In brief:
- The alkaline diet puts vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts first and limits meat, processed foods and alcohol.
- Blood pH is tightly regulated in the body and does not change with food – the benefits of the alkaline diet most likely come from eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
- The weekly sample menu helps you plan a varied, nutrient-rich menu following the principles of the alkaline diet.
- The shopping list simplifies weekly meal planning and helps you avoid processed snacks.
The alkaline diet is a way of eating that sorts foods into so-called alkaline and acid-forming ones and recommends favoring the former. Although you can’t make your blood more alkaline through food, this approach may steer people toward eating more vegetables, fruits and legumes – changes with broad scientific support.
What is the alkaline diet and how does it actually work?
The alkaline diet theory is based on the PRAL score (Potential Renal Acid Load), which measures how much acid the kidneys have to excrete from food. Foods with a negative PRAL score (spinach, cucumber, lemon, avocado) are classed as alkaline; foods with a positive score (meat, cheese, white flour) are classed as acid-forming.
As far as the science goes, it’s important to know this: blood pH is tightly regulated in the human body within a range of 7.35–7.45, and food does not change it (Schwalfenberg, 2012). Urine pH, on the other hand, does change with diet. For more on the relationship between blood pH and food, read our article pH and healthy eating.
The health value of the alkaline diet most likely lies in the fact that it steers people toward eating more fruit and vegetables and less processed food – recommendations that are in line with the WHO healthy eating guidelines, which advise eating at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day.
What does a weekly sample menu for the alkaline diet look like?
The following seven-day plan is a rough guide that you can adapt to your own energy needs and preferences. The meals are based mainly on vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grain products.
Monday
– Breakfast: oat flake porridge with almond milk, bilberries, half a banana
– Lunch: spinach salad with chickpeas, avocado, and a lemon juice and olive oil dressing
– Dinner: baked tofu with vegetables, steamed broccoli, brown rice
Tuesday
– Breakfast: green smoothie – spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, water
– Lunch: lentil dal with coconut milk, fresh cucumber and tomato salad
– Dinner: oven-baked peppers stuffed with quinoa and black beans
Wednesday
– Breakfast: avocado on whole grain rye bread, cherry tomatoes
– Lunch: vegetable broth – carrot, celery, parsnip, parsley
– Dinner: egg pancakes with zucchini and onion
Thursday
– Breakfast: plain yogurt with nuts and raspberries
– Lunch: green salad – arugula, cucumber, celery, cashews, lemon dressing
– Dinner: boiled quinoa, steamed sprouting broccoli, mushrooms fried in garlic
Friday
– Breakfast: fruit salad – melon, kiwi, mango, mint leaves
– Lunch: meat-free pea soup, whole grain bread
– Dinner: baked potato with rosemary, green salad, hummus
Saturday
– Breakfast: buckwheat flour pancakes with fresh strawberries
– Lunch: Mediterranean salad – olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, hummus
– Dinner: vegetable curry with green lentils and coconut yogurt, basmati rice
Sunday
– Breakfast: spinach and avocado smoothie, whole grain muffin with fruit
– Lunch: zucchini soup with coconut milk, rye bread
– Dinner: grilled vegetables (zucchini, peppers, eggplant), quinoa, tahini sauce
What does an alkaline diet food list include?
Below is a shopping list for planning one week.
Vegetables: spinach, arugula, broccoli, sprouting broccoli, zucchini, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, celery, carrots, parsnips, cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic
Fruits: lemons, limes, avocados, bananas, apples, mango, kiwi, melons, strawberries, bilberries, raspberries
Legumes: brown lentils, green lentils, chickpeas, black beans, dried peas
Nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds
Grains: quinoa, oat flakes, brown rice, basmati rice, buckwheat flour, whole grain rye bread
Other: olive oil, coconut milk, tahini, hummus, almond milk, green tea, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, parsley
Is the alkaline diet scientifically justified?
The scientific literature is critical of the pH claims made for the alkaline diet. A review found that food cannot change blood pH and that many claims about the health effects of the alkaline diet are not sufficiently proven (Schwalfenberg, 2012). At the same time, studies suggest that eating plenty of vegetables and fruits is linked to a lower risk of a range of chronic diseases – and that is exactly what the alkaline diet achieves in practice.
Nutrition also affects other systems in the body. For example, studies have shown that the makeup of your diet is linked to hormonal health – read more in the article Nutrition and testosterone.
The field of nutrition research is constantly evolving. You can also find regular updates in Fitness.ee roundups such as News of the week 09/14 and News of the week 26/13.
In summary: the alkaline diet is a practical framework that helps you eat more plant-based food and fewer processed products. Its pH theory is scientifically questionable, but the eating pattern itself is largely in line with healthy eating recommendations.
References
- Schwalfenberg GK (2012). The alkaline diet: is there evidence that an alkaline pH diet benefits health? J Environ Public Health. 2012:727630. PMID: 22228028
- WHO (2020). Healthy diet. World Health Organization Fact Sheet. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
Frequently asked questions
Does the alkaline diet help you lose weight?
The alkaline diet isn’t strictly a weight-loss diet, but because it limits processed foods and sugar and increases the share of vegetables, it may support moderate weight loss.
Is lemon an alkaline food?
Yes – although lemon tastes acidic, it produces alkaline metabolites after digestion, which is why it is classed as an alkaline food.
Is meat completely off limits on the alkaline diet?
Meat isn’t completely off limits, but under the principles of the alkaline diet it should be limited, especially red and processed meat.
Is the alkaline diet suitable for athletes?
Athletes have higher protein and carbohydrate needs. The principles of the alkaline diet fit well, but you should make sure you get enough protein and energy – for example from legumes, eggs and whole grain products.
How many weeks does it take to switch to an alkaline diet?
It’s worth making the switch gradually – start by replacing one meal a week with a more vegetable-rich one. Getting fully used to it can take 2–4 weeks.
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