The alkaline diet is based on the idea that eating mostly alkaline foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, can help balance the body and improve overall health. It usually promotes a split of about 60% alkaline foods and 40% acidic foods, including meat, grains, and dairy.

This diet has become popular for claims of boosting energy, aiding weight loss, and even preventing illness. However, scientific studies show that diet cannot change blood pH, which is tightly controlled by the body’s natural systems.

Even though the alkaline diet may encourage healthy eating by increasing fruit and vegetable intake, it can also be restrictive and raise the risk of nutrient deficiencies. Understanding both its potential benefits and its risks helps explain why it remains a debated approach to nutrition.

List of food that is allowed

Food that is allowed with an alkaline diet includes:

Fresh fruit, including acidic fruit like lemons, oranges and pineapple
Vegetables, like lettuce, garlic, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach and broccoli
Legumes, like peanuts, chestnuts, walnuts and pistachios
Protein, like tofu, tempeh and protein powder
Herbs and spices, like cinnamon, curry, ginger, basil, mint and mustard seeds
Drinks, like water, herbal teas, lemon water and green tea
Others, like apple cider vinegar and fermented food like kefir and kombucha

Moderately alkaline food like honey, brown sugar, coconut, lentils, quinoa, chestnuts and corn is also permitted. Check-out a complete list of alkaline foods to include in this diet.

Food to consume in moderation

Acidic food that should be consumed in moderation when partaking in an alkaline diet. Examples include:

Grains, like buckwheat, rice, oat, wheat, rye and pasta
Protein, like chicken, eggs, pork, lamb, fish and seafood
Processed meat, like prosciutto, sausage, and mortadella
Processed food, like fast food meals, premade sauces, hamburger and pizza
Dairy, like milk, butter, yogurt and cheese
Drinks, like alcohol, coffee and soda
Sweets, like jello. Ice cream, cakes and sugar

If you are consuming these foods, they should be eaten with alkaline food

3-day alkaline diet plan

The following table demonstrates a 3-day alkaline diet plan, which can give you an idea of what your meals and snacks should look like:

Meal	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Breakfast	Chamomile tea with ginger + 1 pancake made with almond flour, vegetable-based milk and cinnamon	1 cup of almond milk + 1 tapioca with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter	1 smoothie made with vegetable-based milk, mango, banana + 1-egg omelet
Morning snack	1 bowl of fruit salad with 1 tablespoon of oats	1 cup of green tea + 10 cashews	1 boiled apple with cinnamon + 2 walnuts
Lunch or Dinner	4 tablespoons of chickpea salad with cucumber, carrot and inion + 1 grilled fish fillet + salad with lettuce, arugula and spinach dressed with lemon juice, sesame seeds and olive oil	2 small grilled eggplants stuffed with tofu, herbs and olive oil + 1 dessert plate with coleslaw, boiled carrots and pineapple	1 grilled chicken breast + 1 dessert plate with spaghetti squash and carrots with pesto sauce + 2 tablespoons of sauteed mushrooms
Afternoon snack	1 green juice + 2 Brazilian nuts	1 unsweetened Green yogurt with half of a diced banana, sunflower seeds and 1 tablespoon of honey	1 smoothie made with soy milk and avocado

Throughout the day, you should ensure adequate fluid intake, with teas, water and unsweetened fruit juices. It is important to avoid coffee and soda.

Broccoli salad with lemon recipe

Lemon, broccoli and garlic are very alkaline foods. This salad can be used as a side dish for any lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

1 broccoli
3 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt to taste

How to prepare:

Steam the broccoli for about 5 minutes, being sure to sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. Then chop up the garlic and sautee in oil until golden. Then squeeze the juice of the lemon into the garlic, and mix with the broccoli so that the sauce is well-absorbed.

Alkaline green juice recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of diced avocado
1/2 a cucumber
1 handful of spinach
Juice of 1 lemon
200 ml (6.5 oz) of coconut water
1 tablespoon of coconut oil

How to prepare:

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well-combined. Then drink without straining.

Does the alkaline diet really work?

Although the alkaline diet is popular, scientific studies have shown that its main premise is not supported by evidence. Research indicates that the body regulates blood pH very tightly, and diet does not have a meaningful effect on blood acidity.

Benefits sometimes reported with this diet are linked to higher intake of fruit and vegetables, not to changes in blood pH.

What science says about pH and health

Blood pH is normally maintained between 7.35 and 7.45 through complex systems involving the lungs, kidneys, and buffering mechanisms. Medical institutions highlight that blood pH remains stable regardless of diet, and deviations outside this range signal serious illness.

While certain foods can make urine more acidic or alkaline, this does not reflect blood pH changes, but rather the body’s natural regulation and excretion process.

Nutritional risks and over-restriction

The alkaline diet restricts many nutrient-rich foods, which may increase the risk of deficiencies. Limiting animal protein can lead to inadequate intake of essential amino acids, causing weakness, fatigue, and impaired healing.

This diet may also provide insufficient calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, and iron, which are critical for bone strength, immunity, and energy metabolism. Over time, these nutritional gaps may increase the risk of osteoporosis, anemia, and low muscle mass. Very restrictive versions of the diet may also result in disordered eating patterns or inadequate calorie intake.

Alkaline Diet: Foods, Meal Plan & What Science Says