Alkaline Diet Information

Alternative health practitioners have recommended alkaline diets for losing weight, increasing bone health and preventing disease. The theory behind an alkaline diet is raising the pH environment inside your body to help your enzymes and organs function better, while a low pH acidic diet creates unneeded inflammation in your organs and increases calcium loss from your bones to neutralize the pH of your blood. The main component of the alkaline diet is increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, which is a dietary guideline everyone needs to follow.

pH and Blood

The pH of the blood varies from 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly basic. The measure of hydrogen ions in solution gives rise to the definition of pH, which is a unit measure of these ions. According to an article by nutritionist Tomas Schiffer on his Apnea Nutrition website, plasma proteins, salts, minerals, hemoglobin and phosphates neutralize excess hydrogen ions present to maintain the tight pH band of your body.

Manipulate Buffering

Buffering capacity and pH levels may be temporarily altered if you eat certain foods. According to Schiffer, there is a lag time in making dietary changes and the buffering capacity of your body. Your body becomes synchronized in producing enzymes and buffers to the foods you eat on a regular basis. When you switch foods, there is a change in your breathing to compensate for an increase in acid or alkaline pH. Your body will restore itself regardless of the foods you choose.

Alkaline Foods

According to a study conducted by Thomas Remer and Friedrich Manz and published in the July 1995 edition of the "Journal of the American Dietetic Association," alkaline foods will reduce the acid load on your kidneys. Commonly eaten foods that will produce an alkaline effect include fruits and vegetables such as apples, apricots, bananas, cherries, kiwi, oranges, peaches, pears, raisins, hazelnuts, French and green beans, broccoli, baby carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, radishes, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini.

Acidic Foods

Remer and Manz's study states the following foods have an acidic effect on urine pH: Fish; meats; grains such as wheat; white and brown rice; all types of bread; legumes and beans; pasta and noodles; walnuts; eggs; all types of cheeses and dairy products.

Alkalinity and Health

Improving your health with the alkaline diet is centered on your body releasing minerals to neutralize acidic food metabolites. Dina Aronson of Today's Dietitian states that alkaline diets promote lowering the body's pH to maintain adequate bone stores of calcium. Calcium is the main mineral that is excreted at high rates when the urine is acidic. Fruits and vegetables do promote bone health and the high acidic foods commonly eaten in the Western diet may promote osteoporosis. More research is needed to study the long term effects of eating foods that promote acidic pH of the urine and how the body functions. Increasing your vegetable and fruit intake is always a good idea even if the science behind the alkaline diet isn't completely clear.