What do know about the acidic vs. alkaline diet and health? Are you a proponent of one or the other? If you are, I’d be interested in knowing more about what brought you to your conclusion.
My curiosity was piqued as I began hearing more discussions related to the benefits and myths associated with each. It motivated me to research and learn more about how the two diets may or may not really effect the body?
What is the alkaline diet?
First, of all, pretty basic stuff, I learned that pH values range from 0 to 14. Acidic being 0.0-6-9, Neutral 7.0 and alkaline 7.1-14.0. The food groups generally categorized to measure acidic, neutral and alkaline are: Acidic: Meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, grains and alcohol; Neutral: Natural fats, starches and sugars; and Alkaline: Fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables.
The alkaline diet is based on the idea that replacing acid-forming foods with alkaline foods can improve health. Proponents of this diet claim that it can help actually fight serious diseases like cancer.
Image credit: https://www.freshnlean.com/recipes/
What does the science say?
I read scientific evidence confirming that tumors grow faster in acidic environments, it turns out that tumors actually create their own acidity. It is not the acidic environment that creates the cancer. Although, some studies indicate that cancer cells may grow slower in an alkaline environment.
Scientific studies also show that it’s nearly impossible for food to change the pH value of blood in healthy people. Human blood is always slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.36–7, although tiny fluctuations can occur within the normal range depending on health.
Alkaline food proponents may measure their urine pH as an indicator of overall body pH and general health. Urine pH factors can be influenced by diet. For instance, if you eat a large steak your urine will likely be more acidic several hours later as your body removes the metabolic waste from your system.
What makes an alkaline diet healthy?
Overall, an alkaline diet is quite healthy, encouraging high consumption of fruits, vegetables and healthy plant foods while restricting processed junk foods. However, the notion that the diet boosts health because of its alkalizing effects haven’t been proven by any reliable human studies to date.
Some studies do suggest positive effects in a very small subset of the population — an alkalizing diet, low in protein, may benefit people with chronic kidney disease. In general, the alkaline diet is healthy because it is based on whole and unprocessed food. At this time, Its benefits haven’t been shown to relate to the pH level.
I’d really appreciate feedback from you about your experience and any additional research you have found. Comment below, or find us on social media!
About American College of Healthcare Sciences
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Blog references:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/the-alkaline-diet-myth#osteoporosis
https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/alkaline-diets
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/acid-alkaline-diet
https://drannacabeca.com/blogs/keto-alkaline-diet/acid-or-alkaline-and-why-should-i-care
