The Alkaline Diet For Weight Loss recommends choosing low-calorie food options that are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This is pretty much what is needed for optimal cell function and lean muscle maintenance. Using this as a basis, an alkaline diet can be highly beneficial to a person who is trying to lose weight.
What’s more, the alkaline diet recommends cutting out the intake of acidic, sugary foods. This certainly helps with weight loss and general wellness too.
Alkaline Diet for Weight Loss- Recommended Foods
So what do you eat while on the alkaline diet? Well, lots of vitamins, minerals, and fiber-rich veggies & fruits are in line. The alkaline diet consists mostly of fruits and veggies. Meat is limited only because it is generally very acidic which is the opposite of what we want. The recommendation is to maintain an 80/20 ratio for meals (80% alkaline food to 20% acidic food). This ratio helps ensure that you are eating mostly alkaline.
Celery, broccoli, & kale are among the most alkaline veggies while lemons, avocados, and grapefruits top the list of fruits. Cereals, seeds, nuts, and some oils (including olive oil, sesame oil, & coconut oil) should also not be left out. For hydration, alkaline drinks such as ionized water and lemon juice are recommended.
View the full list of alkaline & acid foods here.
Alkaline Diet for Weight Loss- Must Eats!
If you are looking for a healthy meal plan to include in your fitness campaign, we have some ideas to do the trick. Let’s take a look at some of the most important alkaline foods for weight loss, plus some easy recipes.
1. Quinoa
Quinoa is a gluten-free grain loaded with antioxidants, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Vitamin B, in particular, helps in boosting the metabolic processes of the body. Boosted metabolism increases the number of calories incinerated by the body during rest.
Easy Quinoa Recipe
Ingredients
- Half a cup of uncooked quinoa. Note that you will end up with 3 times as much cooked quinoa.
- A cup of water (1 part quinoa =2 parts water)
- A pinch of salt
Procedure
- Rinse the grains thoroughly to remove the bitterness on the outside.
- Drain the water completely
- Pour the quinoa and water in a pot and bring it to a boil under medium heat. Turn down the heat further to maintain a calm simmer and cook until the water dries off completely.
- Turn off the heat and cover for at least 5 minutes. This gives the cooked quinoa time to pop open into fluffy ringlets.
- Remove the lid and mix up the contents with a fork.
- Season with salt and enjoy.
2. Lemons, Basil, Cucumbers, & Onions
It’s hard to talk about an alkaline diet and fail to mention lemons. They are rich in soluble fiber, vitamins, and detoxifiers. The latter clears the gastrointestinal tract leading to weight loss.
Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, basil is recommended as a remedy for stress. Taking at least 1500mg of basil daily can be helpful to those people who tend to gain weight due to stress.
Fiber-rich Cucumbers have a very low-calorie count. This makes them an ideal snack for aiding weight loss.
Finally, onions are classified as prebiotic foods. They can alter the composition of organisms in the intestines, which leads to belly fat loss.
Basil, Lemon, Cucumber, & Onion Salad
Ingredients
- 2 parts of basil
- Two minced cucumbers
- Minced onions
- 2 lemons
- Salt, to taste
Procedure
- Run basil through a food processor until it is finely chopped
- Empty this into a large bowl, add the cucumbers & onions and stir thoroughly
- Peel the lemons and use a juicer to squeeze out the juice. Add the juice into the bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Grapefruit
According to nutritionists, a whole grapefruit only contains about 100 calories. This means that they are perfect if you are looking to eat an alkaline snack with fewer calories.
Easy Grapefruit mush recipe
Ingredients
- Just enough grapefruit
- Sugar, to taste(not too much!)
- Just enough ice cubes
Procedure
- Add all the ingredients to the pitcher of a blender.
- Blend to preferred thickness and enjoy immediately.
4. Cauliflower
Cauliflower has so many properties that can help with weight loss. First, it has a low-calorie yield at just 25 calories per cup. Second, as a good source of fiber, it slows down digestion thus keeping you full for longer hours. Cauliflower is a great substitute for rice or potatoes, which contain more calories.
Roast Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower
- 1tbsp olive oil
- A pinch of salt
Procedure
- Break off the edible cauliflower parts from the stalk and place them in a large bowl.
- Rinse in water and dry off completely.
- Combine with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.
- Roast in a preheated oven (425 ⁰ Fahrenheit) to preferred crispiness.
5. Avocados
A 50g serving of avocados contains less than 80 calories. This means that they can easily be fitted into a low-calorie diet plan. The compounds in avocados also help in detoxifying the body. Avacados are a staple in the alkaline diet. You can eat them as they are or make guacamole!
Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ripe hass avocados
- 1/2 finely diced onion
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 Lime (juiced)
- A pinch of salt
- large mixing bowl
- Optional ingredients: 1 bell pepper(chopped fine), 2 garlic cloves(crushed), 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Procedure
- Peel the avocados and slice them.
- Place the pieces inside the mixing bowl and mash them as smooth as you would like.
- Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly
- Refrigerate for 1 hour then serve
If you liked these alkaline recipe ideas, you can more alkaline recipes here.
Alkaline Diet for Weight Loss- Parting Thoughts
Here are two things to keep in mind while following your alkaline diet for weight loss. First, we all know that exercise promotes a healthy body and is crucial for successful weight loss. While you will still lose some weight by following an alkaline without being very physically active, exercise will help boost your energy and weight loss. Therefore, an alkaline diet works best when used alongside some sort of workout plan.
Second and most important, you should monitor your alkaline food intake regularly. As you consistently eat alkaline foods, make sure your body is on track with getting alkaline. Checking your body pH for alkalinity is easy. All you need are some simple pH test strips and you are good to go!
Happy Eating!
Elena Daisley is a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist (MT, ASCP certified) with over 10 years of experience in the medical field. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both Biology and Laboratory Science from the University of Central Florida. Elena enjoys helping others on their journey to healthier living.