One of the good things about the alkaline diet is that it includes a lot of unprocessed nutrient-rich foods. But if you’re really busy, cooking and preparing meals can be tough.
And who among us hasn’t felt lazy and done their best to avoid cooking and the resulting dishes? Take-out is often unhealthy, especially fast food. There is no way that stuff is alkaline either.
Meal replacement shakes are quick and easy to prepare. But which shakes fit into the alkaline diet?
We’ll be looking at the best alkaline meal replacement shakes and what makes them alkaline. I’ve selected only the healthier options so you know you’ll be doing the right thing for your health.
It wasn’t that hard to do, because as I’ve mentioned, the alkaline diet is full of really healthy foods.
What is the Alkaline Diet?
The alkaline diet involves eating alkaline-forming foods 70 to 80 percent of the time. You can eat a lot of:
- Fruit
- Vegetables
- Legumes (peas, beans, lentils)
- Nuts
- Herbal teas
- Green tea
You need to exclude or minimize your intake of:
- Meat
- Poultry
- Fish
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Grains
- Alcohol
- Coffee
- Ceylon tea
- Most processed foods including junk food
Natural fats, starches, and sugars are considered neutral. By natural fats I mean most types of fat excluding trans fat which we should all avoid. They should be eaten in moderation.
Some Foods are Acidic Outside the Body but Have an Alkaline Effect Within
Some foods are acidic by nature but produce alkaline by-products, known as ash, in the body.
These include:
- Lemons
- Oranges
- Pineapples
- Tomatoes
- Cayenne peppers
This isn’t true of all acidic foods. Vinegar is still acidic, both inside and outside of the body.
Does the Alkaline Diet Really Work?
In terms of actually altering the pH of your body, nope. Not unless you have an actual medical condition that hampers your body’s ability to regulate pH levels.
These conditions include health issues that affect the kidneys (such as kidney failure or diabetes) or lungs (such as asthma or pneumonia).
These are two of the organs that work to keep pH balance in the body.
There are different pH levels in your body. Your stomach is highly acidic in order to digest food. Your skin is slightly acidic. However, your blood is slightly alkaline.
When you measure your pH levels in your urine, all you are seeing is how much acid your body is excreting.
If your body, or rather your blood, becomes too acidic (acidosis) or too alkaline (alkalosis), yes, your body can be too alkaline, you will need medical treatment.
Leaving the situation untreated can prove fatal or result in a coma.
Symptoms of Acidosis
- Confusion
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
How the Body Maintains pH Balance
The lungs balance pH levels by ensuring the intake of oxygen and the exhale of carbon dioxide. The kidneys remove excess acid or base from the body via trips to the bathroom.
Your organs will adapt to excreting less acid if your body is heading toward being too alkaline, and excrete more if your body is becoming too acidic.
The only other times the body struggles to regulate pH balance without lung or kidney problems is if the person hyperventilates for too long such as during a prolonged panic attack.
Dehydration is also a common cause. That’s why you are encouraged not only to drink water but electrolytes as well during extremely hot weather or during and after very long exercise sessions.
Electrolytes can be found in sports drinks. They are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and chloride.
Severe overconsumption of alcohol or long-term excessive alcohol intake, or an overdose of medication can also lead to acidosis.
In this way, it matters what you eat and drink.
The Benefits of Eating Alkaline Foods
Having said that, the alkaline diet is predominantly plant-based. This gives you an influx of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that you can only benefit from.
Eating this way is also helpful in reducing inflammation. Constant low-grade inflammation may lead to illnesses.
Inflammation also worsens autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis (MS). The anti-inflammatory diet is very similar to the alkaline diet.
The Best Alkaline Meal Replacement Shakes
The most alkaline meal replacements are going to be plant-based. Don’t worry about inferior nutrition or protein content if you are new to eating a mainly or completely plant-based diet.
This includes when it comes to meal replacements and plant-based protein shakes. The powders generally use a blend of different protein types and add healthy wholefood ingredients.
This also isn’t to say that you can’t use a shake with whey protein. But this shake will have consumed as part of the 20-30% non-alkaline part of your total food intake.
For this reason, I have left out shakes that use whey protein and casein.
Vega One Organic Meal All-In-One Shake
Vega One Organic Meal Replacement
Vegan One Organic All-In-One Shake comes in a few alkaline friendly flavors. Choose from Plain Unsweetened, Coconut Almond, or Berry as these are the most alkaline.
This shake uses pea protein, sacha inchi powder, pumpkin seed protein, and sunflower seed protein to give you 20g of protein.
There is a fruit and vegetable blend that includes greens and berries. It does contain a grain, quinoa, which is more alkaline.
Each serving includes probiotics to benefit your digestive system.
There are 20 vitamins and minerals, with 11 of them providing 20 percent or more of the recommended DV (Daily Value). It’s also high in plant-based omega 3 (ALA).
The flavored varieties are sweetened with stevia which is alkaline. They all contain less than a gram of sugar.
Pros:
- Most if not all the ingredients are alkaline
- High in vitamins and minerals
- Incorporates real fruit and vegetables
- 20g of protein
- Contains probiotics for better digestion
- Less than a gram of sugar
- Berry, Coconut Almond, and Plain Unsweetened are great alkaline options
- Organic
Cons:
- Some people didn’t like the flavor
- Some people struggled to digest this product
Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal Replacement Powder- Vanilla or Lightly Sweet
Garden of Life Meal Replacement
Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal Replacement Powder has a plant protein blend that gives you 20g of complete protein.
In addition to pea protein, the protein blend includes flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, lentils, and garbanzo beans, all sprouted.
The protein blend also contains some grains that are technically not alkaline. These include brown rice protein, sprouted amaranth, and sprouted buckwheat.
It also contains millet which is an alkaline grain.
They are, however, outweighed by the sheer number of seeds, veggies (including greens), fruit (including berries). There are 44 superfoods in this blend.
Paired with water or plant-based milk, this meal replacement shake will give you 21 vitamins and minerals, 1.5 billion CFU of probiotics, and an enzyme blend for better digestion.
There is no added sugar. This meal replacement shake is sweetened with stevia.
Vanilla is a low to moderate acidic food, so you may need to stick to only one shake a day. It’s present in both the vanilla and lightly sweet flavors. Steer clear of the chocolate flavor.
Pros:
- Contains mostly alkaline ingredients
- Less than 1g of sugar, no added sugar
- 21 vitamins and minerals at decent RDAs (recommended daily allowance)
- Contains actual fruit and vegetables (44 superfoods)
- 20 g of protein
- Contains probiotics and digestive enzymes
- Organic
Cons:
- Contains grains which are not alkaline
- Vanilla is a low to moderate acidic food
- Some people found the shake too sweet
- Some people disliked the flavor
- There is no info on how much actual fruit and veg you’re getting per serving
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein + Superfoods Powder- Vanilla Bean
Orgain Organic Nutritional Shake
Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein + Superfoods Powder has a plant protein blend in the form of pea protein and brown rice protein providing 21g of complete protein.
It also has grains, including amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa.
There are many seeds, fruits, and veggies in this powder too, 50 superfoods all in all. There are 13 vitamins and minerals and 5g of fiber.
Interestingly, this shake contains lemon extract as part of its B vitamin blend. As mentioned, lemon is acidic outside the body, it has an alkalizing effect in the body.
This shake contains no added sugar and only 1g of total sugar. It’s sweetened with stevia and erythritol, a sugar alcohol like xylitol.
Unfortunately, erythritol is more acidifying, so to be safe, only have one shake a day. If you have IBS, the erythritol and lack of probiotics or enzymes may make it hard on your digestive system.
Pros:
- Contains mostly alkaline foods
- Contains only 1g of sugar, no added sugar
- Has 13 vitamins and minerals
- The powder contains 50 superfoods
- 21g of protein
- Organic
Cons:
- Contains a few grains that aren’t alkaline
- Erythritol isn’t considered alkaline
- Some people didn’t like the taste, especially the stevia
- Some people found it hard to mix and chalky
- May not be good for people sensitive to sugar alcohols
KOS Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder- Vanilla
KOS Meal Replacement
KOS Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder blends pea protein, flaxseed, quinoa, pumpkin seed protein, and chia seed to give you 21g of alkaline protein.
The fruit and veggie blend gives you even more alkaline nutrition. There are 10 vitamins and minerals in this shake. The enzyme blend makes it easier to digest.
This shake is sweetened using monk fruit extract, stevia, and a little bit of coconut sugar. Per serving, including added sugar (2g), you get 3g of total sugar. That’s less than a teaspoon.
While you can use this protein powder as a meal replacement shake, it is first and foremost a protein supplement. It’s best to add some fruit and/or vegetables.
The fiber content is only 1g per serving and compared to the other plant-based shakes on this list, lower in nutrients.
Pros:
- The ingredients are mostly alkaline
- There are 10 vitamins and minerals
- Less than a teaspoon of sugar per serving (3g)
- Contains enzymes for better digestion
- Organic
Cons:
- The fiber content is very low
- Some people don’t enjoy the taste (stevia)
- Some people found the texture too gritty
Amazing Grass Protein Superfood All-in-One Nutrition Shake- Pure Vanilla
The Amazing Grass Protein Superfood All-in-One Nutrition Shake uses a blend of pea protein, hemp protein, chia seed, and quinoa to provide 20g of protein.
There is a blend of greens, specifically because they are alkalizing. This blend includes alfalfa grass, wheatgrass, broccoli, spirulina, and chlorella.
There is also a blend of other fruits and vegetables like banana, beetroot, sweet potato, and raspberry with more alkaline properties.
There is less than a gram of sugar per serving. This shake is sweetened with stevia.
The fiber content is quite low at 2g and there is also only 2g of fat which is a bit low for a meal replacement shake. This is especially the case if you use plant milk that is low in fat or water.
Only 5 vitamins and minerals are listed despite the blend of 16 superfoods. It’s best to add some fruit or vegetables to create a more nutritious meal replacement shake.
Pros:
- Contains mostly alkaline ingredients
- Provides 20g of protein
- Contains a blend of fruit and vegetables, including greens
- There is less than a gram of sugar
- Organic
Cons:
- Low in fiber
- Very low in fat
- Only 5 vitamins and minerals are listed
- Some people found the greens off-putting because of the flavor
- Some people found that it was a little bit gritty
Key Takeaways
Look for plant-based shakes. They have a higher level of alkaline ingredients. Fruit and vegetable blends, especially greens, will have an alkalizing effect even if there are a few acidic ingredients.
Stay away from artificial sweeteners. They aren’t good for your gut and have an acidic effect on the body.
Keep animal-based proteins to a minimum. They are acid-forming and should stay 20-30% of your total acidic food intake.
If you aren’t comfortable with any of the meal replacements out there, consider making your own alkaline shakes and smoothies.
Get a plant-based protein powder and blend it with a plant-milk of your choice or water. You can add in fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, and even add an alkaline sweetener of your choice.
Just remember that our bodies are great at maintaining the right balance between alkaline and acid. Unless you suffer from a condition that hampers this process.
Eating mostly alkaline will boost your health simply by virtue of the foods being more nutrient-dense and full of antioxidants.
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