Gwyneth’s alkaline diet – why it really is better for you.

Last Wednesday’s Evening Standard featured an interesting article on the latest celebrity health craze - the alkaline diet.

While I’d usually be prone to label these regimes as fads, I have actually long been an advocate of eating alkaline foods - particularly if, like me, you suffer from skin sensitivity or allergies.

Slightly raising the blood’s pH level, (acid = below 7, alkaline = above 7), reportedly detoxes the body and helps to increase energy levels and weight loss.

This is because the body naturally works at a slightly alkaline level (pH 7.35), and keeping it there optimises our bodily functions and saves us from wasting energy and resources on neutralising incoming acids.

Though the science behind the diet has recently been popularised by books like The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health, Richard O. Young, relevant research has actually been available since the 1930s.

Nobel Prize winner, Ragnar Berg, was the first to support a 70% alkaline and 30% acidic diet, claiming that disease could not survive in an alkaline environment. He also showed a link between acidity in the gut and eczema flare-ups. 

The ideal alkaline diet would heavily feature antioxidant-rich vegetables, fruits and salts whose mineral content neutralises excess acid. Acid-forming baddies such as refined sugar, dairy, alcohol and meat would all be restricted.

While celebrities, like lean-alkaline-queen Gwyneth Paltrow, might extoll the weight loss virtues of an alkaline diet, I think its general health and skin calming benefits are of far greater interest. 

Eating just one alkaline-boosting salad a day can result in a higher pH level – so little steps can be enough to make a big difference.

And remember, foods you think are acidic often aren’t, so always do your homework or seek professional nutritional advice.