Alkaline Diet Food - Questions and Answers

If something is an alkaline diet food, does this mean that it will have the same effect on my body?

People use a number of terms to refer to alkaline diet food: "alkaline food," "alkalizing food," "alkaline-forming food," and others. This can lead to confusion, because it isn't always clear whether someone is referring to foods that are alkaline before they are eaten, or foods that make the body more alkaline after they have been eaten. To minimize confusion, I don't use the term "alkaline diet food." Instead, I refer to foods that are alkaline outside the body as "alkaline foods," and I refer to foods that make the body more alkaline after they have been eaten as "alkalizing foods" or "alkaline-forming foods."

Why does one alkaline diet expert say that a particular food is an alkaline diet food, while another expert classifies it as acidifying?

Different experts use different methods to determine how a specific food will affect the body's internal acid-alkaline balance. Unfortunately, none of these methods is perfect. Techniques for classifying foods according to their effect on body pH can point us in the right direction, but they are not perfect. The good news is that experts agree on most foods. So even if you are using a source who is wrong about some foods, you can still have a diet that is alkaline overall as long as you follow most of the guidelines.

Do I have to give up all acidifying foods to have an alkaline diet?

No. Experts commonly recommend that you eat 65 to 80 percent alkalizing foods, which means that the remaining 20 to 35 percent can be acidifying. You can think of your acidifying food allowance as a "budget" that you get to "spend" as you wish. For example, if you need to eat 2,000 calories per day, this would mean that 400 to 700 of those calories can be from acid-forming foods.

Do I have to become a vegan to follow the alkaline diet?

Adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet can help you to achieve an optimal pH. However, it is not necessary for everyone to become a vegan to eat enough alkaline diet food. One of the central concepts of the alkaline diet is that a high-protein diet makes the body too acidic. On the other hand, some protein is essential for health. The key, therefore, is to get enough protein, but not too much. Experts disagree about how much protein is excessive, but as a starting point, consider USDA guidelines, which recommend a daily protein intake of 56 grams for men and 44 grams for women. Another common guideline is for protein to make up 15 percent of total calories. In contrast, low-carb diets often mandate that protein make up 30 percent of calories, or even higher.