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Alkaline Diet for IBS

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Julia Valdez

alkaline diet foods

An alkaline diet, which is basically about eating alkaline foods, is not your average diet. You can use an alkaline diet for IBS. This diet promotes the consumption of foods that are naturally low FODMAP, and avoiding such foods as onion and garlic, which can aggravate IBS.

We’re telling you this because we know the drill:

You have heard of every diet out there and tried several kinds before, but none of them ever stuck. You constantly search for a different diet strategy but you hesitate to commit because you’ve been disappointed in the past.

We have years of experience dealing with natural food alternatives, and we can say that going on an alkaline diet for IBS is worth trying. 

What Is an Alkaline Diet?

You may have heard the alkaline diet referred to as the alkaline ash diet or the acid-alkaline diet. The main goal behind this diet does not revolve around weight, but to improve health. Truly good health, however, always results in proper body weight.

The idea behind going on an alkaline diet is replacing food items that are acid-forming with alkaline foods such as flavouring soups, sauces and other dishes with vegan beef stock cubes instead of actual beef or using beef stock made with unhealthy ingredients.

pH Levels in the Body

The entire alkaline diet is based on the premise that your diet can alter your body’s pH value. In other words, your body’s level of acidity or alkalinity is changed.

pH is a measurement of how alkaline or acidic a particular substance or food item is. pH levels range from 0 to 14 with the following classifications: 

Metabolic Waste

red blood cells

Metabolisation is a process that extracts nutrients from foods. These nutrients then enter the bloodstream. 

Whenever food is metabolised, there is a residue left behind known as metabolic waste. This metabolic waste may be characterised as alkaline or acidic. The blood becomes more acidic if the foods consumed leave acidic metabolic waste, and less acidic if the foods leave alkaline metabolic waste.

Why is this important? 

Having too much acidic metabolic waste in your body makes you more vulnerable to disease and illness. Taking steps to prevent this and eat foods that leave more alkaline metabolic waste keeps your body better protected.

Alkaline Foods

Should you consider trying an alkaline diet for IBS, there are certain alkaline foods that should be consumed regularly in order for the diet to be effective. There are also several types of foods that are not recommended. 

Here’s the list of allowed foods:

Here are the foods to eliminate: 

Be aware that it can take a few days or even weeks to adjust to any new diet. Don’t dismiss an alkaline diet for IBS until you’ve been on it faithfully for a few months and have test results to base your conclusions on.

If you find it difficult to switch your diet, take the transition slowly. Move from your current diet to an alkaline diet by switching out a few foods at a time. By doing so, your body is not forced to make a sudden adjustment. This can be a shock to your system and cause additional negative effects, which you may wrongly conclude are the result of the diet itself. 

Can an Alkaline Diet for IBS Really Work?

stomach pain IBS

In a nutshell, the answer to this question is both yes and no. There are always opposing viewpoints. 

There is research that consuming more alkaline foods — that is, foods that don’t produce a lot of acid — can help relieve the symptoms of IBS as well as prevent kidney stones, improve brain health and function, keep muscles and bones strong, and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. 

However, some claim that nothing a person eats can substantially affect the pH level of their blood.

All in all, however, we know that consuming certain foods does cause irritation in people with IBS. Avoiding them will, therefore, remove these triggers and reduce the inflammation that causes such symptoms as cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, and gas.

Alkaline Diet Benefits

As mentioned, an alkaline diet is geared towards the improvement of overall health. By following an alkaline diet, whether or not you believe that you can change the pH value of your blood, you are choosing low FODMAP vegetables and fruits over high fat, high calorie choices. These foods have been proven time and again to be better for you.

An alkaline diet: 

Reduces the risk of heart attack – helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar, which are big contributors for heart disease.

Prevents diabetes and osteoarthritis – mostly consuming fruits and vegetables means you will most probably be at the right weight for your age and height. In the long run, this reduces your risk of getting diabetes or osteoarthritis.

Improves the effect of chemotherapy – Some studies have found that chemotherapy is more effective for people who consume alkaline foods.

Final Thoughts

An alkaline diet, just like many other diets, can be daunting because of all the food restrictions. If you are accustomed to eating a lot of grains, meat and dairy products, for instance, it can mean an almost complete diet overhaul. If you are committed to an alkaline diet for health reasons, however, it can be a strong motivator for you. Just remember to be kind to yourself and take it slow..

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