Alkaline Diet to Fight Cancer

Whether your are seeking to impede the growth of cancer in your body, or simply searching for a healthier diet, the transition from an acidic to an alkaline lifestyle can be a building block for increasing bodily health. When considering the wide consumption of substances with acidic properties, the rate of disease and infection in the United States becomes less surprising. Put simply: disease cannot exist in an alkaline environment. By balancing your internal pH you can limit susceptibility to illness as well as slow down the rate of free radicals and other harmful effects within the body.

Drink Water & Set Goals

• Drink lots of water. One of the simplest and most cost-effective foundations of an all-alkaline diet is the consumption of water. Since an alkaline blood cell can hold up to 20 times the amount of oxygen as an acidic cell, the addition of eight 8-oz. glasses of water a day can make a noticeable difference on the amount of oxygen your cells can hold. Though generally hovering around 7 points on the pH scale, water has the rare quality of oxidizing and nourishing cells while flushing out the toxins left by acidic substances. To best chart your progress, make a set of short-term and long-term goals for your diet. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, and are requiring a dramatic shift in your pH level in order to help fight it, you will want to make as significant changes as your body can handle.

Things to Avoid

• Limit or altogether cut consumption of foods high in pH, such as coffee, black tea, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, beef and pork (all meat is acidic to some degree) as well as processed cheese, peanuts, over-processed foods, foods with additives and drugs, soft drinks as well as "white foods" such as white rice and bread. If you are suffering from cancer, avoid all sugars as well as any foods containing partially hydrogenated oils (read the labels, these are turning up in nearly anything from frozen foods to cream soups and cheese products). Develop a list of the foods and beverages you most commonly intake and research the acidity rating of each one.

Healthy Alternatives

• Supplement the acidic foods you are used to eating with healthier alternatives. For instance, implementing whole grains in the place of "white foods," or herb teas and vegetables juices instead of soft drinks. Concentrate on eating as many raw vegetables and whole grains as you can, while keeping an eye out for sweet potatoes, white potatoes, beans, yogurt and kefir in the grocery stores. Though a vegetarian diet is often considered the best for sustaining a high- alkaline balance, small amounts of organically raised meat or poached fish can be an occasional treat. The fundamental elements of an alkaline diet begin with a macrobiotic emphasis on foods, choosing high-alkaline raw vegetables over their somewhat acidic cooked counterparts.

  According to a study compiled by the National Cancer Institute in 2009, two out of three cancer specialists recommended a 70 percent raw food diet (uncooked), while a smaller percentage favored a 50 percent raw food diet. The good news is that practically all cancer experts consulted believed that the condition of each patient's cancer can be dramatically improved by a change in diet and exercise routines.