better choice.

When looking at the acid alkaline food list, it is important to understand which foods should be avoided as well. The obvious choices of foods to avoid are those that contain sweeteners, including sugar and artificial sweeteners, as well as foods that are high in starch and high in fats. Although there are some exceptions to that rule. For instance, healthy oils such as flax seed oil and olive oil both contain alkaline and should be consumed in moderation.

There are other foods as well that lie in the middle of the chart that should be eaten sometimes, but should not be part of the daily food intake model that you follow. These include but are not limited to banana, mango, pineapple and strawberry. Some of the sweeter fruits tend to contain acid that is unhealthy to our pH levels within our bloodstreams.

If you can maintain a healthy diet by increasing the amount of alkaline rich foods you consume you will feel healthier and will probably live a longer and stronger life as well. Since alkaline is found in many of the foods that we eat already, it is just a matter of incorporating them even more into our diets in order to create healthy eating habits.