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By Katie Lewin

This diet is a favorite of Victoria Beckham, the fashion designer, former pop singer and wife to soccer star David. And whether you covet her extreme measurements or kind of feel like feeding her a cheeseburger, when she talks diet, ears perk up. 

The Theory: The Acid Alkaline Diet is built around the premise that meat, wheat, dairy, and refined sugars produce acid, which is bad for your body, whereas fruits and vegetables (with a few notable exceptions) produce alkaline and help regulate the blood’s pH. This theory contradicts commonly accepted scientific findings that nothing people eat has the ability to significantly change this. 

Pros: Many of the foods this diet recommends are undeniably healthy. Fruits and vegetables are its cornerstone, which are essential components of vitamin consumption and disease prevention. Its discouragement of refined sugar may keep your skin and whole body healthier and younger as well. 

Cons: Most experts dismiss the basic premise of the Alkaline Acid diet as useless, as they believe the body regulates its own pH regardless of nutritional intake. And its strict, broad-stroke slashing of multiple food groups could lead to an unhealthy lack of calcium and protein.

Bottom Line: Despite being rooted in questionable scientific claims, the tenets of this diet are relatively simple. Increase consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables, and limit fats and sugars. Keeping these modified principles in mind, rather than focusing on the acid/alkaline your body naturally maintains, is a safer and healthier bet.

Published January 5, 2015. 

Katie Lewin is a Bay Area-based health and lifestyle writer.

See also:

• The HCG Diet
• The Gluten-Free Diet
• The Mediterranean Diet