Alkaline Diet

The alkaline diet continues to become more and more popular. I believe this is to do with people’s desire for a healthy change from all the weight loss fad diets around today. Instead of claiming to deliver unbelievable weight loss within only a matter of weeks, the alkaline diet is not so concerned with this issue. More important to those of us following this way of eating is simply feeling good as we become healthier.

From my own experience with this diet, the more alkaline foods that I consume, the better I feel. This is not exactly rocket science. Foods that have an alkalizing effect upon our bodies are nearly all fruits and vegetables. Everyone knows that these foodstuffs are good for us. The alkaline diet just explains one reason why. Using a juicer is perhaps the easiest way to up the amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

There are lots of different alkaline diet food charts that you can find on the internet. I would be wary of these and only use them as a rough guide as opposed to actual fact. Many of them have errors. Although in general they are reasonably accurate. In a way, this makes them even more problematic. If they were out and out wrong, it would be easier to reject them.

Instead of using these charts to determine what foods are alkalizing and which ones are acidifying, I use a PRAL Calculator to work out the Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL) values for myself. This calculation was proposed by Remer and Manz. These are two renowned scientists working in this field. A lot of the more accurate information about the alkaline diet comes from their scientific discoveries.

For example, many of you will have heard that carbonated drinks should not be given to children because they are bad for their bones. I did not believe this at all when I first heard it. However Remer and Manz have actually researched this and found it to be true.

Due to the high Potential Renal Acid Load that carbonated drinks produce in the body, their acidifying effects are neutralized by our body. To neutralize an acid, an alkaline compound must be used. This comes from calcium deposits in bone. So carbonated drinks can indeed cause bone loss in children.

This is not to say that we should never have this sort of drink. We should certainly try to avoid drinking too much. This is for a number of reasons including the fact that they are loaded with sugar. But as far as the alkaline diet is concerned, we can still enjoy fizzy drinks as long as we eat a reasonable amount of alkaline foods as well. These will help to keep the pH balance of our body at a more appropriate level.

To conclude, the alkaline diet does not propose that acid foods are necessarily bad for us. The central idea is that we have to have balance. Therefore by eating lots of alkaline foods we can negate the negative effects of our bodies becoming too acidic.

The alkaline diet helps us improve our overall health and fitness. It is also appropriate for those of us who enjoy weight training also. Eating higher quantities of fruit and vegetables in our diets can help to increase our appetite which helps if the aim is to put on muscle. Of course for muscle gains protein is necessary. As followers of the alkaline diet will know, foods that are high in proteins are typically acid foods. This however does not mean that we should never eat them. Instead acid foods form an important part of our diet but these foodstuffs must be balanced with an approprite intake of alkaline foods which are made up of fruits and vegetables.

Weight training with machines or with free weights at a gym or at home is the way I put stress upon my body to encourage it to grow. I have found that since embarking on my alkaline acid diet I not only feel more alert mentally, I also find I am more energetic throughout the day. This is having a direct impact on my training sessions. I find I am able to spend more time weight training which is also improving the way I look. On top of this I am gaining weight when I check myself on the scales at the local sports gym.

So while the alkaline diet may not be concerned specifically with weight loss or weight gain, it can actually be used effectively for either goal. For people keen to loose weight eating vegetables is a good way to get that full feeling without consuming too many calories. This on top of some aerobic exercise can help to burn more calories than are consumed which should result in weight loss.

For people like me who want to gain weight, specifically muscle, the alkaline diet can help to stimulate our bodies.  In my case I am finding that my appetite is improving so I want to eat more often. This means I am taking on board more calories. At the same time, because of the high quantities of fruits and vegetables that I am eating my body feels more alive that it used to. Mentally I can focus better and physically I have more energy.

The alkaline acid diet can be used to help achieve fitness goals whatever they may be.