Alkaline Diet

An alkaline diet (also known as an alkaline acid diet or an alkaline ash diet) is a diet concept which is based upon the belief that human beings historically consume a menu primarily consisting of foods which metabolise, leaving behind an alkaline residue. These types of food include fresh vegetables, tubers, legumes, nuts and particular fresh citrus fruits. Followers of an alkaline diet avoid meat, grains, and dairy since these are acid-producing foods. It is theorized that these acidic foods can interfere with the normal slightly alkaline state of the human system and make people more susceptible to a variety of chronic illnesses. Based upon the diet consumed by our hunter-gatherer ancestors, alkaline diet proponents feel that these diets offer the cure for symptoms such as lack of energy, frequent colds, anxiety, and regular nasal congestion.

Modern medicine does feel that this type of diet can be beneficial since it limits processed foods and emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables, but most doctors do not feel this is due to the acidity of these foods. There have been no large scale medical trials studying the effectiveness of this diet, but there is some evidence that it can help avoid osteoporosis and the formation of kidney stones. This makes sense since the ashy foods avoided by this diet are generally those high in calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, and iron. According to alkaline diet adherents, these foods do not burn since ash is non-combustible. This can affect the metabolising of food by your body, resulting in excessive weight gain.