- Make It Yourself Lavender Heart-Shaped Bath Bombs!
- 20 Things You Never Knew About “Down There”
- 12 Best Foods For Those Suffering From Arthritis Pain
- 12 Personal Hygiene Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes (Mom Never Told You About #4!)
- 15 Medicinal Plants And Herbs From The Cherokee People
- 12 Mind-Blowing Benefits Of Drinking Coconut Water During Pregnancy
- 12 Outstanding Winter Foods That Won’t Fatten You Up Like A Christmas Turkey
Fight And Prevent Cancer With This Type Of Diet
Photo credit: bigstockphoto.com
Everyone is always looking for new ways to reduce their risk for cancer, and those who are already diagnosed hold out hope that their treatment will succeed. But as we all know, sometimes conventional treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, or radiation are unsuccessful, and for this reason, many gravitate toward alternative treatments. One of the most intriguing treatments is one built around the concept of addressing an inherent imbalance in the modern Western diet by emphasizing the consumption of alkaline-rich foods. Today, we will discuss whether there is any merit to the so-called alkaline diet approach to fighting cancer, and how you can improve your body’s alkalinity.
What is the alkaline diet?
The alkaline diet is built around the concept of the metabolic theory of cancer, and it focuses on the acidity of the modern Western diet, which is filled with processed foods. The idea holds that too much acidity in food is directly related to the development of cancer, and since a typical American’s diet is more acidic than alkaline, there is a higher risk of cancer.
Acidity versus alkalinity is measured a by numerical score called pH. The lower the pH, the higher the acidity, so a 0 would be very acidic, while the higher the pH is, the more alkaline a substance or food will be. A 14 is the highest number on the scale. A pH score of 7 is considered “neutral.” Water would be considered a neutral substance on the pH scale.
So, where does your body fit into all this? Well, the cells in your body can lean more towards the acidic or alkaline ends of the spectrum, and there are many influencing factors. The body has to maintain a blood pH level of around 7.35 to be able to transport oxygen molecules most efficiently through the bloodstream. According to reports by Green Med Info and Collective Consciousness, the human body can store alkaline compounds to maintain balance if the blood starts to become too acidic. But if you are constantly eating acidic foods and not enough alkaline ones, it will eventually cause the pH in your blood to drop.
As this theory goes, when your blood becomes too acidic, the acidic compounds will migrate from the blood into other cells of the body, making them more acidic as well. These cells will become cancerous and begin multiplying.
As you can probably see by now, the idea behind the alkaline diet is that raising the pH level of your body with alkaline-rich foods will reverse this process by creating an environment in the body that is inhospitable to the development of cancer.
Continue to Page 2
Photo credit: bigstockphoto.com
What kind of foods are emphasized by the alkaline diet?
An alkaline diet is centered around heavy consumption of fruits and vegetables. These include apples, bananas, citrus fruits, root vegetables like potatoes and ginger, avocados, watermelon, corn, cauliflower, and broccoli. Legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas are good, and especially important are cruciferous (leafy green) vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, kale, mustard and collard greens, chards, and so on.
As with any diet, it is also important to know what foods you should reduce your intake of, or avoid entirely. Foods that are more acidic include meats (especially processed ones), dairy, fish, and grains. Now, does this mean you should eliminate these foods from your diet? The answer is no. Some of these, like fish, contain a lot of great macronutrients like protein and omega 3 fats. But if you are dealing with cancer, the metabolic theory maintains that eating foods that keep the body in a more alkaline state will deprive the cancer of the conditions it needs to thrive, therefore stopping its growth.
The American Institute of Cancer Research has published studies detailing the connection between dietary content and the development of cancer, some of which specifically point to processed meats and red meats as foods that can increase the likelihood of developing cancer.
READ ALSO: 11 Surprising Things That Can Be Causing Cancer Video
It is important not to draw too many definitive conclusions from reading just one article on the Internet. Cancer is serious business, and if you have or think you might have cancer, you should be working with your doctor to find treatment options that are right for you. But it may be worth considering making some adjustments to your diet to make sure you are taking in more alkaline-rich foods and keeping your pH levels higher in the process.
References:
