Nastya Nova
Founder of the FoodyFit project
An alkaline (second name - aclaline) diet is far from a new nutritional system. But as often happens with diets, it gained popularity thanks to celebrities. Victoria Beckham argues that this is her way of staying resourceful by juggling four roles at the same time - mother, wife, influencer, and businesswoman. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and her husband, footballer Tom Brady, assure that there is no better way to stay slim and light. And Jennifer Aniston declares that this is the main secret of youth.
History of the issue
“For the first time they started talking about an alkaline diet in the 50s of the XX century, when it was found that in the process of digesting food, some foods form acid, and some alkali,” says Nastya Nova from FoodyFit. - Later, the American microbiologist and nutritionist Robert Young proved that excess acid in the body leads to the accelerated multiplication of pathogenic bacteria, the accumulation of toxins and toxins and, accordingly, diseases, poor health and chronic fatigue syndrome. The benefits of an alkaline diet have become obvious: alkali neutralizes acid and accelerates the elimination of toxic substances from the body, helping to cleanse all systems, including mucous membranes. However, in the 20th century, this nutritional system was used only by doctors. The alkaline diet has received a rebirth recently on the wave of a healthy lifestyle hobby.
What is the essence
Alkaline diet adherents prefer to call it a nutritional system that heals the body as opposed to other diets, which tend to lead to weight loss. Although, following all the principles of this type of nutrition, it becomes much easier to lose weight. “The main goal of an alkaline diet is to shift the body's pH balance to the alkaline side,” Nastya Nova comments. - To do this, you need to minimize the consumption of acidic foods and increase the amount of alkaline ones. The basis of such food should be vegetables and fruits, which should be eaten raw."
This limitation is due to the fact that some foods change their nature from alkaline to acidic during frying. When cooking, you cannot use milk fats, which should be replaced with oils of vegetable origin, preferably of the first pressing. “The last meal should be no later than 19: 00–20: 00. On an alkaline diet, you can only drink water and herbal teas. Cereals and fish with seafood should be included in the diet no more than three times a week,”says Nova. The "forbidden" alkaline diet includes: white flour, animal milk, alcoholic drinks, coffee and tea, white rice, chocolate, meat and most of fish and seafood, some types of nuts and fruits with a high glycemic index. In general, the ideal of an alkaline diet looks like this: at least 80% of the diet should be alkaline foods and a maximum of 20% acidic. This ratio will help you achieve a healthy pH balance of 7.2-7.4.
Nuances
The transition to an alkaline food system should be smooth. In case of diseases, the diet should be sparing. It makes no sense to resort to it from time to time, a systematic approach is important here. “When you switch to such a diet, you need to understand that alkaline foods cannot be an instant antidote to acidic foods. That is, if you, conventionally, pampered yourself with three slices of pizza for lunch, it makes no sense to drink them with a huge decanter of water with lemon, - explains Nastya Nova. - Increasing the amount of alkaline foods in the diet is not the main goal of this diet. The key is to minimize acidic foods and achieve a pH equalization to normal. The whole benefit lies in the fact that parasites, fungi and bacteria do not develop in an alkaline environment. Let us at least remember how our parents washed vegetables and fruits with soda in order to remove bacterial plaque from them, includingto remove all the larvae."
Contraindications
When switching to a new power supply system, there are always several "buts". “The transition to alkaline nutrition is not complete with diet alone,” says Nova. - Science has shown that the stress hormone cortisol also oxidizes the body. Therefore, nutritionists and integrative medicine doctors are increasingly talking about emotional balance. This is important because stress can radically change the way the body works. Because of it, the stomach can stop accepting raw foods. If there are microcracks and ulcers in the stomach and intestines, raw fruits can turn out to be heavy foods, and smoothies and fresh fruits can even lead to pain and cramps. Therefore, in most cases, it is not worth switching to such a diet without checking the body. And in any case, you must first of all focus on your own feelings. Sometimes the first contraindication to a diet may be the usual bloating. Advice like "endure it and your stomach will get used to it" can be a disservice.”>
