Healthy, Wealthy and Wiser: Acidic VS Alkaline Food

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!!

That would be the main message of this article for today. Quite a while back, I've attended a few talk and seminars on health and did my own study and research on food - Yes, food! And no it's not about learning on how to cook. So why did I bother to go for the seminars and did all the research? Because - you are what you eat!!

So, I want to know does the food I'm taking is good for me or bad for me? Unsurprisingly enough, most of the food that all of us consumes are not really good for our body. I can bet that most of us

1. don't take 5 servings of FRESH vegetable/fruits daily

2. don't drink more than 2 liters of purified clean water daily

3. is not leading a very stress free life..

4. don't take any supplementation

5. love to eat fast-food/processed food over fresh vegetables/fruits

6. like to waste their money and life over a pack of cigarette (yes, including those passive smokers)

7. don't exercise more than 150 minutes a week if not at all

(heck, I used to be guilty as charged for most of them. (note the word used there ))

why is it important to at least done some if not all of what I mentioned earlier?

All of that is to make sure that our body is always in a state of slightly alkaline. Our bodies pH should supposedly be well maintained at a pH of 7.35-7.45 (note that narrow range) for those who didn't know about pH it ranges from 0-14 where 0 is highly acidic, 14 is highly alkaline and 7 is neutral.

pH spectrum with normal blood pH range

why should our body be in a slightly alkaline state? why not slightly acidic or neutral?

Hmm.. tough question there but the answers are pretty much simple. Well, at a pH of 7.35-7.45, even though according to pH chart it is slightly alkaline our body perceive that range as neutral. So, anything less than 7.35 is acidic and anything more than 7.45 is alkaline. In a nutshell, our body (particularly cells) need to have an environment at the pH of 7.35-7.45 to function properly. At this pH level, all the amino acids (building block for proteins) would be able to maintain their specific geometric 3-D shape to function effectively and by the tiniest changes in the blood pH it can alter the shape thus render it to malfunction

the amino acid beads

So, what would happened if our body pH drop less than 7.35?

It will basically cause all these problem - decreasing body's ability to absorb minerals and nutrients, reduce the effectiveness of the cell in producing energy, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells thus make it susceptible in formation of abnormal or cancer cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumors cells thrive happily and impaired our immunity function thus making us more susceptible to fatigue and illness. FYI, a blood pH of less than 7 is very dangerous and can be considered as an emergency since it can induce coma, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest and death!!

So, how does our body maintained pH at 7.35-7.45 all the time?

Our body have 3 major mechanism that helps to maintain the pH at the desirable range for an optimum functioning. the 3 mechanisms are:

1. Buffer systems
protein buffer system
carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer system
phosphate buffer system
2. exhalation of carbon dioxide

3. elimination of hydrogen ions via kidney

(You can googled and read about the mentioned mechanism yourself if you want to) The mechanisms mentioned above basically used the available organic minerals in our body to work. Organic minerals can only be found in fresh vegetables/fruits and certain certified organic supplements. If you don't take those vegetables/fruits which is also an alkalizing food then maintenance mechanism might be resort to taking minerals from the storage depot - bones and muscles; which will only cause osteoporosis (calcium and phosphate) or kidney stones. Also, like I just mentioned, there will also be conditions where these balancing mechanism will be overused or overtaxed for instance like stress, exercise or getting sick - which will then results in the what I mentioned earlier or even worse, multiple negative health events.

as you can see, fresh vegetables and fruits are on the alkaline side where by your favourite foods are on the acidic side

Can we monitor our body pH daily?

Well we can. But indirectly unless you are willing to be poke for blood everyday. Plus it is more cost efficient and can be done at home. What we need to do is go to your nearest pharmacy and get a bottle of pH tester. Then, pull out a stick from the bottle and pee on the stick - of course you better do it in your bathroom ok!! Don't want to show your private part in public right? If the urine is acidic ( which most of us are) then it means that your body is acidic and the mechanisms mentioned earlier had to work extra to excrete the acid (hydrogen ions) from the body via urine. Thus the acidic urine. The urine should normally be in a slightly alkaline state.

the urine pH tester should be something like this

How can we help our body to maintain the desirable pH range?

Easy.. Eat more fresh vegetables/fruits!!! cut down on meat and poultry. Cut down, not stop ok.. Below are an excerpt from a website that mentioned a long list of alkalizing and acidic food. Don't have to follow them strictly though..

Alkaline: Meditation, Prayer, Peace, Kindness & Love	Acid: Overwork, Anger, Fear, Jealousy & Stress
Extremely Alkaline Forming Foods - pH 8.5 to 9.0	Extremely Acid Forming Foods - pH 5.0 to 5.5
9.0 Lemons 1, Watermelon 2 8.5 Agar Agar 3, Cantaloupe, Cayenne (Capsicum) 4, Dried dates & figs, Kelp, Karengo, Kudzu root, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley 5, Seedless grapes (sweet), Watercress, Seaweeds Asparagus 6, Endive, Kiwifruit, Fruit juices 7, Grapes (sweet), Passion fruit, Pears (sweet), Pineapple, Raisins, Umeboshi plum, Vegetable juices 8	5.0 Artificial sweeteners 5.5 Beef, Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks 38, Cigarettes (tailor made), Drugs, Flour (white, wheat) 39, Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes from white flour, Pork, Sugar (white) 40 Beer 34, Brown sugar 35, Chicken, Deer, Chocolate, Coffee 36, Custard with white sugar, Jams, Jellies, Liquor 37, Pasta (white), Rabbit, Semolina, Table salt refined and iodized, Tea black, Turkey, Wheat bread, White rice, White vinegar (processed).
Moderate Alkaline - pH 7.5 to 8.0	Moderate Acid - pH 6.0 to 6.5
8.0 Apples (sweet), Apricots, Alfalfa sprouts 9, Arrowroot, Flour 10, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Berries, Carrots, Celery, Currants, Dates & figs (fresh), Garlic 11, Gooseberry, Grapes (less sweet), Grapefruit, Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh sweet), Persimmon, Pumpkin (sweet), Sea salt (vegetable) 12, Spinach 7.5 Apples (sour), Bamboo shoots, Beans (fresh green), Beets, Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbage;Cauli, Carob 13, Daikon, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Parsnip, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes & skin, Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberry, Sapote, Strawberry, Squash 14, Sweet corn (fresh), Tamari 15, Turnip, Vinegar (apple cider) 16	6.0 Cigarette tobacco (roll your own), Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Fish, Fruit juices with sugar, Maple syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pickles (commercial), Breads (refined) of corn, oats, rice & rye, Cereals (refined) eg weetbix, corn flakes, Shellfish, Wheat germ, Whole Wheat foods 32, Wine 33, Yogurt (sweetened) 6.5 Bananas (green), Buckwheat, Cheeses (sharp), Corn & rice breads, Egg whole (cooked hard), Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Oats, Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (wholegrain & honey), Peanuts, Potatoes (with no skins), Popcorn (with salt & butter), Rice (basmati), Rice (brown), Soy sauce (commercial), Tapioca, Wheat bread (sprouted organic)
Slightly Alkaline to Neutral pH 7.0	Slightly Acid to Neutral pH 7.0
7.0 Almonds 17, Artichokes (Jerusalem), Barley-Malt (sweetener-Bronner), Brown Rice Syrup, Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Egg plant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Miso, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives ripe 18, Onions, Pickles 19, (home made), Radish, Sea salt 20, Spices 21, Taro, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice), Water Chestnut Amaranth, Artichoke (globe), Chestnuts (dry roasted), Egg yolks (soft cooked), Essene bread 22, Goat's milk and whey (raw) 23, Horseradish, Mayonnaise (home made), Millet, Olive oil, Quinoa, Rhubarb, Sesame seeds (whole) 24, Soy beans (dry), Soy cheese, Soy milk, Sprouted grains 25, Tempeh, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet), Yeast (nutritional flakes)	7.0 Barley malt syrup, Barley, Bran, Cashews, Cereals (unrefined with honey-fruit-maple syrup), Cornmeal, Cranberries 30, Fructose, Honey (pasteurized), Lentils, Macadamias, Maple syrup (unprocessed), Milk (homogenized) and most processed dairy products, Molasses (unsulphered organic) 31, Nutmeg, Mustard, Pistachios, Popcorn & butter (plain), Rice or wheat crackers (unrefined), Rye (grain), Rye bread (organic sprouted), Seeds (pumpkin & sunflower), Walnuts Blueberries, Brazil nuts, Butter (salted), Cheeses (mild & crumbly) 28, Crackers (unrefined rye), Dried beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo) 29, Dry coconut, Egg whites, Goats milk (homogenized), Olives (pickled), Pecans, Plums 30, Prunes 30, Spelt

Neutral pH 7.0 Ñ Healthy Body Saliva pH Range is between 6.4 to 6.8 (on your pH test strips)

Butter (fresh unsalted), Cream (fresh and raw), Margarine 26, Milk (raw cow's) 27, Oils (except olive),
Whey (cow's), Yogurt (plain)

NOTE: Match with the numbers above.

  1. Excellent for EMERGENCY SUPPORT for colds, coughs, sore throats, heartburn, and gastro upsets.
  2. Good for a yearly fast. For several days eat whole melon, chew pips well and eat also. Super alkalizing food.
  3. Substitute for gelatin, more nourishing.
  4. Stimulating, non-irritating body healer. Good for endocrine system.
  5. Purifies kidneys.
  6. Powerful acid reducer detoxing to produce acid urine temporarily, causing alkalinity for the long term.
  7. Natural sugars give alkalinity. Added sugar causes juice to become acid forming.
  8. Depends on vege's content and sweetness.
  9. Enzyme rich, superior digestibility.
10. High calcium content. Cornflour substitute.
11. Elevates acid food 5.0 in alkaline direction.
12. Vegetable content raises alkalinity.
13. Substitute for coca; mineral rich.
14. Winter squash rates 7.5. Butternut and sweeter squash rates 8.0.
15. Genuine fermented for 11Ú2 years otherwise 6.0.
16. Raw unpasteurized is a digestive aid to increase HCL in the stomach. 1 tablespoon, + honey & water before meals.
17. Soak 12 hours, peel skin to eat.
18. Sundried, tree ripened, otherwise 6.0.
19. Using sea salt and apple cider vinegar.
20. Contains sea minerals. Dried at low temperatures.
21. Range from 7.0 to 8.0.
22. Sprouted grains are more alkaline. Grains chewed well become more alkaline.
23. High sodium to aid digestion.
24. High levels of utilizable calcium. Grind before eating.
25. Alkalinity and digestibility higher.
26. Heating causes fats to harden and become indigestible.
27. High mucus production.
28. Mucus forming and hard to digest.
29. When sprouted dry beans rate 7.0.
30. Contain acid-forming benzoic and quinic acids.
31. Full of iron.
32. Unrefined wheat is more alkaline.
33. High quality red wine, no more than 4 oz. daily to build blood.
34. Good quality, well brewed - up to 5.5. Fast brewed beers drop to 5.0.
35. Most are white sugars with golden syrup added.
36. Organic, fresh ground-up to 5.5.
37. Cheaper brands drop to 5.0, as does over-indulgence.
38. Leaches minerals.
39. Bleached - has no goodness.
40. Poison! Avoid it.
41. Potential cancer agent. Over-indulgence may cause partial blindness.

* copied from http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

so now you better think twice before indulging yourself on a eating binge on these babies!!