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Degenerative Disc Disease Alkaline Diet

Degenerative disc disease is a painful and progressive condition responsible for a large number of lower back pain complaints. While disc pain usually subsides slightly with time, adopting a tailored dietary approach can help the healing process or delay further degeneration by providing the body with optimal levels of vitamins and nutrients. An alkaline diet can help restore proper balance within your body, potentially alleviating some of the symptoms.

  1. Alkaline Diet Theory

    • Understand the concept behind the alkaline diet to be able to more effectively utilize its principles. The body's natural pH level is slightly alkaline, which is defined as slightly higher than 7 on the pH scale. Keeping the body at its natural pH level allows it to function optimally. The problem is that the majority of foods in the average person's diet are acidic. Over time, this mild accumulation of acidosis can cause problems, as your body will have to leech calcium away from your bones to correct the imbalance. Fixing this dietary foible can restore bone strength, potentially alleviating some symptoms of degenerative disc disease.

    Alkaline Diet

    • Following the alkaline diet is simple. All you will have to do is increase your consumption of alkaline foods while decreasing your consumption of acidic foods. Generally speaking, the food categories that are most alkaline in nature are fruits and vegetables, with the most alkaline fruits and vegetables being spinach, raisins, carrots, tomatoes, radishes, and kiwi. Acidic foods include meats, grains, and dairy, with the most acidic foods being cheeses, rice, trout, and processed meats like lunchmeats and corned beef. This is according to the PRAL scale, which assigns values to foods depending on their acidity or alkalinity.

    Implementing the Alkaline Diet

    • The easiest way to implement the alkaline diet is to ensure that each meal you eat is relatively balanced. To do this, make sure that every meat, grain, or dairy product on your plate is balanced with an equal amount of fruits and vegetables. Steer clear of the ultra-acidic items mentioned, while attempting to consume the ultra-alkaline items as much as possible. Over time, this should restore your body's natural pH level, perhaps providing some relief from degenerative disc disease.

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