The alkaline diet has gained traction as a health and wellness approach, with proponents suggesting it can improve overall health by balancing the body's pH levels. This diet focuses on increasing the consumption of alkaline-forming foods, primarily fruits, vegetables, and certain nuts and legumes while reducing the intake of acid-producing foods like meat, dairy, and grains. Celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Tom Brady have contributed to the diet's popularity. However, it's essential to understand the science behind the alkaline diet and separate fact from fiction.
Understanding the Alkaline Diet
The alkaline diet, also known as the acid-alkaline or alkaline ash diet, operates on the premise that certain foods can alter the pH of your body. The pH scale measures acidity and alkalinity, ranging from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. A pH below 7 indicates acidity, and a pH above 7 indicates alkalinity.
The pH Scale
- Acidic: 0.0-6.9
- Neutral: 7.0
- Alkaline (or basic): 7.1-14.0
The body's normal pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.4, a range vital for health. A pH above this range is called alkalosis, and a pH below it is called acidosis. Proponents of the alkaline diet say it enhances health and helps prevent disease by increasing body pH.
How the Alkaline Diet Works
Metabolism, the process of converting food into energy, leaves behind an "ash" residue known as metabolic waste, which can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline. The alkaline diet suggests that the acidity of this ash affects your body's acidity. Alkaline ash is believed to protect you from illness, while acidic ash can make you vulnerable. By consuming more alkaline foods, you may be able to "alkalize" your body and improve your health.
Food components that leave acidic ash include protein, phosphate, and sulfur, while alkaline components include calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Certain food groups are considered acidic, alkaline, or neutral:
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- Acidic: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, grains, alcohol
- Neutral: natural fats, milk, starches, sugars
- Alkaline: fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables
Testing Urine pH
Many proponents of the alkaline diet suggest monitoring the pH of your urine to ensure it’s alkaline (over 7) and not acidic (below 7). However, it’s important to note that pH varies greatly within your body. While some parts are acidic, others are alkaline - there’s no set level. For example, your stomach is highly acidic with a pH of about 1.5-2.0, necessary to break down food. On the other hand, human blood is always slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.35-7.45.
Alkaline-Forming Foods: A Detailed List
The alkaline diet centers around consuming foods that are believed to produce an alkaline effect in the body. These foods are typically rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which can support overall health and well-being.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a cornerstone of the alkaline diet, packed with essential nutrients and having a high alkaline content. Examples include:
- Leafy Greens: Kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and other leafy greens are highly alkaline and excellent sources of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like calcium and magnesium.
- Broccoli: This cruciferous vegetable is not only alkaline but also packed with nutrients like vitamins C, K, and A.
- Cucumber: Hydrating alkaline vegetables that are low in calories and high in water content.
- Beets
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Peas
- Tomato
Fruits
Fruits are another key component of the alkaline diet, particularly those high in potassium, which is believed to help neutralize acid in the body. Examples include:
- Citrus Fruits: Lemons, limes, and grapefruits may seem acidic, but they actually have an alkalizing effect on the body. These fruits are rich in vitamin C, which is essential for immune health and collagen production.
- Avocado: A nutrient-dense fruit that is high in healthy fats, fiber, and potassium.
- Apples
- Cherries
- Pineapple
- Bananas
- Apricots
- Cantaloupe
Nuts and Seeds
Certain nuts and seeds can also contribute to an alkaline diet, providing healthy fats, fiber, and protein. Examples include:
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- Almonds: Alkaline nuts that are rich in protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
- Chestnuts: Considered an alkaline nut.
- Pumpkin Seeds: Considered an alkaline seed.
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseed
- Walnuts
- Cashews
- Pecans
- Brazil nuts
Legumes
Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, and beans are not only high in protein but also contribute to an alkaline diet.
- Soy Foods: Soybeans, edamame, and tofu come with their own benefits outside of being alkaline-forming. Eating whole soy foods may reduce the risk of breast cancer and several other types of cancer, fibroids, and even inflammation.
- Fermented Tofu: Fermented tofu has nutritional value due to the presence of probiotics, which promote gut health, aiding digestion and the immune system.
Other Alkaline-Forming Foods
- Quinoa: A versatile grain that is not only alkaline but also a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids.
- Tempeh: A fermented soy product that is alkaline-forming and provides a good source of plant-based protein.
- Millets: Cereal grains commonly mistaken for seeds, rich in antioxidants and a staple in many African and Asian cuisines.
Benefits of the Alkaline Diet
While the scientific community is still debating the full extent of the benefits of an alkaline diet, there is evidence to suggest that consuming foods high in alkaline, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes, can have positive effects on health.
Potential Health Benefits
- Muscle Mass Preservation: Research has shown that a diet high in potassium-rich foods, such as fruits and vegetables, may help preserve muscle mass in older adults.
- Bone Health: Some studies suggest that alkaline salts of potassium can reduce bone loss and improve calcium balance.
- Reduced Inflammation: Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce inflammation, a natural response to injury and infection. Chronic inflammation can cause DNA damage and lead to cancer.
- Improved Digestion: Alkaline foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, are high in fiber, which aids in digestion and promotes regular bowel movements.
- Increased Energy Levels: Alkaline foods are nutrient-dense and provide essential vitamins and minerals needed for energy production.
- Weight Management: The alkaline diet encourages the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods, which are typically lower in calories and higher in nutrients.
- May support health by limiting processed foods and promoting more whole foods.
Benefits Not Supported by Science
- Fighting Disease by Affecting Body's pH Levels: The alkaline diet may support health by limiting processed foods and promoting more whole foods. However, it doesn’t help fight disease by affecting your body’s pH levels.
- Curing Cancer: There’s no link between an acid-forming diet and cancer. Cancer cells also grow in alkaline environments.
- Improving Blood pH: In healthy people, diet doesn’t significantly affect blood pH, but it can change urine pH.
Misconceptions and Scientific Evidence
Despite its popularity, the alkaline diet is surrounded by several misconceptions. It's crucial to examine the scientific evidence and understand what the diet can and cannot do.
The Body's pH Regulation
The most significant misconception is that the alkaline diet can significantly alter the pH of your blood. The body has several effective ways to regulate blood pH to maintain a constant level, which is essential for health. The lungs and kidneys rapidly filter our blood to take out extra acid or alkaline components. This constant filtering creates waste products which are removed from the body in fluids such as urine, saliva and sweat.
Bone Health and the Alkaline Diet
The alkaline diet theory claims that to maintain a constant blood pH, your body takes alkaline minerals from bones to buffer acids from acid-forming foods, leading to bone mineral density loss. However, this theory ignores the function of your kidneys and your lungs. The blood can contain different acids, which are either “metabolic” (fixed) or “respiratory” (volatile). The kidneys reabsorb bicarbonate, which comes from carbonic acid in the blood. This entire process resists change to the pH to allow you to stay in the necessary pH range for life. Keep in mind that recent scientific evidence suggests no link between dietary acid and bone health. In fact, a high protein, acid-forming diet may be linked to better bone health due to increased calcium retention and activation of IGF-1 hormone.
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Cancer and the Alkaline Diet
The original interest in an alkaline diet for cancer may be because some tumors can be surrounded by an acidic environment - that is, environments with a low pH. Proponents of the alkaline diet theorize that if you eat a diet high in alkaline foods, or those with a high pH, you can raise the body’s pH levels and therefore make your body a poor environment for cancer. However, the reality is that the acidic environment around these tumors is created by the tumor, not because of it. Cancers can occur in all parts of the body, including the blood which is just slightly alkaline, the stomach which is very acidic and the pancreas which is very basic. Research shows that there’s no one diet or food that can cure cancer.
While tumors grow faster in acidic environments, the tumors create this acidity themselves. It’s not the acidic environment that creates cancer cells, but cancer cells that create the acidic environment.
Evolutionary Perspective
Examining the acid-alkaline theory from both an evolutionary and scientific perspective reveals discrepancies. One study estimated that 87% of pre-agricultural humans ate alkaline diets which formed the central argument behind the modern alkaline diet. Keep in mind that our remote ancestors lived in vastly different climates with access to diverse foods. In fact, acid-forming diets were more common as people moved further north of the equator, away from the tropics. Current studies suggest that about half of ancestral diets were acid-forming, especially among people who lived far from the equator.
Implementing the Alkaline Diet
If you're considering adopting an alkaline diet, here are some practical tips for incorporating it into your lifestyle:
Meal Planning and Preparation
- Plan Ahead: Set aside time each week to plan your meals and snacks.
- Recipe Inspiration: Experiment with alkaline recipes to keep your meals interesting.
- Focus on Whole Foods: Prioritize whole, unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
- Hydrate: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support overall health.
Sample Alkaline Diet Recipes
- Breakfast: Alkaline Green Smoothie
- Ingredients: 1 cup almond milk, 1 cup watermelon, cubed, 5 frozen strawberries, 1/2 small banana, 1 handful fresh spinach, 1 teaspoon chia seeds, 1 cup ice
- Instructions: Place all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.
- Lunch: Alkaline Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Salad Ingredients: 1 cup cucumber, 1 cup watermelon, 1/2 cup of raspberries, 1 sliced avocado, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of papaya, 1/2 cup of toasted almonds, 4 cups baby kale
- Dressing Ingredients: 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 garlic clove (minced), 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1-2 tablespoons raw honey
- Instructions: Mix dressing ingredients and store in the refrigerator. Combine all salad ingredients and toss. Top it with dressing.
- Dinner: Quinoa Mushroom Bowl
- Ingredients: 1.5 cups of white quinoa, 1 cup of water, 1 container of mushrooms, 1 tomato (sliced), 1 avocado (sliced), Pink Himalayan sea salt, Oregano, Sweet basil, Sage powder, Onion powder, Cayenne pepper, 1 lime
- Instructions: Cook the quinoa on low heat with the lid on. Cook mushrooms with grape seed oil and add desired amount of pink Himalayan sea salt, oregano, sweet basil, onion power, cayenne pepper, and sage seasoning. Then, cut tomatoes and avocado and combine everything together. For extra flavor, squeeze some lime over the top of the quinoa.
Alkaline Drinks and Beverages
In addition to food, incorporating alkaline drinks and beverages into your diet can further support an alkaline state.
- Lemon Water: Starting your day with a glass of warm lemon water can help alkalize the body and stimulate digestion.
- Herbal Teas: Herbal teas, such as chamomile, peppermint, and ginger, are alkaline and can be enjoyed throughout the day.
- Green Smoothies: Blending alkaline fruits and leafy greens into a smoothie is a delicious way to increase alkalinity.
- Alkaline Water: While alkaline water isn't harmful, paying for at-home alkalizing systems and alkalized bottled water could put a strain on your budget. There is no science to support claims that drinking alkaline water is healthier than non-alkaline water.
Nuts in the Alkaline Diet
When following an alkaline diet, it's important to know which nuts are considered alkaline and which are considered acidic. Nuts considered alkaline nuts are chestnuts and almonds, while acidic nuts include peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans and Brazil nuts. Regardless of where they fit on the alkalinity/acidity scale, nuts are a good source of protein, fiber, healthy fats and other nutrients. Unless you have an allergy to specific nuts, there is no need to limit your nut consumption based on where they fit on the alkalinity/acidity scale.
Nutrients in Nuts
- Protein: Nuts are rich in protein, which makes them a good substitute for meat.
- Fats: Nuts are plentiful in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are thought to lower bad cholesterol, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which can help prevent disorders in heart rhythms.
- Fiber: Nuts are also high in fiber. Fiber satisfies the appetite, lowers cholesterol and plays a role in protection against Type 2 diabetes.
- Vitamins and Minerals: The nutrient profile of nuts includes vitamin E, which helps stop the development of artery-clogging plaque that can lead to a heart attack and stroke. Some nut varieties contain plant sterols, substances that lower cholesterol. In addition, nuts have L-arginine, which increases the flexibility of arteries and reduces the risk of an occlusion.
Health Benefits of Nuts
Tree nuts and peanuts have multiple wellness benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic disease, decreasing inflammation, improving lipid metabolism and enhancing blood sugar control. Nuts have been found to help control appetite and assist the body in burning more calories. Eating them in portion-controlled sizes (a serving size nuts is 1 oz) is perfectly healthy, while overdoing your consumption of nuts may lead to weight gain. Eating nuts is inversely related to cause-specific death risk and all-cause death risk.
Nut Safety Issues
- Allergies: One downside associated with nut consumption is allergies. Less than 1 percent of adults and less than 2 percent of children have a tree nut allergy. People with nut allergies should take special precautions to avoid unknowingly ingesting them.
- Selenium Toxicity: Nuts grown in selenium-rich soil in Brazil may have more than 100 micrograms per nut. Selenium toxicity can occur in levels above 400 micrograms per day in adults. This means that as few as four nuts per day could give an adult a toxic dose. The toxicity limit is much less in children.
Restrictions and Considerations
The alkaline diet has some restrictions that may make it difficult to maintain.
Foods to Limit or Avoid
- Meat: The alkaline diet is almost entirely vegetarian. Most forms of dairy and meat is off-limits.
- Dairy: Dairy products are generally restricted.
- Eggs: Eggs are not allowed on the alkaline diet.
- Grains: The diet excludes wheat, but to avoid gluten completely, you'll need to check food labels carefully, as gluten is not just in wheat.
- Processed Foods: Canned and packaged snacks and convenience foods fall on the acidic side and are not allowed.
- Alcohol and Caffeine: Most books that tout the alkaline diet say you shouldn't have alcohol or caffeine, either.
- Sugars: Added sugars are restricted.
Potential Challenges
- Restrictiveness: Some people find the alkaline diet hard to sustain because of the limitations it creates for what you can eat. You may have to cut out lots of foods that you're used to eating.
- Eating Out: It's difficult to eat out on an alkaline diet, meaning you may be making more trips to the grocery store. If you're not used to cooking at home, it could take a while to learn how to prep and make your meals when you use fresh foods.
- Cost: While there are lots of alkaline diet products available for purchase, they can be expensive. Know that you don’t need to spend money on specialized products to follow this diet.
Considerations for Specific Populations
- Vegetarians and Vegans: This diet is mostly vegetarian. It also works for vegans, since dairy is off-limits.
- Gluten-Free: The diet excludes wheat, but to avoid gluten completely, you'll need to check food labels carefully, as gluten is not just in wheat.
- Children: Parents should avoid the alkaline diet for kids. The diet eliminates important nutrient-rich foods like animal proteins, eggs, and fish that can be critical for their growth and development.
- People with Disordered Eating: Zelman cautions anyone with a history of disordered eating against starting the alkaline diet: “When you categorize foods as good or bad -- like with alkanizing foods versus acidic foods -- it tends to promote eating disorders.”
- People with Certain Conditions: In its most restrictive form, Zelman doesn’t recommend the alkaline diet for anyone, especially those with cancer, kidney disease, osteoporosis, or any other chronic health condition whose health could be impacted by the nutritional gaps that exist within the diet.