What Do You Eat on the Alkaline Diet?

The goal of eating alkaline foods is to create an environment in your body that promotes health. Foods you eat on the alkaline diet include beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.

If you assume that an alkaline diet has something to do with the pH scale that you learned in high school chemistry class, you’re right. Many people swear by the alkaline diet and even claim that this simple way of eating can cure cancer and prevent other diseases as well. What’s the truth? Learn more about the alkaline diet, what foods you can and cannot eat while following it, and how to steer clear of myths surrounding diets in general.

The goal of eating alkaline foods is to create an environment in your body that promotes health. The diet relies on the pH scale, from 1-14 (the lower end is acidic, while the higher end is alkaline), to determine which foods are good to eat and which foster an environment that resists cancer and other diseases. 

This diet isn’t about eating foods with an alkaline pH and avoiding very acidic foods like lemons, though. Instead, you’ll eat foods that make the body more alkaline and cut down the acid it produces. 

The problem with this theory is that your body regulates and controls its own pH, and it won’t respond to outside influences like food. For example, your blood’s pH is always between 7.35 and 7.45 — and regardless of whether you eat alkaline or acidic foods, your body will regulate your blood’s pH to make sure it stays about the same. 

Your urine’s pH is a little bit different. Its pH level fluctuates from about 4.6 to 8.0. Your stomach’s pH has to be very acidic in order to break down food, while your pancreatic fluid and bile are more alkaline to counteract the acidity of your gastrointestinal system. Urine is the only bodily fluid with a pH level that you can change by eating and drinking different things ­— because your urine carries waste, including too-high levels of acidity, out of your body.

Whenever you consider a new diet, it’s important to look at the science behind it to determine whether this way of eating is backed by facts. Experts recommend avoiding diet plans that sound too convenient, make doubtful claims, or unnecessarily restrict your diet. 

You should also steer clear of diet plans that don’t have clear research to back up the diet. The alkaline diet fits many of these points, but unlike many fad diets that force you to choose from a small number of foods and count calories, the alkaline diet is surprisingly healthy due to its high nutritional value and emphasis on fruits and vegetables. 

Some foods do contribute to a higher urine pH — but how much does this matter? Alkaline diet foods might affect the kidneys and urinary system, but it’s unclear whether this diet affects the rest of the body when it comes to pH. Some researchers think that eating foods with a lower potential renal acid load (PRAL) may help your body stay healthier overall.

If you’re interested in trying the alkaline diet, strive to eat more plant-based foods, including beans, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, and avoid eating too much meat, dairy, processed foods, sugar, and alcohol. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist to devise an eating plan that’s right for you to ensure you get enough calcium and protein while on this diet.

Most doctors and researchers aren’t convinced that the alkaline diet has any basis or that it does what it claims to do in the human body. This doesn’t mean that the alkaline diet isn’t healthy. Learn the facts and myths about this eating pattern and determine whether or not it’s right for you.

The facts

• Many “alkaline” foods are plant-based and, overall, a plant-based diet is thought to be healthier for the human body and helps the body fight disease.
• You can change the pH of your urine. More alkaline urine can help somewhat with conditions that affect the bladder and urinary tract.
• You may lose weight, decrease your cholesterol, or improve your blood sugar on the alkaline diet due to eating better and more nutritious foods.
• It’s possible that the alkaline diet can provide a better environment for chemotherapy drugs to work more effectively.

The myths 

• You can change the pH of your blood and other bodily systems. This isn’t true. Your body closely regulates the acidity of your blood and the rest of your body. 
• Eating foods with an alkaline “ash” directly influences your health. This is also a myth, and it’s more likely that you’re benefitting from eating healthier foods in general than you’re “alkalizing” your body.
• You should avoid “acidic” foods at all costs. This isn’t true because foods like meat and alcohol can be OK in moderation, but you should take care to eat what’s right for your body. 

It’s up to you whether or not you try the alkaline diet. Most of the evidence concerning this diet seems to imply that it won’t benefit you because you can’t change the pH level of your blood. It definitely hasn’t been proven to cure cancer or any other medical condition. This doesn’t mean that it will harm you. In fact, the nutrition guidelines proposed in alkaline diet plans will probably benefit your overall health if you don’t cut out too many foods. 

If you choose to eat a more plant-based, low-sugar diet, which is proven to be heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory, you’re already helping your body to become more healthy — but it probably isn’t because of the alkaline ash these foods leave behind. The alkaline diet is, overall, a healthy way of eating.