ALKALINE DIET – OF USE OR A FAD?

Any other name with which it is identified is: acid alkaline diet, alkaline acid diet etc. An alkaline diet is the something which lays emphasis on eating more of fresh fruit and vegetables, roots and tubers, legumes and nuts and less of meat, cheese, grains, eggs and poultry.

History of Alkaline diet

The humans in the very old days used to eat basically the raw food with minimum processing. But with the advent of cooking and agriculture the way we produce and eat our food has drastically changed. Some changes that have come can be categorized as follows:-

·         Grains entered our food with the invention of tools and start of agriculture.

·         Milk and milk product came in our diet as we start maintaining livestock.

·         With availability the use of salt in our food has increased dramatically.

·         Sugar consumption also increased with production of sugar from sugarcane.

·     To start of animal husbandry and poultry the products as meat, egg, and chicken also entered our food habits.

Whatever food that we eat, after being digested, release either alkaline of acidic base in our blood which is also evident in the urine. Foods as grains, meat, poultry, egg and grains produce acid whereas the foods as fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers leave an alkaline base thus reducing the pH of the blood.

So we see that these days we are eating more of acidic foods and less of alkaline foods. By nature our blood is slightly alkaline with a pH of about 7.4. Hence it has been assumed that eating of acidic food will disturb this natural balance. And to regain this balance our body will use inner materials as potassium, calcium, magnesium thereby reducing levels of these vital elements in body finally yielding to diseases as stones, cancer, heart diseases and osteoporosis.

Why people choose the Alkaline diets?

This concept is basically promoted by certain alternative medicine practitioners who claim that consumption of a high acid diet leads to many chronic diseases. Some practitioners recommend an alkaline diet is the person shows following symptoms:-

·         Low level of energy

·         Increased mucous formation.

·         Respiratory congestion

·         Regular colds and flu

·         Nervousness, irritation and anxiety.

·         Headaches

Though as per the conventional practitioners, high intake of fruits, vegetables and other such substance will definitely have other benefits but they do not agree that intake of meat, egg, cheese etc leads to chronic diseases. They do agree that high alkaline diets help in reducing the chances of kidney stones, and other aging issues as muscle weakening and osteoporosis.

The biggest impediment in establishing the cause of alkaline diet concept is the lack of well-designed clinical trials as part of systematic scientific research.

Are there any Safety Concerns?

Though there is no harm in eating more of vegetables and fruits, but using it as a fully fledged medical alternative to cure diseases is not recommended without consulting your doctor. The alkaline diet may be used by people with problems of kidney failure unless under supervision of a doctor.