To restore kidney health, Duncan advises starting with a diet consisting of 75% alkaline-forming foods and 25% acid-forming foods (more on those in a moment). 

To monitor your pH, Duncan recommends purchasing pH test strips. Also known as litmus or pH paper, these strips change colour depending on the acidity or alkalinity of your urine. They’re cheap and easy to use, and they offer valuable feedback about how your body is responding to the diet. 

As you follow the diet, test the pH of your urine every morning and keep track of the results. When your pH has stayed in the optimal pH zone of 6.75-7.25 for seven days in a row, it’s time to move to a maintenance diet. 

At the maintenance stage, adjust your diet to eat 60% alkaline-forming foods and 40% acid-forming foods. This balance will keep you in the perfect pH zone for optimal health and healing.

Which foods are alkaline-forming? 

Below are just a few examples of alkaline-forming, acid-forming and neutral foods. You might be surprised to see that some “acidic” foods, like lemon, fall into the alkaline category. That’s because while some foods – lemon included -- are in fact acidic, they have an alkalizing effect in the body. On the other hand, acid-forming foods like meat are actually alkaline before cooking. For the purposes of the alkaline diet, foods are defined by the effect they have once inside your body. 

Alkaline-forming foods include: 

·      All vegetables (except potatoes)

·      All fruits (except plum, dates/figs, cranberries, prunes, and other dried fruits)

·      Almonds

·      Chestnuts

·      Flax, pumpkin, squash, sunflower and sprouted seeds

·      Fermented tempeh 

·      Fermented tofu 

·      Apple cider vinegar 

·      Green juices

·      Veggie juices 

·      Green and herbal teas

·      Kombucha

·      Millet

·      Quinoa

·      Wild rice 

Acid-forming foods include: 

·      All fats and oils (except sunflower)

·      Cranberries, prunes and other dried fruits

·      Rice, barley, corn, wheat, spelt and rye 

·      All animal proteins

·      All beans and legumes

·      White pasta

·      Cheese, milk, yoghurt and butter

·      Cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, pecans and walnuts

·      Alternative milks like soy and almond 

Neutral foods will not change your pH and can be eaten freely on an alkaline diet. These include: 

·      Sunflower oil 

·      Dates/figs and plums

·      Organic milk and raw goats’ milk

·      Unsalted butter

·      Soft-cooked eggs

·      Honey 

·      Oats, brown rice and buckwheat 

Is the alkaline diet suitable for everyone?

The alkaline diet as described in this article can be eaten freely by anyone with stage 1-3 kidney disease. If you suffer from stage 4 or 5 kidney disease, you can still eat an alkaline diet, but there are some important considerations you must keep in mind. 

You may have been told by your doctor or dietitian to cut out high-potassium foods, which includes most fruits and vegetables. While it’s very important to follow this advice and keep potassium low, Duncan explains to his clients that they can still eat a small amount of fruits and vegetables as part of the alkaline diet. He recommends moderation, and he offers the following trick for “leaching” potassium from your veggies: 

1.     Peel the vegetables, chop into small pieces, and place in a large pot of water. 

2.     Place the pot in the refrigerator for at least four hours, ideally overnight. 

3.     After soaking, rinse the vegetables with fresh water and enjoy.