Did you know the Alkaline Diet has been claimed one of the fancy diets that helps to reduce weight and improve overall health? But is it scientifically proven?
The alkaline diet is said to be based on foods high in pH, and it’s also known as alkaline acid diet or alkaline-ash diet. This particular diet is thought to prevent cancer and aids in weight reduction. However, there is no enough evidence regarding it.
Despite there are a lot of assertions regarding this, here are 5 things you should know about the Alkaline Diet:
What is alkaline diet?
To understand alkaline diet, you must know a little about pH. Simply put, pH is a measurement to know how acidic or basic anything is. Normal range of pH is 0-14 where neutral pH value is 7 i.e. of water. The higher the pH, the more alkaline or basic something is. Conversely, the lower the pH, the more acidic it is. Moreover, the pH blood is 7.4 i.e. slightly alkaline while the pH of stomach acid is about 1.5 to 3.5 i.e. pretty acidic.
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Alkaline diet and Cancer
According to systemic studies, cancer cells are thought to grow more in acidic environment i.e. low pH. In that case, alkaline diet can help maintain a more basic habitat to prevent the growth of cancer cells. However, there is no proven fact that alkaline based diet can actually change body’s pH because it is strongly regulated by its own. The change is only being seen in waste products such as saliva or urine though.
Weight loss benefits
Since alkaline diet compromises of more fruits and vegetables and less processed food, it eventually lowers weight. Furthermore, the healthy regime decreases the possibility of bad cholesterol and hypertension to occur. Although, it doesn’t directly act in weight loss, the alkaline diet promotes quite healthy eating habits which have numerous merits in a person’s lifespan.
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Promote muscle growth
A good muscle growth benefits body in several means together with minimized risk of injuries, bone fractures and chronic pain. Osteoporosis International conducted a study in 2013 which shows ‘’small but significant increase in muscle mass’’, specifically in females who took alkaline diet. However, there were limitations in the study and more research is needed in this domain.
High alkaline supplements
You have been reading about alkaline diet but do you know which food items are rich in it? Naturally occurring citrus fruits, vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, soybeans and tofu, and some nuts, seeds, and legumes are alkaline-promoting foods. In addition to that, for better results you must avoid red and white meat. You should also avoid dairy, eggs, alcohol and processed food as they are acidic in nature. Besides this, alkaline supplements are also available such as green powders, alkaline minerals, alkaline protein powders, glutathione and curcumin to name a few.
In conclusion, though recent studies do not support the idea of the alkaline diet and its hypothetical advantages. However, every cloud has a silver lining. The alkaline diet can be used as a parameter for clean or healthy eating, helping you reduce the intake of processed foods in the diet.
