Dr Tim Crowe is a is a career nutrition research scientist and educator, and a credentialed Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. Read more of his work at thinkingnutrition.com.au
What if you were told that all it took to lose weight, boost energy and prevent diseases such as arthritis, osteoporosis and cancer was to eat the right foods to keep the pH of your body in the alkaline zone? Hopefully, as a Healthy Food Guide reader you’d say: “Show me the science”.
If you’ve spent much time online you may already have come across the celebrity-endorsed alkaline diet and probably wondered if there’s anything to it, or whether it belongs firmly in the pseudoscience basket.
Let’s unpack it here and see what the evidence – and some basic understanding of how the human body works – has to say.
WHERE DOES THE ALKALINE DIET COME FROM?
The alkaline diet and all things related to ‘alkalinising’ your body
