Acid-Alkaline Balance
Nutritionally, a healthy diet does more than provide nutrients.
Through digestion of these foods, an important biochemical acid-
alkaline balance occurs, which significantly helps maintain overall
health. The kidneys play a vital role in this pH balance too.
There are many hyped-up products and diets in the marketplace
claiming to save us from dietary acidosis by making the body alka-
line. Certainly an imbalance in our acid-alkaline state can seriously
disrupt your health, but simply balancing the foods consumed
accomplishes this better than any so-called “miracle product” (at 10
times the cost of real food), and this addresses the cause of the prob-
lem rather than taking a supplement to treat symptoms.
For almost all of human existence a slightly alkaline diet has been
the norm. This is considered to be optimal. With the agricultural rev-
olution of the past five to 10 thousand years came a dramatic rise in
processed grain consumption, which significantly added more acid-
producing foods to the diet, disturbing the balance. Grain foods also
replaced many vegetables and fruits in the diet, which were primari-
ly those needed to maintain a healthy alkaline state. Today, most
“Westernized” diets are full of highly processed grains, especially
wheat, contributing to an over-acid state. Excessive animal protein
intake can also make the body more acidic.
Most foods produce either an acid or alkaline residue. This affects
the whole body via the bloodstream. Foods that are most acid-pro-
ducing include grains (both whole and processed), milk products,
meat, fish, eggs and salt. Foods most alkaline include vegetables,
fruits and nuts. Fats and legumes are neutral. If we eat too much acid
or too much alkaline food, we risk creating an imbalance. For most
people, the risk comes from eating too much acid food. Typically this
is from too many grains such as bread and cereal, but too much milk
and meat also contribute. When the body becomes too acid, many
problems can arise. Because the kidneys must work hard to re-estab-
lish the acid-alkaline balance, they can become overworked, especial-
ly if water intake is not sufficient. Eating too many acid-producing
foods can result in a general bodywide imbalance — a state of chron-
ic acidosis. This can cause bone and muscle problems, such as frac-
tures, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and muscle wasting. With
274 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH