The Foods You Eat

Acid Base Nutrition

When food is ingested, digested and absorbed, each component presents itself to the kidneys as either an acid-forming or a base-forming compound. When the sum total of all the acid-producing and base-producing micro and macronutrients are tabulated, we're left with a calculated acid-base load.

One common problem with most industrialized societies is that our diets produce a low grade chronic metabolic acidosis. This means we're in a chronic state of high acidity. Since the body must operate at a stable pH, any dietary acid load has to be neutralized by one of a number of homeostatic base-producing mechanisms. The pH of the body is maintained but many cells will suffer.

A cancerous cell is acidic. If your body is in a constant state of over-acidification, it becomes impossible for healthy cells to regenerate. Cancer cells thrive in an overly acidic environment. By taking action to become more alkaline, you can make it more difficult for cancer cells to regenerate. Eating an acid/alkaline balanced diet is the key to staying healthy. Understanding the pH of the foods that you eat is relative to the state of your body's health.

The goal of the acid alkaline balance diet, also known as the alkaline diet and the alkaline ash diet, is to achieve an optimal balance between acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods. This diet greatly reduces the strain on the body's acid-detoxificaion systems.

healthy versus unhealthy diet

A healthy body is the result of healthy blood. Blood contains the nutrients needed to provide the entire body with the specific fuel it requires for maximum health and athletic/non-athletic performance, like a well-oiled machine. Blood must maintain a pH of approximately 7.4 for optimum human health and performance. This means that the blood must maintain a slightly alkaline blood pH, since 7.0 is considered neutral. Normal, arterial blood readings are 7.4, but can vacillate between 7.37 and 7.43.

Blood levels that go below 7.37, or above 7.43, will cause the body to produce inferior and unhealthy body tissue. Your health and athletic performance will be sluggish, your power, strength and endurance will be greatly reduced, and it will be the cause of many sport injuries that could have been avoided. You may ask,"How are these blood levels related to diet?" The food you eat will either be alkaline-forming or acid-forming.

ACID-FORMING DIETS

  • A diet that is dominantly acid-forming is an enzyme-depleting habit, and nerve energy robber. It will drain your enzyme reserves, and your foods will not be properly digested to provide the nutrients and specific fuel for ultimate health, peak athletic and/or non-athletic performance, enedurance, and for generating maximum power and strength.
  • A diet that is dominantly acid-forming will likely cause your body to leach the alkaline reserves from your bones and tissue. EXAMPLE: Calcium is an alkaline mineral, chiefly found in your bones, which the body will leach from your bones to help maintain the blood pH at 7.4. If your blood pH drops too low, ill health may follow, and your body could go into shock.
  • A diet that is dominantly acid-forming will likely cause the body to store excess poisons and uric-acid in the form of uric crystals, and deposit them into your bodily tissue and joints. Uric crystals cause pain, such as from arthritis and bursitis, due to their irritating nature, and can lead to all kinds of sports and non-sports injuries related to poor, unhealthy, poisoned body tissue.
  • A diet that is dominantly acid-forming will likely cause sluggish athletic performance and many unnecessary sports injuries due to the formation of low-grade body tissue caused by the incomplete formation of blood cells. Low-grade body tissue may lead to common injuries such as pulled muscles, rotator cuff injuries, bone fractures and back injuries. Low-grade body issue = low-grade athletic potential. You are only as strong as your weakest link in the chain. An acid-forming diet is your weakest link.
  • Acidifying diets reduce the oxygen in your blood and tissue, thus, slowing down the repair, regeneration, and maintenance of healthy body tissue. Low-grade body tissue may produce low grade athletic and/or non-athletic performance, endurance, power and strength.

ALKALINE-FORMING DIETS

  • Conversely, an alkaline-forming diet is the ultimate diet for support of a healthy blood pH of 7.4, which is the requirement for the production and maintenance of healthy body tissue, to attain optimum health, peak athletic and/or non-athletic performance, endurance and strength.
  • An alkaline-forming diet will build up and preserve your reserves of enzymes, which, in turn, will keep your digestive powers at peak levels to quickly break down your food into nutrients, supplying the necessary fuel for maximum health and body performance.
  • An alkaline-forming diet, especially a variety of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts, oxygenates the human blood and tissue. Well-oxygenated blood accelerates the repair and regeneration process for healthy body tissue, and maximizes one's physical performance, endurance, power and strength.

Acid Alkaline Balance Diet Logo
Acid Alkaline Association

healthy vegetable salad