An alkaline diet is a diet that focuses on alkaline-promoting foods, while reducing or avoiding acid-promoting foods. It is believed that following the alkaline diet will improve your overall health by balancing your pH and making the body’s job of regulating pH easier.

The key to the alkaline diet is focusing on the best foods, and replacing or reducing the “acidic offenders” wherever possible.

Some examples of “high” alkaline-forming foods that are included in a healthy alkaline diet include:

• alfalfa sprouts

• apples

• apricots

• avocados

• bananas

• beets

• bell peppers

• broccoli

• cabbage

• cantaloupe

• cauliflower

• celery

• corn

• dates

• figs

• garlic

• ginger

• grapefruit

• grapes

• green beans

• kelp

• kiwi

• leafy greens

• lemons

• limes

• mango

• nectarines

• onions

• oranges

• papaya

• parsley

• passion fruit

• peaches

• pears

• peas

• pineapple

• pumpkin

• pumpkin seeds

• raspberries

• sea salt

• seaweed

• squash

• strawberries

• sweet potato

• tangerines

• turnips

• watercress

• watermelon

Some examples of the most acid-forming foods—i.e. foods to avoid—are as follows:

• alcohol

• breads (especially white)

• carbonated drinks

• coffee

• fried foods

• jams

• jellies

• meats (beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish, seafood)

• pasta (especially non-whole wheat)

• processed cheese

• processed foods

• refined serials and grains

• sugar

• tobacco products

An alkaline diet, quite simply, is a diet that focuses on foods on the first list, while avoiding as much as possible foods on the second list. Obviously, the lists are not all-inclusive, but they should be sufficient to lead you in the right direction if you intend to follow the alkaline diet.