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Alkaline foods may sound like something from a science fiction book, but when choosing the most powerful nutrition for athletes they should be considered. If you envision a superhero with a big A on his chest, you are at least beginning to imagine that these all natural foods may provide a key to superior fitness.

The alkaline forming or acid forming properties of foods come into play when your body uses them for fuel. After they pass through your digestive system, you end up with an alkaline or acid ash in your blood, depending on what you ate or drank or smoked. Anything that goes into your bloodstream affects your alkaline/acid balance, commonly referred to as your pH balance. There are several different ways to measure your pH, but we are talking about your blood pH when we refer to the benefits of alkaline foods.

In order to maintain proper pH balance, nutritionists suggest a balance of 80% alkaline foods and 20% acid forming foods. Most people have this 80/20 alkaline/acid ratio upside down. This can be a huge factor in fitness and should be thoroughly considered when seeking proper nutrition for athletes.

When you consume too many acid-forming foods and not enough alkaline foods, you leave yourself susceptible to numerous challenges, including, but not limited to:

' Stiff joints
' Brittle bones
' Plaque buildup in arteries
' Plaque buildup on teeth
' Unhealthy gums
' Bad breath
' Lack of energy
' Poor digestion
' More, colds, allergies, and illnesses

Your body is so efficient that it will not allow your blood pH to stray far from 7.4. It will do whatever is necessary to alkalize the acid in your bloodstream, even if that means pulling calcium from your bones. The last thing anyone needs in nutrition for athletes is something that causes a loss of calcium. Instead, the exact opposite is required, and is obtainable with the consumption of more alkaline foods.

When there is a lack of alkaline food in someone's diet to help manage that delicate blood pH balance, then the body has to pull calcium from bones in order to neutralize excess acid in the bloodstream. You can easily see how that could cause bone weakness, and again, that's the last thing you want in high quality nutrition for athletes.

Recently, I offered free nutrition coaching to some of my online health food store customers that were searching for the best nutrition for athletes. Here's how I responded to someone seeking natural remedies for arthritis: "Having had personal experience eliminating arthritic problems in my life let me share with you what has worked for me. Please understand I am not a medical professional and would never pretend to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any diseases. In fact, I don't believe that natural remedies cure anything. I feel that if you give your body the right nutrients, it will take care of you perfectly for a long time.

Having said that, I will tell you what gave me some relief, but first, a little background: Most of the cartilage in my right knee was removed 28 years ago, so my right knee is basically bone on bone. Before I made dietary changes in my life a doctor told me I had the knee of a 72 year-old man, and shockingly, I was only 39 at the time. He said I would need a knee replacement in a few years. Well, it's been seven years and I just got back from a 3 hour, 20-mile mountain bike ride over grueling terrain in the Arizona desert, and my right knee feels as strong as my other knee, without any surgery or drugs. Other men my age can't understand how this is possible. I can only say the difference is that I understand the need for alkaline foods as part of a diet that provides the highest quality nutrition for athletes."

The changes I made were simple as soon as I became aware of the need for an alkaline diet. I began eliminating many acid-forming foods from my life and integrating more alkaline foods into my routine. Once I became aware of the need for more of these all natural foods in my diet, I started to find more ways to get them. It's like what happens if you buy a blue car, suddenly you start to see blue cars everywhere.

So, now that you are more aware of the need for alkaline foods when searching for the highest quality nutrition for athletes you will begin to notice them as well.