Alkaline Diet for Weight Loss! Anyone?

[UnapologeticD]

Has anyone out here tried or is currently in the Alkaline lifestyle??? If so I want to know all about it!  Maybe giving this a try not only to detox my system but also to aid with weight loss.

[Dominique]

I can’t say anything about the alkaline diet, but I’ll comment on the "detox" aspect: you haven’t been intoxicated (like when eating poisonous food), so there’s no need to detox your body. Your organs (liver, kidneys etc.) are likely doing their job of filtering out unneeded stuff. Just eat normal food, preferably minimally processed / from whole sources, make sure you consume enough fiber (nature’s own broom), drink enough water and this will provide all the "detoxing" effect you need. 

[betpchem]

I second @Dominique. There is no such thing as an "alkaline" diet. Your body has a very narrow pH it must maintain for health. You do not want to change it. And your organs "detox" you perfectly well.

The only thing that an alkaline diet might do is force you to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and less processed food, which in itself is healthy for you. But it has nothing to do with pH.

[UnapologeticD]

Thank you for your insight.  Trying to find a way to shock my body a little .. the older I get the harder it becomes to shed those stubborn pounds 

[Dominique]

A caloric deficit is what works at any age. Granted, we expend slightly less energy with the same activity as we age, but the decrease is very slow. It is easy to compensate it by either eating slightly less, or moving slightly more, or a combination of both. I lost 7.5 kg (16.5 lb) from already low weight and I’m 56 (you look much younger than that).

There are no magical foods that you can eat and will automatically cause weight loss. Nor are there "toxic" foods that will by themselves prevent weight loss. Even foods that are generally considered "bad" (e.g. refined sugar) aren’t inherently preventing weight loss: they have to be considered in the general context of your overall activity and eating patterns. If you are reasonably active, you can get away with a bit of cheesecake or ice-cream every now and then. If you are very sedentary, it’s probably not a good idea to drinks two bootles of non-diet soda everyday, on top of a sub-optimal diet with a lot of junk food.

If the acidity of some foods are causing GI tract distress (in case it’s the reason why you’re interested in an "alcaline" diet), you should investigate what are the worst offenders. Gut bacteria health is very important. It’s best promoted by eating a balanced diet high enough in fiber and primarily from whole food sources.