So the alkaline diet is going overground. I admit that it has taken me a while to warm to the idea of this health approach suddenly bordering on the mainstream – but I am coming around to it now. That doesn’t mean that I am not still worried about it becoming bastardised by the media, press and bandwagon jumper-on-ers, but if it remains unscathed by its popularity then this can only be a good thing. However, that is a very very big ‘but’.
As an analogy, it is a bit like when a band you have really loved for years suddenly goes to number one in the charts. On one hand it is really cool that lots of people are suddenly exposed to this great band, but on the other hand there is often a reason that the band are suddenly doing well in the charts – usually they have watered down and changed their style to appeal to kids/Mondeo drivers . If it is just a one off, then everyone is happy – but this can often spell the end of the band as you knew it as they get more and more commercially acceptable and watered down.
I guess what I am trying to say is that while the Black Eyed Peas were one of the finest hip-hop acts around after the release of their classic first album Behind the Front – their sudden chart success with ‘Where is the Love?’ effectively spelt the end of my love for them as they have gone on to release only poppy, mainstream tripe for kiddies. On the other hand, Welsh indie gods Super Furry Animals have had consistent chart success and have touched on mainstream popularity on a number of occasions (‘Something 4 The Weekend’ and ‘Hello Sunshine’ spring to mind) but have always kept their musical vision intact.
You might think that I am taking this a bit far, but this could be happening with the acid alkaline diet. As more and more high profile nutritionalists/dieticians advocate the alkaline philosophy, there are more and more other nutritionalists taking note, putting their own spin on it and spreading the word further.
The best-case scenario is that the alkaline approach becomes the first popular diet approach that is actually 100% beneficial and the world becomes a healthier place for it.
The worst-case scenario is that this becomes a fad diet – and that is a scary scenario. If it becomes a fad diet then it will be watered down, given a Chinese-whispers-once-over and once it starts popping up in new health books, articles and magazines will probably look barely like the alkaline diet that Dr Young and Dr Vasey developed in the first place back in the late 1990s.
The reason I have this slight pessimism is because the alkaline diet is bloody hard to stick to for the average person. It is not like Atkins where people could go ‘wow – I don’t have to change much and I will lose loads of weight’! Because it is hard work, the media is absolutely certain to water it down. It is already happening to some degree: in his holistic detox plan, Dr Nish Joshi attempts to make the alkaline diet more achievable by suggesting that people can eat buffalo mozzerella (in fact he suggests that they increase their consumption of it in place of other cheeses), to drink clear spirits instead of beers and that fruits are all a-ok. While I do applad his efforts to try and make the approach more achievable for the average person (I am a Dr Joshi fan) I think that some of this advice is actually misleading, and he should point this out.
My prediction? I think that the alkaline diet approach could easily become a fad diet and have it’s name dirtied over the next few years – in fact I think this is a dead cert. However, I also think that while Dr Young is still out there researching and writing there will always be a sensible, factual authority to turn to.
Note: This blog is only my opinion. It is not medical advice or diagnosis. Only opinions based upon our own personal experiences or information detailed in medical/academic journals or other publications is cited. WE DO NOT OFFER MEDICAL ADVICE or prescribe any treatments. Please consult with a medical professional before making any diet or nutrition changes. Refer to our full disclaimer for more information.
