A personal trainer and licensed dietitian recently told the Freeport News that foods rich in alkaline can be good for stabilizing one’s blood sugar and pressure.

Renecia Bain told the newspaper that a proper diet can reduce an individual’s risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Likewise, a poor diet based on processed food and sugar can cause high cholesterol and blood pressure, and may lead to heart disease.

One of the keys to choosing a healthy regimen, she said, lies in choosing foods that are basic, not acidic.

A recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal specified that raw fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of alkaline chlorophyll.

Bain told the News that consuming sugar can make the blood acidic, lowering the body’s natural pH and increasing the likelihood that the body will become insulin resistant, a common predictor of type 2 diabetes.

The dietitian recommended eating alkaline foods like fruits and vegetables, which contain little or no sugar and may raise the body’s pH level.

She added that cabbage should be avoided for this reason, since it contains high levels of starch.

Studies have also shown that alkaline diets may decrease the chances of developing osteoporosis later in life.