What is an Alkaline Diet?
Adherents of the Alkaline Diet promote the idea that consuming acid-forming foods like red meat can tip your pH level out of balance and lead to poor health. Balancing your pH through diet, they theorize, can lead to an array of health benefits. The basic concept behind the diet plan is that if we’re constantly putting acidic foods into our body, how does our system have time to do anything other than remove them? PH is a measure of acids and alkalis throughout the body on a 0 to 14 scale. Acidic substances range from 0 to 7; vinegar, for example, has a pH of about 2, which means it's acidic. Alkaline substances, meanwhile, fall between 7 and 14 on the scale. Calcium, which is highly alkaline, has a pH of about 10. In its natural state, our blood is slightly alkaline – hovering between 7.35 and 7.45 – while our stomachs are highly acidic to help digest foods.
Except for changes in the pH of our saliva and urine, the foods we eat can’t alter our body’s pH, which is tightly regulated. Under the premise of the Alkaline Diet, working toward a healthy, balanced pH involves making smarter eating choices to emphasize consuming alkaline-forming foods. Many of these are plant-based foods. In addition to the eating regimen, the Alkaline Diet plan may call for you to alter your behavior to eliminate habits that theoretically increase acidity. These include habits such as smoking and tobacco use; drinking alcohol; ingesting coffee, soda and other stimulants; and drug abuse. According to the Alkaline Diet, being consistently dehydrated, overdoing workouts and having a sedentary lifestyle can impact your pH, too.
Pros & Cons
- Heavy on fresh produce
- Filling
- Lots of rules to remember
- Little research to back it up
How does Alkaline Diet work?
To start on the Alkaline Diet, you might do some reading about what foods you should and shouldn’t eat under the regimen. Dozens of guidebooks include extensive lists of alkaline- and acid-forming foods. Under the Alkaline Diet, some fruits are good for your pH, and others aren’t. In the alkaline-forming category, for example, are apples and bananas, and others are
really good, such as avocados and pineapples. Bananas have a pH of about 5; avocados are closer to 7. Other recommended choices include bell peppers, seaweed, sweet potatoes, almonds, chestnuts, tofu, tempeh, miso, sprouts and lentils. It helps to build snacks and meals around fruits and veggies rather than meats or starches, according to "Acid Alkaline Diet for Dummies." If you are looking to try the Alkaline Diet, here are some tips for getting started:
- If you fill your plate with plant foods first, there won’t be as much room for acid-forming meats and breads.
- Keep in mind that as a general rule of thumb, if you want to stick to the Alkaline Diet, 80% of what you eat (by volume) should be alkalizing foods, with 20% acid-forming.
- You should apply this rule to every meal, beverage and snack.
- Guidebooks like “Acid Alkaline Diet for Dummies” include extensive lists of alkaline- and acid-forming foods.
- There’s no need to use a calculator or scale as you embark on an Alkaline Diet. Just eyeball your food and make the necessary swaps.
What can I eat?
The Alkaline Diet steers clear of acid-forming foods such as red and processed meats, so tofu can be a great plant-based replacement in your favorite recipes.
How much does Alkaline Diet cost?
Other than your grocery bill, which should be no higher than usual, there are no expenses.
Will Alkaline Diet help you lose weight?
The Alkaline diet will probably help you lose weight. While the Alkaline Diet lacks robust clinical studies examining its weight loss potential, its ban on processed food and emphasis on eating whole grains, vegetables and soy products will likely yield weight loss. Just build in a "calorie deficit" – eat fewer calories than your daily recommended max, or burn off extra by exercising – and you should see the numbers on the scale budge. How quickly and whether you keep the weight off, however, is up to you.
The approach also shares tenets with vegetarianism, and vegetarians tend to eat fewer calories and weigh less than their meat-eating counterparts.
Adhering to the Alkaline Diet takes work. You have to keep track of which foods are alkaline-formers and which are acid-formers. That can be a lot to remember. Recipes are abundant on the internet, but you'll have to put quite a bit of thought into your restaurant meals to make sure they emphasize alkaline-forming foods.
Finding recipes for the Alkaline Diet should be easy. A simple Google search yields plenty of options. And if you invest in a book like "Acid Alkaline Diet for Dummies," you'll have even more options at your fingertips.
You can eat out on the Alkaline Diet, but keep in mind that some restaurants have meals that are more pH-friendly than others. If the menu offers standard American fare, opt for a large salad with just olive oil for dressing, and request steamed veggies in lieu of fries or mashed potatoes. If you're at a Chinese buffet, fill up on veggie- and egg-based soups, steamed broccoli and sautéed chicken or tofu. And if you're going Greek, order a chicken shish kebab – and ditch the hummus and cheese pastries, which are acid-forming.
Planning ahead can help you adhere to the Alkaline Diet. But there aren’t any timesavers when it comes to following the plan, unless you hire somebody to plan your meals, shop for you and prepare your lunch and dinner.
Alkaline Diet resources are available. Books like "Acid Alkaline Diet for Dummies" can help you get your bearings.
Feeling satisfied probably won’t be an issue with this diet. Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of satiety, or the satisfied feeling that you've had enough. With so many fiber-packed whole grains and veggies (and without a calorie cap), you shouldn't go hungry.
Whether the Alkaline Diet tastes good is up to you. You're making everything, so if something doesn't taste good, you know who to blame.
How much should you exercise on Alkaline Diet?
The Alkaline Diet is only an eating pattern, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't exercise. Physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease and diabetes, helps keep weight off and increases your energy level. Most experts suggest getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise – like brisk walking – most or all days of the week.