Replacing Animal Foods with Plant Foods Reduced Dietary Acid Load and Leads to Weight Loss

At the Kahn Center, we teach plant-based diets of whole foods as the research and outcomes data for heart disease and other conditions is overwhelming and convincing. Common advantages over animal food based diets that are discussed included the high water content, the high fiber contents, and the lower saturated fat content, and the higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

One advantage of a plant-based diet overlooked has been called The Alkaline Way, or a reduction in the production of acid from animal based foods. Animal products including meat, fish, eggs, and cheese cause the body to produce more acid, increasing dietary acid load, which is linked to chronic inflammation that disrupts metabolism and can lead to increased body weight.

Plant-based diets, which are more alkaline, are associated with weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and lower blood pressure.

A vegan diet’s alkalizing effect, which increases the body’s pH level to make it less acidic, may help promote weight loss. Top alkalizing foods include vegetables, particularly leafy greens, broccoli, beets, asparagus, garlic, carrots, and cabbage; fruits, such as berries, apples, cherries, apricots, or cantaloupe; legumes, for example lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, or soy; and grains, such as quinoa or millet.

A new study looked at the acid load of an animal based diet versus a plant diet and also at inflammation and weight loss and the results were quite remarkable.

STUDY

The purpose of the analysis was to assess the potential role of dietary acid load in people with type 1 diabetes.

Participants were randomly assigned to either a vegan or a portion-controlled diet group with animal foods for 12 weeks, and 3-day dietary records were analyzed.

RESULTS

Renal acid load and net endogenous acid production—both markers of dietary acid load—decreased significantly in the vegan group, but not in the portion-controlled group of animal foods.

Body weight decreased by 5.2 kg in the plant diet group, compared with a nonsignificant change in weight in the portion-controlled animal food group.

Changes in dietary acid load correlated positively with changes in body weight.

The reduction in dietary acid load may partly explain the observed weight loss on a vegan diet.

CONCLUSIONS

The study's lead author commented that "aating acid-producing foods like meat, eggs, and dairy can increase the dietary acid load, or the amount of acid consumed, causing inflammation linked to weight gain. But replacing animal products with alkaline plant-based foods like leafy greens, berries, and legumes can help promote weight loss in people with type 1 diabetes.”

The study has important implications for busy clinicians who can refer patients to dietetic professionals with expertise in plant-based diets for guidance on replacing animal-derived products with plant-based foods.

Top alkalizing foods include vegetables, and particularly leafy greens, broccoli, beets, asparagus, garlic, carrots, and cabbage; fruits, such as berries, apples, cherries, apricots, and cantaloupe; legumes, including lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans, or soy; and grains, such as quinoa or millet.

These dietary changes may result in significant health benefits (e.g., improved weight, blood glucose, and lipid levels), which may be noticeable in just a few weeks and become more pronounced over time, motivating patients to continue.