What is an alkaline diet?
An Alkaline Diet is one that discourages acid-forming foods such as meat, dairy, and processed foods and encourages the consumption of alkaline-forming foods for the prevention of various disease states (Foroutan, 2016).
What’s the evidence behind it?
There is no conclusive evidence that alkaline diets result in substantial health benefits.
Points to Understand
- The pH of your blood remains 7.35-7.45 regardless of what you eat, thanks to your lungs and kidneys. If this weren’t the case, you would not be alive.
- The premise of the alkaline diet is to make the maintenance of the proper blood pH easier.
- The pH of a food does not determine the direct pH effect on the body.
- The acid voided in the urine is what ultimately determines the acidic or alkaline effect of a food on the body.
- Foods are either acid-forming or alkaline-forming.
- When acid-forming foods are eaten, the kidneys send out calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate to buffer the acid load.
- Eating foods with minerals such as potassium, magnesium, bicarbonate and calcium enables the body to handle the acid-forming foods more easily.
- The lack of mineral-containing foods (fruits and vegetables) may cause the body to pull from its own stores – mainly from the demineralization of bone. Even so, there is “no substantial evidence that this improves bone health.” (Schwalfenberg, 2012)
Examples (The Acid & Alkaline Foods List)
| Acid-forming Food | Alkaline-forming Food |
| Carbonated water Club soda Energy drinks Popcorn Cream cheese Buttermilk Prunes Pastries Pasta Cheese Pork Beer Wine Black Tea Pickles Chocolate Nuts Vinegar Artificial sweeteners (except Stevia) Coffee Fruit juice Beef Eggs Fish |
Spinach Broccoli Artichokes Brussel’s sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Carrots Cucumbers Lemons Limes Asparagus Kale Radishes Greens Onions Avocados Lettuce Celery Peas Sweet Potatoes Eggplant Green Beans Tomatoes Almonds |
The Bottom Line
An alkaline diet is higher in fruit and vegetables, and lower in salt, sugar and fat, which we all know is the optimal diet. There is not enough evidence at this time to suggest that it is any more beneficial than any other largely plant-based diet. If your clients are following a strict alkaline diet, ensure that they are conscious of the possibility of nutrient deficiencies if they are eliminating entire food groups and refer to a Registered Dietitian or other nutrition professional for more in-depth nutrition counseling if deemed necessary.
References
Foroutan, R. (2016, 04 28). Food and Nutrition. Retrieved from
http://www.foodandnutrition.org/May-June-2016/Alkaline-Diet-Does-pH-Affect-Health-and-Wellness/
Hayden, K. (2011, 06 15). Truth is Treason. Retrieved from
http://www.truthistreason.net/ph-levels-and-cancer-alkaline-and-acidic-foods/food_ph_scale
Schwalfenberg, G. (2012). The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health?
Journal of Environmental and Public Health.
The Acid & Alkaline Foods List. (n.d.). Retrieved from Asana Foods:
http://asanafoods.com/blog/the-acid-alkaline-foods-list/
The post The Alkaline Diet: To Recommend or Not to Recommend appeared first on GymCloud.
