The Alkaline diet has become the new trendy Hollywood food craze. Many claim that it can help you lose weight as well as aid in prevention of arthritis and cancer. The theory of how it works is that certain foods such as meat, wheat, refined sugar, and processed foods cause your body to produce acid, which is bad for you. On the other hand, alkaline foods, which are supposed to lower your acidic properties, are supposed to protect against certain health conditions and help you to shed pounds. So is this true, and does this diet actually work?
What You Can and Can’t Eat
Most vegetables and fruits, soybeans and tofu, some nuts, seeds and legumes are alkaline promoting foods, so they are allowed.
Meat, dairy, eggs, most grains, and processed foods, like canned and packaged snacks or convenience foods, fall into the acid promoting side of the spectrum and are not allowed. Caffeine and alcohol are also said to increase acid levels, so most books that reference the alkaline diet advise against both.
So How Hard is The Alkaline Diet?
Many of the foods that are not allowed in the diet will be a lot of foods that most of us are used to eating on a regular basis. So, unless you want to limit your diet to fruits and vegetables only, on top of cutting out your daily cup of joe, or bottle of wine….it is going to take a lot of change to be able to adapt to this diet.
At least on one hand it can be said that since fruits and veggies are inexpensive and easily found, it will be simple to get the food needed to abide by this diet. However, if you aren’t used to cooking, you may need to learn how to cook and prepare meals using fresh foods.
No meetings, or group participation is necessary. And as a plus: exercise not required!
Are Allowances for Restrictions or Preferences Easily Blended With This Diet?
If you are vegetarian or vegan, this diet is perfect for you. As the diet is mostly vegan anyways, adapting this with your current lifestyle will be seamless.
Since wheat is also restricted if you are currently gluten free, you should be able to easily blend this diet with a gluten free diet.
Miscellaneous Information
Although books, courses, supplements, alkaline-infused products, among other alkaline diet aids, these things are not necessary, so the alkaline diet is not a costly endeavor. You can also do this diet independently.
So Does it Work?
The diet claims to use alkaline foods as well as your abstinence from acidic foods to balance your bodies pH. While the foods encouraged in this program are wonderful for you, and also will support healthy weight loss, as well as promote a healthier you, unfortunately, our body is designed to maintain the default pH levels in your body steady. So, no amount of alkaline food will actually work to decrease the current levels in your body, because some organs actually need to be more acidic, and vice versa. As to other health claims, there is evidence that shows that a diet low in acid-promoting foods like animal proteins or bread could prevent kidney stones, keep bones and muscles strong, and improve heart/brain health.
If you can easily adapt to a mainly vegetarian diet, and enjoy the allowed food items, it will be simple to enjoy the health benefits of the alkaline diet. You will lose weight, as well as increase your health by adapting to the preferred guidelines. However, it won’t be because the pH of your body is necessarily permanently changing, but because you are eating a truly healthy diet.