Is the Paleo Diet Alkaline or Acidic?

The Paleo diet is catching on like wild fire. Although it’s been around since the 1970s it is currently becoming more and more popular. Search “Paleo” on Pinterest and you will find thousands of pins directing you to thousands of websites that promote the diet, give recipes and tips on how to succeed with the diet, tell you why you should live the Paleo lifestyle and others’ success with switching to a Paleo regimen. But is it alkaline? If you are eating meat as a staple wouldn’t that make it more acidic than alkaline? Let’s go over this in more detail.

Foods Allowed/Not Allowed on the Paleo Diet

The Paleo diet generally consists of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, healthy fats/oils, spices and herbs. 

Foods that are not allowed on the Paleo diet are cereal grains, legumes (including peanuts), dairy, refined sugars, potatoes, processed foods, salt or refined vegetable oils.

Alkaline Vs. Acidic Foods

While animal protein is a main constituent of the Paleo lifestyle, so is an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. This balance of acid/alkaline foods keeps your body at an optimal level. Foods such as grains and sugars are way more acidic than animal protein and raise the acidity of the body far more than meat.

Part of the Paleo diet is also a high fat content. In fact, you eat more calories in fat than you do carbohydrates or protein. And fat is a very alkalizing food. Fat acts as an alkaline buffer, much the same way as insulin. When you load the body with a meal full of sugars and simple carbs your body releases insulin in order to neutralize the spiked levels of sugar. Good fats do the same thing!

Alkaline Water and the Paleo Diet

In order to bolster your new Paleo lifestyle I highly recommend drinking plenty of alkaline ionized water each day. The Paleo diet calls for roughly 7 servings of leafy egreen vegetables. And in case this doesn't happen every day, I highly recommend drinking plenty of ionized water. This will aid in keeping your body alkaline and in ensuring the toxins are flushed out of your body as you switch over to a more clean diet.