Possible Benefits Of Alkaline Foods Against Cancer
The number of people in the world with cancer is shocking. It is therefore no coincidence that cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. One of the main causes of this disease can be the diet you follow. In this article, we want to tell a little more about the impact that alkaline foods could have in helping to prevent cancer.
What is alkaline food?
Before we talk about how alkaline foods affect your health, it’s a good idea to first talk a little bit more about what an ‘alkaline diet’ is all about.
An alkaline diet is based on consuming foods that will raise the pH level in your bloodstream and help prevent your body from becoming too acidic. Cancer cells and viruses can develop in an acidic environment.
It is not complicated at all to follow an alkaline diet. All you have to do is choose alkaline foods more often than acidic foods and use healthy cooking methods. For example, raw or steamed foods are healthier than fried foods.
Which foods are alkaline?
If you may want to reduce your risk of cancer (and other diseases), eating alkaline foods can be of great help.
These are the main foods within this category:
Raw vegetables
While some vegetables are naturally quite acidic, when they enter the body they become alkaline.
Eating these vegetables raw allows you to take advantage of all the nutrients they contain. A large part of these nutrients is lost when you cook the vegetables.
Therefore, include the following vegetables in your daily diet:
- asparagus
- cabbage
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Brussels sprouts
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Chives
- Onion
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Paprika
- carrots
- Salad
- Endive
- Watercress
- beets
Fruit
Fruit has a great alkaline effect – even fruit that has a low pH level, such as citrus fruits. You can eat fruit for breakfast, in the afternoon or for dessert.
Fruit provides the body with a lot of vitamins and can also help fight cancer! The recommended fruits to eat are:
- Apple
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Banana
- Berries, blackberries, cherries
- Watermelon
- Coconut
- nuts
All these fruits provide the body with beneficial fatty acids and are also able to increase your physical pH value.
There are a lot of myths about nuts, as they are high in calories. In reality, however, nuts are great for preventing heart disease and even aiding weight loss since they are so filling.
Millet
Millet is the only whole grain that is 100% alkaline. Of course, this does not mean that other grains are harmful to your health, but if you have to choose, go for millet.
In this case, it is best to soak the millet in water first and then boil it for a while. Try it on a hamburger or as a filling for other recipes!
Honey
This product, which is the result of the hard work of bees, is highly alkaline and at the same time a great natural antibiotic that you should always have in your medicine cabinet.
Use it to sweeten tea or desserts or consume it when you have a cold or flu.
Chlorophyll
This green plant juice is rich in enzymes and nutrients that are well worth taking.
The gel from the aloe vera plant is one of the best known and most widely used, but it is not the only one. For example, you can also make a little wheatgrass and dilute it with water to reap its benefits early in the morning.
An alkaline diet and cancer
By now, we’ve shown you the best alkaline foods you can eat, but you still don’t know why these foods can help prevent cancer.
For starters, it’s important to know that your body cells need glucose and oxygen (among other nutrients) to survive and perform their functions properly. If you don’t provide your body cells with what they need, they become weak and therefore more susceptible to disease.
Also, when your body is too acidic, your immune system weakens, making it unable to fight disease as it should.
At what pH can cancer cells die?
Cancer cells can still grow at a pH of 7.4. However, when the pH level drops to around 8.4 (an alkaline level), they can die automatically. On the other hand, when your body is very acidic, the cancer cells can multiply much faster and more easily.
A diet based on eating alkaline foods can raise the body’s pH level and reduce the ability of harmful cells to develop and survive.
By strengthening your immune system, the good body cells are supplied with the oxygen they need to expel toxins and waste.
When your body tissues and organs are too acidic, it’s because they don’t receive enough oxygen – which is perfect for cancer! When your body tissues and organs are alkaline, on the other hand, good cells have a chance to develop and your immune system will make itself stronger by not being full of toxins.
A healthy diet with alkaline foods is essential
Consuming alkaline foods is tantamount to following a healthy diet, which as you probably know also benefits your cholesterol levels, fight obesity and prevent heart problems.
However, what foods should you avoid if you’re trying to make your body more alkaline?
- Dairy (butter, milk, cheese)
- Meat (red meat, pork, veal, chicken)
- Seafood and oysters
- Certain nuts (cashews, peanuts, pistachios)
- Refined flour (including cookies and pastries)
- Sauces and dressings (tomato sauce, soy sauce, mustard, mayonnaise and vinegar-based dressings)
