Critics of the alkaline diet typically profess four main objections, all of which are misconceptions that are easily explained away.
They are:
1. The pH of the blood does not fluctuate widely based on the food you eat
True but misleading. The reason that the blood does not fluctuate is because if it does not remain at right about 7.365 pH you will die. Your body has a built-in self-correcting mechanism for when you eat acidic foods. It literally pulls alkaline minerals from your bones and muscles in order to neutralize the acid and keep you in pH balance. The problem is the damage that this self-correction can cause including bone loss, muscle loss, heart problems, vision loss, reduced energy and more.
So yes, eating alkaline foods will not increase your blood pH, but it will prevent your body from stealing minerals from itself because you are providing the body with a mineral reserve and reducing the amount of acidic foods you eat. When we refer to alkalizing your pH we are referring to the urine and saliva which can be tested with pH strips, not the blood.
2. It doesn’t matter what the pH of the food that you eat is, because your stomach acid will turn it acidic anyway
False. To paraphrase Dr. Robert O. Young: The stomach wall makes sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda) to alkalize our food not digest our food. Hydrochloric acid is only produced when we eat or drink acid-forming foods and drinks and is balanced in equal proportion by sodium bicarbonate production. When we consume alkaline forming foods and drink alkaline ionized water, the body does not need the sodium bicarbonate production and thus the hydrochloric acid production is not required either!
3. There is not enough scientific research to back up the alkaline diet
Misleading. As a whole, there may not be a lot of research specifically about the alkaline diet, however numerous studies have shown benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as health benefits of eating certain fruits and vegetables, cutting out meat, and avoiding processed foods and artificial ingredients. So since the alkaline diet is a largely vegan/vegetarian diet high in fruits and vegetables that cuts out processed foods and artificial ingredients, how can you possibly be skeptical? It’s common sense. Natural whole plant-based foods are good for you, while processed, artificial “junk foods” are not.
4. There are conflicting acid/alkaline food charts so it’s impossible to know which foods to eat
True but not impossible. When referring to an acid/alkaline chart the one question you need to ask is if the chart is showing the pH of the actual food, or the pH of the food after it has been digested. You are looking for the latter, because you want to know what kind of effect that food will have on your body. The most common confusion over this is that lemons are highly acidic by nature, but have a strong alkalizing effect on the body due to their high mineral and low sugar content. So use a set of charts like ours which focus on the pH of the food after it has been digested, and disregard the others. Click here to get your free alkaline/acid food charts.
Shifting to an 80% alkaline/20% acidic diet and drinking ionized alkaline water may help you lose weight, give you increased energy, reverse major health issues including cancer and diabetes, improve your sleep and appearance, and boost your immune system. It is not a fad or a crash diet but rather a permanent shift in your eating habits for overall wellness much like a raw, vegan or vegetarian diet. Try it for yourself, and be sure to share your results!