Acid/Alkaline Balance

Acid/Alkaline Balance
When the body is too acidic as a result of acid forming foods, high fat, mucus forming foods, and toxic food residues, disease and infections proliferate. This is especially true in cases of arthritis and rheumatic situations. If your body is frequently in an acidic state, you will tend to suffer from fatigue, emotional stress,aches and pains, frequent infections, and have digestive problems and allergies.

An alkalizing diet is one in which 75% of our food intake should come from alkaline-based foods like fruits (except for plums and prunes), green-leafy vegetables and other vegetables, and tubers (root vegetables). These foods help to alkalinize the blood and other tissue fluids in our body. The other 25% of our food intake can come from acid-producing foods like cereals, dairy, eggs and meat, though very acid-forming foods such as refined sugars, soft drinks, caffeine and alcohol are best cut out altogether. And we do well to drink plenty of the neutral water.

The main goal of an alkalizing diet is balanced eating in order to avoid acidosis. When this occurs, our blood reduces its ability to deliver oxygen to the cells and eliminate carbon dioxide from the body. When we reduce the alkalinity of our blood, it creates symptoms like hunger, heartburn, indigestion, nausea, vomiting,headache and drowsiness. Acidosis is the breeding ground for many disorders, and can interfere with the way our glands and organs function. When blood becomes too acidic, our bodies pull calcium from our bones and teeth to neutralize the acid and this contributes to bone loss or osteoporosis. Also, cancer cells love highly acidic environments and do not do well in healthy, alkaline environments. The correct ratio of acid and alkaline forming foods is difficult to difficult to determine for every individual since the balance is altered by chewing, food preparation, individual lifestyle, genetics, exercise, and mental outlook. However,those prone to infections, viruses, excess mucus problems and other toxic acidic conditions need to increase their alkaline diet.

Many foods are alkaline-producing by nature, but manufactured processed foods are mostly acid-producing. It is important to balance each meal with 75% alkaline-producing to 25% acid-producing to maintain health. We need plenty of fresh fruits and particularly vegetables (alkaline-producing) to balance our necessary protein intake (acid-producing). And we need to avoid processed, sugary or simple-carbohydrate foods, not only because they are acid-producing but also because they raise blood sugar level too quickly (high glycemic index therefore fattening), are nutrient-lacking and may be toxic too. Perfect body pH is 7.4, above is more alkaline and below is more acidic. It is important that your daily dietary intake of food naturally acts to balance your body pH. Here is a list of acid-producing and alkaline-producing foods, to help you plan a balanced and healthy diet...

ALKALINE-PRODUCING
Vegetables : Alfalfa sprouts, Artichokes, Asparagus, Bamboo shoots, Barley grass, Broccoli, Brussels, sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cayenne pepper, Celery, Chives, Comfrey, Cucumber, Dandelion, Endive, French beans, Garlic, Green beans, Green cabbage,

NEUTRAL FOODS
Fruits : Pineapple, Banana, ripe (more acid), Banana, unripe (more alkaline), Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Cantaloupe, Cherry, Coconut, Cranberry, Currants, Dates, Figs, Gooseberry, Grapes, Grapefruit, Mandarin, oranges, Mangos, Papaya, Raisins, Raspberry

ACID- PRODUCING (HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS)
Meat, Poultry and Fish : Beef, Chicken, Eggs, Liver (mildly), Ocean fish, Organ meats (mildly), Oysters (mildly), Pork, Lamb, Veal, Milk and Milk Products, Butter, Cream (mildly), Cheeses, Custard, Homogenized Milk (mildly), Quark, Yoghurt, Grains, Biscuits