The Alkaline Diet: Benefits and Risks

The Alkaline Diet: Benefits and Risks

We’ve all seen pictures on the Internet and in the magazines featuring the ever-slender Victoria Beckham. Could it be that she is the newest in a long line of celebs to follow the alkaline diet? She’s not the only one. Other enthusiasts – such as Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Demi Moore, Kirsten Dunst and even designer Marc Jacobs – claim that the alkaline diet does wonders for their digestion, complexion and state of mind.

What is an Alkaline Diet?

The alkaline diet is mainly a raw vegetarian diet. The general idea of the alkaline diet is that – while focusing on specific foods – you help balance your body’s ideal pH level in addition to improving your fitness and losing weight. However, a healthy body manages to maintain its pH balance on its own, without the need of such a restrictive diet. In addition to fresh vegetables and some fresh fruits, the alkaline diet plan includes soy products and some nuts and grains.

The Alkaline Diet: Benefits and Risks

The Alkaline Diet: Giving up Bad Habits

When focusing on the acid/alkaline diet, it will be no surprise to you to learn that the most acidic foods are sugar, yeast, dairy products, plain carbs, alcohol, and almost all refined, cooked foods. These probably mirror every person’s bad eating habits, with colas and carbonated drinks, pizza and potato chips, cakes and chocolate cookies, plus everything that goes into your microwave. Add to this list bread and meat full of fat, ice cream and caffeine, and of course smoking – all the things you already know are doing more harm than good.

The Alkaline Diet Benefits

A diet rich in fruits and raw vegetables – such as the alkaline diet – is known to raise urine pH level, therefore lowering the possibility of developing kidney stones, which is usually the case when following a protein diet. Nutrition experts have also laid emphasis on the fact that alkaline diets could prevent bone loss and other chronic illnesses, or even help recover from backache. However, these claims have yet to be confirmed with laborious studies on the many benefits the alkaline diet has to offer to a dieter’s health and over-all wellbeing.

The Alkaline Diet: Benefits and Risks

The Alkaline Diet Risks

So far, no scientific research proves that the acid alkaline diet could alter your blood pH. However, people suffering from a kidney condition or other medical issues that involve specialist care, for example diabetes, are advised against following an alkaline diet plan. Also, be wary of diet websites that require a monthly fixed charge for alkaline diet recipes or pertinent information: sometimes they create more problems and fail to help you lose weight!

See also:Victoria Beckham’s Alkaline Diet PlanWhat is the Raw Food DietThe Raw Food Detox Diet