The secret of McPherson, Aniston and Beckham: what is an alkaline diet

In 2013, Victoria Beckham published a photo of the book Honestly Healthy with the caption: “I love this book about healthy eating.” A year later, the book became a bestseller, and Beckham herself - a promoter of the diet, which was later picked up by Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Miranda Kerr, Elle McPherson and other stars. Thus was born one of the most enduring myths about nutrition of the XXI century.

Where did the idea of “alkaline” nutrition come from

The original message of the “alkaline diet,” formulated by London-based nutritionist Vicky Edgson in the Honestly Healthy book series, was not about losing weight. She drew up a diet plan for people with digestive disorders: less red meat and processed foods, more plant foods.

And the concept of nutrition based on pH-balance appeared thanks to the work of Robert O. Young, a naturopath who published the book “The Miracle of pH” in 2002. He systematized the theory of the “acid-base balance of the body”, arguing that through nutrition it is possible to shift the pH of the body to the alkaline side and “cure disease”. Young later faced lawsuits and serious charges in the U.S. over such "treatment," but his ideas about nutrition were quickly adopted in Hollywood, where slimness and detox have long been part of the industry.

What's the essence of diet?

The alkaline (or alkaline) diet is built on the idea of “ash.” Its creators claim that when the body digests food, it leaves behind a metabolic residue. It can be acidic or alkaline.

“Acidic” are meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, sugar, alcohol, coffee and processed cereals.

In the “alkaline” camp get vegetables, fruits (even sour lemons), nuts, seeds, legumes, avocados and greens.

Proponents usually adhere to the 80/20 rule: 80% of the diet is alkaline foods, 20% is acidic. Victoria Beckham, according to media reports, followed just such a pattern, giving up coffee, sugar and red meat. Elle McPherson described her approach in an interview: I like raw plant foods. Eat grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, almond milk, chia. Sometimes I add eggs or some parmesan and goat cheese - but they are not the basis of the diet.

The logic of adepts is simple: if you acidify the body, it begins to hurt, accumulate fat and age. And “alkaline” products, according to the idea of adepts, wash out toxins and create an environment conducive to health, slimness and youth.

Myth vs. reality

The main mistake of this food system is physiological: the blood is not “oxidized” from food. The human body regulates the pH of the blood in a narrow range of 7.35-7.45 with the help of the lungs and kidneys. Going beyond these limits means serious illness or death, not slagging. Food can only change the pH of urine or saliva, but this is only an indicator that the kidneys are excreting excess acids, not evidence of an “alkaline shift” in the body.

Why do the stars still look amazing?

If the theory of alkalization is a myth, why do Aniston, Beckham and other stars surprise with their slimness and youth? The answer lies not in chemistry, but in common sense. Many of the principles of the “alkaline” diet are really helpful – but for other reasons. Avoiding sugar, alcohol, processed foods and red meat in favor of vegetables, fruits and legumes reduces calorie content, improves digestion and reduces chronic inflammation. Weight loss and “clearness of mind” about which adepts speak, come not from a change in pH, but from a general improvement in the quality of the diet.

And the 80/20 rule is used as an independent principle of nutrition, in which “harms” are allowed, but they are allocated only 20% of the diet.

“I do not give up meat. I'm just changing the proportions on the plate, Kate Hudson, another star fascinated by the alkaline system, explained in an interview.

How to use the “alkaline” diet with benefit:

Discarding the pH mythology, you can extract specifics from this system: two-thirds of the plate is vegetables and some fruit, the remaining is protein and complex carbohydrates. Strict versions of the diet exclude meat and dairy products, however, this can lead to a deficiency of calcium, iron, vitamin B12 and other nutrients. Therefore, salmon, chicken, turkey or eggs in moderation are necessary.

The most important point is to minimize the amount of red meat, cheese, sweets and alcohol in the diet, and replace soda and coffee with water with lemon and herbal tea.

Our bodies are smarter than any dietary theory and know how to maintain balance. And the stars lose weight and get better not because they “little” blood. The result is the right diet, not the fight for the mythical pH. Avoiding sugar, alcohol, and processed meat really reduces systemic inflammation in the body. The skin is cleaned, the swelling goes away, the energy beats the key. But it's called a healthy lifestyle, not an "alkaline shift.".