Alkaline Diet

Searching online for “acid diet food chart”, “alkaline acid diet food list” and so on pulls up a variety of information for people looking to alkalize their diets. The issue I had when I was doing this for myself was the conflicting information contained within the food charts themselves.

On the positive side, all the listings that I looked at tend to agree that meats and dairy products are acidifying food stuffs. It is the alkalizing information that is often not in agreement.

Another frustrating aspect to the online pH balance charts is that they don’t appear to explain where their classifications come from. Are they based on scientific evidence, copied from somewhere, made up or something else? The fact that sources for the acid/alkaline classifications are not provided fills me with further doubt regarding their reliability. Many of us eat an acid diet and while there are differences between available online food charts, they are still useful tools to help us alkalize our diets.

That said, from all the reading I have done regarding improving health and the alkaline acid diet in particular, the data shown on the food charts seems to correlate roughly with the available scientific papers on the subject.

The leading researchers in the field are T. Remer and F. Manz. They have written a number of scientific papers discussing a variety of topics related to dietary intake and the resultant acidifying or alkalizing effects upon the body. A method that they propose is their PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load) calculation. This can be used fairly accurately to estimate the NAE (Net Acid Excretion) of the human body. PRAL is based on food consumed while NAE is determined by analysing urine samples. So for those of us who would rather keep our hands clean, calculating the PRAL values of the food we eat may be a better option. For anyone interested in doing so, my brother has written me a script that allows us to determine the alkaline acid diet effect of any food we choose.

Any alkaline acid diet food charts that use this formula as their basis would classify all fruits and vegetables as alkali foods. This conflicts with all of the food charts that will be discussed shortly. This does not mean that either are necessarily wrong in their allocation of the pH balancing effects of certain fruits.

Taking cranberries as an example, these are often thought to have an acidifying effect upon the body. However according the PRAL formula, they are in fact alkalizing fruits. Both definitions may actually be correct. This is at the crux of the alkaline acid food classification dilema. The reason for this is that there are certain organic acids found in some fruits like cranberries. They are phenolic and benzoic acids. These acids are not metabolized in the same manner as other fruit acids and they do in fact have an acidifying effect upon the body. The PRAL calculation does not take this into account.

Another possible concern when thinking about acid base (alkaline) balance is that the sulphur content of proteins has a bearing on upon their acidifying properties. Again, the PRAL formula does not take this into account. Dispite these two concerns, it has been shown to be a fairly accurate way to determine the NAE. So while it may not be 100% accurate in working out the acid alkaline properties of all food stuffs, it has been shown scientifically to be a reliable method that could be used to create an acid diet food chart.

The food pH charts that I have been looking at to date have defintely given me valuable information for my own alkaline acid diet food preparation. Some discrepencies that I have noted are as follows:

• Coffee being listed as an acid forming drink. The Remer/Manz method suggests that coffee has mildly alkalizing properties. This chart suggests that most fruits are on the alkaline side. [link]
• This pH food chart has on the same chart that berries are alkalzing AND that cranberries are acidifying. [link]
• A third chart states that almost all fruits produce a pH lowering outcome (acidic) on their alkaline acid diet food classification. This is interesting however an explanation of this is not provided. [link]

An acid diet food list based on the formula discussed above would give those of us interested in pH balance through moving towards more of an alkaline diet a clear indication of what alkalizing and acidifying food groups actually are. I look forward to posting just such an acid diet food chart in the future.

The alkaline acid diet is about more than just bringing your body back to, or keeping your body at, optimum pH balance. Eating a higher percentage of alkaline foods than the typical acidic Western diet certainly will have an overall alkalizing effect. However the foods that the alkaline acid diet advocates that we increase our consumption of are packed full of nutrients too. So even though the focus of the alkaline acid diet is alkalizing the body, there are other significant benefits.

Here are ten quick tips regarding how to alkalize your diet:

• drink a fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice.
• drink a soy smoothie
• eat an alkaline breakfast
• drink water instead of soda
• eat fruit instead of potato chips and candy
• cut out dairy
• replace red meat with chicken
• reduce egg yolk consumption
• eat a vegetarian meal
• fill up on salad e.g. cabbage

Drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juice is one of the best ways to alkalize your body. Packed full of nutrients and minerals, without the fiber it is easy to consume between 3-5 (or more) servings of fruit and veg in one health giving juice. Without my juicer it would be much harder to follow the acid alkaline diet. Why not read a Breville BJE200XL review to find out more about a reasonably priced centrifugal juicer?

To add variety to my juicing I sometimes go for a soy smoothie using my blender instead. Mixing a banana and a handful of strawberries then adding soy to taste is another great healthy alkaline option.

There are plenty of options regarding alkaline breakfasts. A simple way to alkalize your breakfast is to eat a grapefruit or two and drink a glass of water. It is surprising how well this breakfast keeps you going. If you can’t make it to lunch, a mid-morning banana will likely fill the gap.

An underlying philosophy of the acid alkaline diet is eating nutrient dense calories as opposed to empty calories. Looked at another way, drinking water is much healthier than drinking carbonated soft drinks which are high in sugar, nutritionally barren and have an acidic pH.

Snacking is one way to sabotage an otherwise healthy diet. Fruits are one of the cornerstones of the alkaline diet so eating fruit, e.g. a banana or an apple instead of a packet of potato chips provides you with a nutritionally superior snack and is better for acid/alkaline balance.

Dairy products while high in calcium actually have an acidifying effect upon the body. Green leafy vegetables, e.g. spinach, while not quite as calcium rich as milk, are an excellent source of dietary calcium. The benefits include getting calcium from an alkaline food source. Dairy products are also full of cow hormones which is a major reason I try to avoid them.

Red meat is more acidic than chicken which is also leaner. So eating chicken instead may be healthier according to the alkaline diet protocol. Cutting down red meat consumption may be beneficial for more than just acid alkaline pH balance. Doing so will obviously help you alkalise your diet. On top of that other health benefits will accrue.

Egg yolks contain plenty of minerals and vitamins however also have a strongly acidifying effect upon the body. I still eat plenty of whole eggs however sometimes discard an egg yolk when making an omelette.

As fruit and vegetables are alkalizing while meat has an acidifying effect upon the body, a simple idea (possibly more complex in practice) is to eat a vegetarian meal once  a week. It is best to eat organic foods as they are likely to contain less pesticide residue than conventional vegetables. The only drawback is that organic produce is usually slightly more expensive.

Currently I eat fish daily, meat a few times a week, then once or twice have a vegetarian meal. Usually it is just something simple, e.g. approx 4 servings of fruit and vegetable juice, rice, natto and steamed greens. This kind of meal may not be the most exciting thing I eat but it is nutritious, alkalizing and satisfying.

Simply adding a salad to meals is a way to consume more which may help you fill up however not overload you with calories. Chopped raw cabbage with a lemon juice dressing is easy to prepare, filling and of course alkalizing.

There are plenty other things outside these 10 simple tips to alkalize your diet regimen.