Alkaline Diet Exposed! (Used by Tom Brady, Kate Hudson) Author Faces Jail

Alkaline Diet Exposed! (Used by Tom Brady, Kate Hudson) Author Faces Jail

On paper, the alkaline diet sales pitch sounds scientific and believable. Certain foods impact the chemistry of body fluids, namely blood and urine. They can therefore be eaten to improve pH levels and acidity, and treat diseases.

The alkaline diet typically calls for the avoidance of grains, cheese, poultry, sugar, eggs, and meat. By doing so, it is claimed that you are making your urine and blood more alkaline (which is a higher pH). This change was said to help treat urinary tract infections, and prevent development of kidney stones.

Related: Why Fad Diets Fail

Taking this a step further, the alkaline diet is also said to fight obesity, and assist with maladies such as cancer and arthritis.

The claim goes like this... A more alkaline blood and urine is a healthier body. Foods such as fruit, veggies, soy beans, and (some) nuts and seeds helps to reduce acidity and fight all sorts of "bad stuff" in your body. I dumbed down the premise here, but you get the picture.

Acidity is the nature of all evil! Reduce acidity, enjoy better health!

Unfortunately, while this all sounds convincing, it's actually a steaming pile of nonsense. The reality is that what you eat actually has very little impact on blood and urine pH levels. Blood pH generally remains around 7.4. This is rather neutral, and neither very acidic or basic.
pH Levels
A pH of 7 is neutral, neither acidic of alkaline. Blood pH hovers around 7.4, and food choices do very little to change this.
While food choices can slightly impact urine pH, health expert Chris Kresser had this to say about their impact on blood pH levels:

"The more ridiculous claim is that we can change the pH of our blood by changing the foods we eat, and that acidic blood causes disease while alkaline blood prevents it. This is not true. The body tightly regulates the pH of our blood and extracellular fluid, and we cannot influence our blood pH by changing our diet." [1]

Dr. Ben Kim, chiropractor and respected Internet health voice, backs this opinion:

"Is it true that the foods and beverages you consume cause your blood to become more alkaline or acidic? Contrary to popular hype, the answer is: not to any significant degree. The pH of your blood is tightly regulated by a complex system of buffers that are continuously at work to maintain a range of 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly more alkaline than pure water." [2]


Tom Brady Falls for the Alkaline Diet Fad

Even New England Patriot's superstar quarterback Tom Brady has fallen for the alkaline diet fad. Seemingly not built for football, and a sixth round draft choice, Tom Brady all but attributes his NFL longevity and success to an alkaline-focused eating lifestyle.

In a 2014 Sports Illustrated piece, Tom Brady explained that his eating habits were only 20% acidic and 80% alkaline. He went on to state that the alkaline diet:

?Maintain[s] balance and harmony through [his] metabolic system.?

Allen Campbell, personal chef to NFL star Tom Brady, broke down the quarterback's alkaline dieting approach.
  • 80% whole grains and veggies
  • 20% lean meats and fish, including duck and steak
  • No white sugar or flour
  • No nightshade vegetables
  • Fats: Extra virgin olive oil on raw food sources, coconut oil on cooked foods

Kate Hudson Falls for the Alkaline Diet

Actress Kate Hudson also took the alkaline bait. She has attributed his shapely figure and good health to the alkaline diet eating approach. Hudson told People magazine recently,

"I live by a rulebook of eating alkaline ? no meat, no dairy, no gluten, I try to stay away from sugar."





A photo posted by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on


Tom Brady adheres to a super strict alkaline diet. His "treats" include raw macaroons and avocado ice cream.

Robert Young, Alkaline Diet Guru, Faces Jail Time

Recently, author Robert Young brought a new version of the alkaline diet to the table. His book, The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health, blatantly positioned blood pH regulation as the be all, end all, path leading to weight loss and improved health.

"Never count calories, fat grams, or portion size again! Your body's pH balance is the key to optimal health, weight, mental clarity, and overall vigor. Strike the right balance by nourishing your body with certain foods to create an alkaline environment, and say good-bye to low energy, poor digestion, extra pounds, aches and pains, and disease." [3]

Hype aside, the alkaline diet is not without positives. It focuses on minimizing processed foods, sugar, and encourages proper hydration along with the consumption of micronutrient-dense vegetables and fruits. Thumbs up here.

But when you start proclaiming that the alkaline diet is a magical cure for cancer, well... I'll let the reader draw their own conclusions here. While it is debatable as to whether Robert Young actually believes in the power of the alkaline diet, one fact is certain: He was substantially profiting from it.

In 2011 the Medical Board of California began an investigation into the practices taking place at Robert Young's ranch. They found that he had been practicing medicine without a license; treating cancer patients with a very costly alkaline-regulating treatment. Young was eventually convicted on two counts of practicing medicine without a license, and now faces up to three years in jail.

Young's treatment involved administration of intravenous sodium bicarbonate drips, costing about $550 per treatment. One patient died despite administration of 33 such treatments during the last 31 days of her life. It should be noted that the treatments did not kill her, cancer did. The point here is that Robert Young's alkaline treatments did nothing to assist the patient.

Of the 15 patients Young treated, not a single one outlived their prognosis.

More charges are pending, including a civil suit filed by one of Young's patients.

Fad Diets & The Take Home Lesson

[caption id="attachment_49115" align="alignright" width="280"]Drop Factor Book Click here to order the Drop Factor book. [/caption]

Suffice it to say that we all strive for longevity and a healthy weight. Often times we look for quick fixes that will correct the error of our ways, instead of analyzing the causes that took us off path in the first place.

If you find yourself overweight and/or in poor health, ask yourself these questions about your diet:
  • Am I eating enough fruits and veggies?
  • Does my diet include too much processed sugar and flour?
  • How many calorie-filled drinks and I consuming each week?
  • Do I rely too much on processed foods and fast foods?
  • Am I eating for pleasure or for health?
  • What bad dietary choices am I making that I know much change?
What we're doing here is a lifestyle analysis. Excluding genetic pre-dispositions that are beyond our control, we are looking to first analyze how our habits are contributing to weight gain and bad health, and then make adjustments.

The goal here is to forge a new, healthier lifestyle.

A new eating lifestyle must be reasonable and sustainable. It must avoid fad diets, quick fixes, and extremes. Any quality healthy eating lifestyle will focus on balance and good nutrition. It will focus on moving to quality, whole food choices rather than having you consume only a limited number of "miracle" food choices.

Let's be real here for a moment. Most of us don't find ourselves in poor health due to an over-consumption of apples, chicken breasts, or veggies. It was the junk food choices - the sugary drinks, friend chicken, boxed pizza, and other calorie-stuffed crap food choices that created our current state.

If you need to lose weight and regain your health, the best place to start is with a tried and tested approach. Marc Lobliner's Drop Factor diet book is a great place to start.

The Drop Factor has not only helped thousands upon thousands of folks lose weight and regain their health, but it's also perfect for helping you build a better body. Marc Lobliner states that the Drop Factor was,

"This is the most versatile and easy to follow diet ever created. It works for both the everyday person looking for health and a better body, to the individual looking to take dieting and physique display to the extreme."

Click here to order your copy of the Drop Factor book now.
References
1) "The PH Myth: Part 1." Chris Kresser, chriskresser.com/the-ph-myth-part-1/.
2) "The Truth About Alkalizing Your Blood." Dr. Ben Kim .com - Experience Your Best Health, drbenkim.com/ph-body-blood-foods-acid-alkaline.htm.
3) "The PH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health: Shelley Redford Young, Robert O. Young: 8601300274652: Amazon.com: Books." Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & More, www.amazon.com/pH-Miracle-Balance-Reclaim-Health/dp/0446556181.
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