Whenever a skinny celebrity speaks out about the diet she’s following everyone seems to listen, especially when she’s a former Spice Girl. Singer, wife of famed soccer player David Beckham, and fashion designer Victoria Beckham sent shock waves through the diet world years ago when she was seen toting around the diet book “Skinny Bitch.“ Not long after it became a bestseller. Coincidence? We think not. 
These days she’s at it again, peddling another diet trend that’s bound to blow up in a matter of seconds, especially considering other stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston and Kirsten Dunst are on board, too.
As reported by Health, notoriously thin Beckham has recently been crediting her lean figure to the alkaline diet, which is more of a theory than a diet model in itself. The diet is all about keeping our body’s pH levels in balance through the foods we eat and perhaps more importantly, the foods we avoid.
Though research on the alkaline diet is limited, it’s based on the theory that because our blood is slightly alkaline – a normal pH level rage is between 7.35 and 7.45 – our diet should help promote and maintain that.
How does it work? Almost all the foods we eat either release an acid or an alkaline base (bicarbonate) into our blood, which can throw off our blood’s pH levels. Similar in some ways to the Paleo Diet, an alkaline diet is based on the idea that over time humans have introduced modern convenience food to their diets, relying more on items like grains, fish, meat, dairy and salt which produce acid in our bodies. These, along with other foods like processed goods and sugar, are believed to throw off our pH levels and affect our overall health.
So what foods are stars like Beckham and even Aniston allowed to eat? As outlined in the book Acid-Alkaline Diet, it’s recommended that alkaline dieters aim to consume 70-80 percent alkaline foods. Some high to moderate alkaline foods include broccoli sprouts, cucumbers, kale, wheat grass, parsley, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, avocado, almonds, lima beans, soy beans, cayenne, sea salt and red chili peppers.
The remaining 20-30 percent of intake should come from low acidity foods like cow’s mlk, wild fish, black beans, chickpeas, flaxseed, pecans, cantaloupe, dates and nectarine. In addition to the above-mentioned foods, a few supplements that can also assist in helping our bodies maintain healthy pH levels include green food powders, calcium, magnesium, and pH drops and powders.
Besides reaping the benefits of a plant-based diet, the alkaline diet can also reportedly help our bodies function better, settle at a healthy weight, give our skin a healthy glow, provide us with more energy and help ward off sickness, just to name a few.
Though there’s still no concrete evidence backing the validity of the alkaline diet, one can’t argue against the benefits of consuming less processed, refined and high-sugar foods. After all, it seems to be working wonders for some of Hollywood’s sexiest celebrities. While we would be slow to recommend an all-in approach to this diet, we clearly see the benefits of a plant-based diet for long-term health.
Also Read:
The Alkaline Water Fight: Is it Healthy or Not?
4 Ways to Kick Acid for Better Health
image via Glamour Magazine US