Acid-base balance nutrition guide

The Alka® acid-base nutrition guide of AlkaVitae® provides information for a healthy acid-base balance based on your daily diet in combination with active de-acidification.

Acidification of the body, muscles and joints is largely caused by a daily surplus of acid-forming foods. After the combustion of acidic foods, acidic waste such as uric acids, lactic acids and acetic acids remain in the body. Since the body cannot discharge of all acids, the excess acids are stored in a solid and liquid form throughout the body.

For maintaining a good acid-base balance based on your daily diet only, it is recommended that it consists of 80% alkaline and 20% acid-forming products. However, in practice it appears that, with our Western diet, we only ingest 30% to 40% alkaline and 60% to 70% acid-forming foods per day.

A healthy functioning body requires sufficient alkaline buffers, which you can rebuild by following the alkaline dietary guidelines. People with acid waste accumulations should eat according to the ratio of at least 80% to 20% (4 alkaline units to 1 acid-forming unit).

Because the body extracts nutrients from the whole range of foods, it is important to eat varied. If you persist a non-diversified diet for a long time, your body will eventually build up a shortage of certain nutrients.

A healthy acid balance, without the risk of exhaustion of important nutrients, can be achieved by maintaining a ratio of 60% alkaline and 40% acid-forming foods, provided that you combine it with daily active de-acidification.

The Alka® products of AlkaVitae® allow you to actively de-acidify on a daily basis.
The products offer the alkaline counterbalance, by which you can enjoy a healthy and varied dietary pattern. Alka® neutralizes acid waste and keeps your acid-base balance in balance.

Acid-base nutrition list

Below you will find an overview of various types of food. They are divided into their alkaline or acidifying effect on the body.

De-acidifying:

Vegetables/Grasses	Wheat grass	Spelt seeds
Alfalfa grass	White cabbage	Raw cereals and legumes
Artichokes	Tubers	Buckwheat
Barley grass	Carrots	Haricot beans
Bean sprouts	Fennel	Lentils
Broccoli	Fresh red beetroot	Lima beans
Butterhead lettuce	Red radish Horse radish	Soya beans
Cabbage turnip	Summer black radish	Soya curd (tofu)
Cauliflower	Swede	Soya flour
Cayenne pepper	Turnip	Soya lecithin, pure
Celery	Turnip cabbage	Soya shoots
Chives	White radish	Spelt
Comfrey	Fruit	Tofu
Common horsetail	Avocado	Oils
Corn salad	Banana, green	Avocado oil
Couch-grass	Coconut, fresh	Coconut oil
Courgette/Zucchini	Lemon	Linseed oil
Cucumber	Lime	Olive oil
Endive	Morello cherry	Udo’s oil
French string beans	Tomato	Drinks
French string beans	Watermelon	Distilled water
Garlic	Nuts & Seeds	Herbal tea
Green cabbage	Almonds	Tap water
Kamut grass	Brazil nut	Water with Alka® Drops
Leek	Caraway seeds
Lettuce	Chia seeds
Onion	Cumin seeds
Peas, fresh	Fennel seeds
Peas, ripened	Fenugreek seeds
Potato	Hazelnuts
Red cabbage	Linseed
Rhubarb stems	Quinoa seeds
Rhubarb stems	Raisins
Savoy cabbage	Sesame seeds
Spinach
Sprouts
Watercress

Slightly acidifying:

Fruit
Apple	Papaya
Apricot	Peach
Banana, ripe	Pear
Berry	Pineapple
Blackcurrant	Plum, yellow
Blueberry	Prune
Cantaloupe melon	Raspberry
Cranberry	Redcurrant
Dates	Rosehips
Figs	Strawberry
Gooseberry, ripe	Sweet cherry
Grape, ripe	Dairy products & fats
Grapefruit	Cream
Kiwi	Ghee butter
Mandarin	Milk
Mango	Yoghurt
Papaya	Orange

Acidifying:

Meat, Poultry & Fish	Peanuts	Artificial	Other
Beef	Pistachio nuts	Sweeteners	Candy/sweets
Chicken	Sunflower seeds	Barley malt syrup	Chocolate
Fresh water fish	Walnuts	Beet sugar	Canned or packages foods
Liver	Fats & Oils	Brown rice syrup	Cigarettes
Offal	Butter	Dried sugar cane	Drugs
Oysters	Cooking liquid	Fructose	Microwave foods
Pork	Corn oil	Honey	Pizza
Salt water fish	Margarine	Lactose	Cookies
Veal	Sunflower oil	White sugar	Potato chips/crisps
Dairy products & eggs	Other	Drinks	Prepared foods
Eggs	Rice, Brown	Beer	Processed foods
Hard cheese	Rice, White	Bottled mineral water
Soya curd	Wheat	Coffee
Bread	Sauces	Cola
Rye bread	Curry	Energy drinks
Wheat bread	Ketchup	Fruit juice, fresh
White bread	Mayonnaise	Fruit juice, sweetened
Wholemeal bread	Molasses	Liqueurs
Nuts & Seeds	Mustard	Tea, black
Cashew nuts	Sweeteners	Wine

We know, it's a lot. But no worries you can download the acid base nutrition list here. If you have any questions please don't hesitatie to contact our support team.

Dietary Tips

Tip 1.
Eat plenty of vegetables.
Vegetables are very good for the body. They contain many organic vitamins and alkaline minerals. The best method is to steam vegetables al dente and not to prepare them in the microwave.

Tip 2.
Keep sugars to a minimum
Sugars, and refined white sugars in particular, are highly acidifying. If you consume too much of them it increases the chance of chronic acidification. You could substitute white sugar with unrefined cane sugar, or with the plant sweetener Stevia.

Tip 3.
Fruit in moderation
Fruit contains many healthy foodstuffs like vitamins, minerals and fiber, but also a lot of fructose which can form acid too. Two pieces of fruit a day is still a sensible guideline!

Tip 4.
Meat and fish in moderation
Meat, and red meat in particular, contains a large amount of purines. This is a substance that releases uric acid. Excess uric acid can ultimately lead to joint problems amongst other things. Fish contains a lot of purines too, meaning it also has an acidifying effect. Fish does, however, also contain lots of good, essential fish oils. As long as you are actively alkalizing on a daily basis, then it is a great idea to have fish once or twice a week!

Tip 5.
Avoid soft drinks and sweetened packaged fruit juices
Soft drinks contain enormous quantities of sugar. A bottle of cola or orange soda contains on average 33% sugar! And “diet” soft drinks containing artificial sweeteners are also extremely acidic for the body. In addition, by taking soft drinks the body is burdened by carbonic acid which is added for the “sparkling bubbles”. Packaged fruit juices are highly acidic because of the way they are produced. It is better to stick to occasional hand-squeezed fruit juices, with all their organic vitamins, minerals and fructose.

Acid-Alkaline nutrition list
On the next page you will find an overview of the different food types. They have been divided up according to their alkalizing or acidifying effects on the body. The figure shown next to the food is an indication of the extent to which each food has an acid-forming or alkaline-forming effect (i.e. it is not the pH value).