Food & recipes

Nutrition: How to alkalise your body

Can alkalising your diet revolutionise your health and leave you feeling fantastic? Huma Qureshi investigates

Can alkalising your diet revolutionise your health and leave you feeling fantastic? Huma Qureshi investigates
What does the word ‘alkaline’ mean to you?

For me, it evokes memories of school chemistry lessons, lab coats and litmus paper – distinctly unsexy!

It’s most definitely not a word I’d immediately associate with food, or at least not the tasty kind.

So it’s with a degree of trepidation that I approach the alkaline diet, the latest healthy eating trend to hit the UK with celebrity followers including the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss.

Although it has its fair share of critics (Dr Christian Jessen, presenter of Channel 4’s Supersize vs Superskinny, has deemed it ‘rubbish’ because he says our intestines alkalise everything anyway), there are some nutritionists who say our bodies’ functionality is governed by our pH levels. They say we work best when in an alkaline state and the food we eat determines the pH content of our bloodstream.

The alkaline diet was originally developed by Dr Robert Young, an American scientist who has been researching the impact of alkaline and acidic foods on the body for more than twenty years. Dr Young is widely credited internationally as the founder of the alkaline way of eating, and his book, The pH Miracle, is often referred to by followers of the diet as the go-to for all things alkaline.

THE SCIENCE

Andrew Bridgewater, a chartered psychologist and alkaline diet and lifestyle coach who runs several alkaline diet programmes, explains: “There is science behind this, as Dr Robert Young says in The pH Miracle. The basic principle is that in order to be fit and healthy, the pH level of your bloodstream should be around the 7.365 level. It sounds very specific, but the diet is all about balance.

“You don’t actually need to go out and test your body’s pH level – your body will tell you if you are too acidic because you will feel unwell. You know when you are at an alkaline state because you are symptom-free, with no colds and no bugs, and your immune system will become stronger. Alkaline foods are healthy foods, so it follows that if you eat healthily, you will be naturally more resistant to ill health because you are not creating an atmosphere where illness can thrive. You are setting up a preventative barrier.”

So, to put it simply, in order to alkalise your body, you should eat foods which are alkaline in their pH content and avoid foods which are acidic. Acidic foods, such as sugar, meat, fruit and dairy, put your body under stress as it tries to digest it all, leading to that heavy, bloated, worn-out feeling.

But eating alkaline foods (following a mostly vegetarian diet, full of leafy veg, nuts and grains) will keep your bloodstream alkaline, and in turn, keep your body balanced. Fans of the diet say that they have more energy and feel better inside and out. And as acidic, fatty foods are cut out, you’re also likely to see the kilos drop off.

“If you want chicken, have chicken; just cook it in lots of lemon juice.”

DEDICATED FOLLOWERS

“I’ve never found an eating programme that has had such a profound effect on my overall wellbeing,” says leading nutritionist Vicki Edgson, who is also co-founder of Honestly Healthy, a range of gourmet alkaline vegetarian ready meals. “I feel like I’m being nourished, and I don’t crave food like I used to. I’m eating consciously, my tastebuds have come alive and I don’t need to eat as much as I once did. It’s a natural way to eat, and it is very much a way of living rather than just a way to lose weight. It’s more than that.”

Vicki is right – although she says it’s possible to lose two to three kilos in a fortnight while on an alkaline diet, it doesn’t seem to be purely about dropping dress sizes but more about eating healthier and feeling happier.

After a sluggish few months of feeling run down and sleeping poorly (apparently restless sleep is a sign of an overly-acidic state), I decide to give the alkaline diet a go, and set about picking food depending on its pH content rather than its calorie count.

Although I’m not unhealthy (I rarely eat processed foods and stay away from junk), I can barely go a day without some form of pasta, potato or bread, all of which are acidic. Ongoing anaemia, which has plagued me since my teens, means I must include red meat to raise my iron levels, but according to the principles of the alkaline diet, this too is making my body acidic.

Feeling in need of support, I call Clare Neill, co-founder of Radiance Cleanse who follows a strict alkaline diet herself, to ask whether going alkaline will be worth it. “Yes,” she says. “You are really working towards making your body balanced. You are getting your body back in sync.”

Clare says an alkaline cleanse is just the beginning; it’s the overall wellbeing benefits of an alkaline diet that make it such a positive lifestyle change. “People who switch to an alkaline diet say they sleep better, have more energy, their skin and hair condition improves – these are the tangible effects,” she says. “Personally, I just feel really good, like I’ve made a conscious step to looking after myself. I feel like I have a clearer mind; the fog lifts and I feel lighter and focused.”

Vicki says the emotional and psychological impact of an alkaline diet – less stress, better sleep, more focus – Is something she’s experienced herself. “When I was on a high protein diet, I used to feel anxious and was mildly insomniac. But on an alkaline diet, I just feel so relaxed,” she says.

BALANCING ACT

Vicki gives me some alkaline eating tips to keep me focused. Although lemons, limes and oranges taste acidic, they have an alkaline impact on the body. She tells me to start the day with hot water and lemon, squeeze lemon and lime juice on salads and just about everything I eat and swap my pasta bowls for quinoa, pulses and grains. But I am wary about eliminating fruit – I love berries and apples, yet almost all fruit falls into the acidic category.

Vicki tells me not to worry. “Don’t be too puritanical. Alkaline eating is a way of eating, not dieting just to lose weight, so as a general rule, as long as you eat alkaline foods 70 per cent of the time, it’s fine to eat what you want in the other 30 per cent. Balance it out – If you want chicken, have chicken; just cook it in lots of lemon juice. I love mangoes which are acidic. But I won’t stop eating them; I just drench them in lime juice and they taste amazing. Eating should always be a pleasure and going alkaline doesn’t deprive you of that.”

Back home, I get into the swing of it. The alkaline diet is essentially common sense, like any other good food plan: eat healthily, treat yourself occasionally, and when you do, compensate with something fresh and alkaline. I find it refreshing to start the day with hot lemon water and I’m eating less pasta (although it’s not disappeared entirely!). My skin feels fresher and a persistent cough that bugged me for months has disappeared; after three weeks I fit back into a size eight dress that previously pinched around the waist.

I’m not very strict about alkaline and I wouldn’t say I follow an alkaline diet. I haven’t given up fruit, I still enjoy bread, but I am generally eating more vegetables. I feel healthy, and well. I’ve learnt to incorporate tweaks to how I eat – the lemons constantly in the fridge, the herbal teas – rather than eliminate food groups entirely which to me feels excessive. After all, it’s the small changes that make the difference.

“Eating should always be a pleasure and going alkaline doesn’t deprive you of that.”

Celebrity following

The alkaline diet is the latest healthy eating trend to hit the UK, and counts Gwytheth Paltrow and Kate Moss among its loyal followers.

TELL-TALE SIGNS THAT YOU’RE TOO ACIDIC

According to Dr Robert Young, your body can misbehave when you are carrying excess acid around. Body odour, bad breath, skin blemishes, indigestion, high or low blood sugar levels and feeling tired with little energy could be indicators that your body’s alkalinity is out of sync.

7 SIMPLE WAYS to alkalinise your diet

Add lemons to everything! Start the day with hot water and lemon to alkalise yourself first thing and squeeze lemon juice onto salads instead of using vinegar dressings.
Swap your coffee and builder’s tea for herbal ones. Mint, lemongrass and green tea are all refreshing alkaline alternatives.
Whip up green vegetable juice drinks in a blender. Nutritionist Vicki Edgson blends watercress, kale, apple, cucumber and basil with water.
If you are keeping meat, poultry and fish in your diet, balance with alkaline foods. Oven bake chicken breast doused with fresh lemon juice and serve with a plate full of alkaline vegetables such as steamed spinach, avocado and peas.
Alkaline doesn’t mean bland: there are plenty of spices and herbs that fall into the alkaline category. Experiment with fennel, cumin, cinnamon and coriander.
Milk is also acidic, so you could swap it for organic soya milk instead.
Try filtering your tap water to remove it of any toxins and bring it closer to an alkaline level.

TOP ALKALINE FOODS

Leeks, courgette, beetroot, cucumber, garlic, avocado, peas, broccoli, kale, asparagus, leafy green vegetables, pearl barley, lentils, spelt, quinoa, oats, oily fish, tomatoes, lemons, almonds, grapefruit, green tea.

ACIDIC FOODS TO AVOID

Butter, cheese, milk, eggs, cream, meat, seafood, white pasta, white bread, wholemeal bread, sweets, refined sugar, chocolate, peanuts, cashew nuts, biscuits, alcohol, coffee, tea.

3 of the BEST TO TRY

Try these alkalising products to boost and re-balance your body

Honestly Health yThe brainchild of organic chef Natasha Corrett and nutritional therapist Vicki Edgson, the Honestly Healthy range of conveniently ready-to-cook dry mixes are full of energy-boosting nutrients and alkalising ingredients. From £4.50, visit honestlyhealthy.bigcartel.com
Udo’s Choice Beyond Greens provides a convenient way of obtaining a total of seven different alkalising greens, essential fatty acids omega-3 and 6, fibre, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. With so much packed into each jar your body can have the tools it needs to live life to the full. Costs £22.99 from savant-health.com
Lifestream Organic Barley and Wheat Grass blends two certified organic, New Zealand-grown superfoods. Rich in vitamins, mierals, fibre, chlorophyll and other phytonutrients,the powder can be mixed with food, juice or water and is particularly useful in assisting the body’s digestive system and alkalising the diet. Costs £17.99 from grumpygorilla.co.uk