Is obesity the number one cause of most of today’s ills? Are meat-eaters more at risk for cancer? Nutrutional imbalances a number one killer? Or is it our genetic pre-disposition.
Perhaps none of the above. Underlying many of the above questions is one unifying theme, increasingly recognized by both traditional medical practitioners and alternative health care-givers. Research seems to anecdotally—and in some cases empirically—support the most popular “cause” theory in health care. Imbalance of body PH was first identified in 1933 by a New York doctor named William Howard Hay, who published a ground-breaking book, A New Health Era in which he maintained that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to acid accumulation in the body.
Acidosis
Many degenerative or chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis are found to be present where there is excess acidity in the body. Since the body is designed to maintain a constant PH of 7.4 (neutral), by using acid and alkaline minerals from bones, muscles, and body fluids, a heavily acid diet can cause imbalances and stress on the body, leading—according to some experts—to disease.
An imbalance in body PH, almost always too much acid, is commonly cited with being an underlying cause of many of today’s biggest problems in health care:
Bladder and kidney conditions
Cancerous mutations
Cardiovascular damage
Chronic fatigue
Diabetes
Lactic acid buildup, joint pain, aching muscles
Immune deficiency
Osteoporosis or weak and brittle bones
Premature aging
Slow digestion and elimination issues
Tooth decay
Weight gain, obesity
Yeast/fungal overgrowth.
Causes
Excess acid is fairly common today due to a number of major issues:
- Stress and lack of sleep increases free radicals and acid
- High protein diets, particularly heavy on meats and dairy, are high in acid
- The majority of “junk” or “fast” food (deep fried foods, potatoes, meats) are high in acid and over cooking or heavy frying can increase free radicals
- Lack of balance in diet, for example not enough vegetables or fruit which trend towards alkality, may mean that a stressed over acid body cannot compensate for the dangerous condition by neutralizing with intakes of alkalizing agents (see list of acid and alkalyzing foods in this feature.)
Too much acid—which is easily tested with PH strips inexpensively available at most pharmacies—will likely weaken all body functions, systems and organs according to most nutritionists, and many researchers and doctors An acid “environment” is a “good” environment for disease. A neutral (PH 7) environment is ideal and eliminates free radicals while keeping the body’s systems healthy. Many anecdotal studies, for example, have linked increases in cancer to high acid diets.
Why Alkaline Food is Important
Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, N.D., D.C., Ph.D., in his book Alkalize or Die, wrote: “They (illnesses) come from the same root cause… too much tissue acid waste in the body.”
The goal in nutritional support for health (and especially for people with chronic conditions) is a neutral PH. In a healthy person who eats a balanced diet light on the meats, nuts and dairy, this will naturally occur unless there are underlying conditions that exacerbate acidic environments, such as stress or pre-existing illness. Alkaline PH in the human system is very rare.
When there is too much acid, due to a high intake of meat or stress, the body will use alkalizers in the body to neutralize. A person with a poor diet, however, may not have any available alkaline reserves. If there are no reserves, excess acid will be neutralized by “depleting” the body and leaving the subject in a weakened condition.
PH Strips an Fast Way To Check Your Body
The strips are inexpensive and available at pharmacies. One your before a meal, or two hours after, touch a strip to your saliva and compare to a color chart. You can also test urinary PH, but this tends to fluctuate more. Two or three days a week is plenty to see if your body is consistently normal (7.4).
ACID FORMING FOODS
Meats, fish, poultry, eggs, grains and legumes tend to be acid forming. This is not to say proteins and grains should be eliminated from a diet, however today’s “fast food diets” tends to be heavily acidic, and without balance. The majority of foods ingested should—according to many doctors and nutritionists—be from alkaline foods.
ALKALINE FORMING FOODS
Most fruits, peas, beans, green vegetables, lentils, spices, herbs, seeds, seasonings and nuts (some exceptions) are alkaline forming foods and help provide the minerals the body needs to neutralize acids. If your PH strips indicate consistently acid conditions, in consultation with your doctor, try to increase your alkaline forming foods and lower (not eliminate) your acid forming foods.
A PARTIAL LIST
Alkalizing Foods (alphabetical by category)
Generally, most experts say to eat as much as you can from the alkalizing category. Most people cannot “over eat” from this category. Always consult your physician.
ALKALIZING PROTEIN
Almonds
Chestnuts
Millet
Tempeh
Tofu
Soy Milk
Whey Protein Powder
ALKALIZING FRUITS
Apple
Apricot
Avocado
Berries
Blackberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries, sour
Coconut, fresh
Currants
Dates, dried
Figs, dried
Grapes
Grapefruit
Honeydew Melon
Lemon
Lime
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Raisins
Raspberries
Rhubarb
Strawberries
Tangerine
Tomato
Watermelon
ALKALIZING VEGETABLES
Alfalfa
Barley Grass
Beet Greens
Beets
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrot
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard Greens
Cucumber
Dandelions
Dulce
Edible Flowers
Eggplant
Garlic
Green Beans
Green Peas
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Mustard Greens
Nightshade Veggies
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Peppers
Pumpkin
Radishes
Rutabaga
Sea Veggies
Spinach, green
Spirulina
Sprouts
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Watercress
Wheat Grass
Wild Greens
ALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS
Chili
Cinnamon
Curry
Ginger
Herbs
Miso
Mustard
Sea Salt
ALKALIZING OTHER
Apple Cider Vinegar
Bee Pollen
Fresh Fruit Juice
Green Juices
Lecithin Granules
Mineral Water
Molasses, blackstrap
Probiotic Cultures
Soured Dairy Products
Veggie Juices
ACIDIFYING FOODS
Some vegetables have low acid, but meats, dairy, “junk food”, colas, coffee, tend to be the main “culprits”
ANIMAL PROTEIN
Bacon
Beef
Clams
Cod
Corned Beef
Fish
Haddock
Lamb
Lobster
Oyster
Pike
Pork
Rabbit
Salmon
Sardines
Sausage
Scallops
Shellfish
Shrimp
Tuna
Turkey
Veal
Venison
BEVERAGES
Beer (very high acid)
Coca-Cola (very high acid)
Coffee
SWEETENERS
Carob
Corn Syrup
Sugar
VEGETABLES (only a few)
Corn
Lentils
Olives
Winter Squash
FRUITS (only a few)
Canned or Glazed Fruits
Cranberries
Currants
Plums**
GRAINS
Barley
Bran, oat
Bran, wheat
Bread
Corn
Cornstarch
Crackers
Flour
Kamut
Noodles
Oatmeal
Quinoa
Rice
Rye
Spaghetti
Spelt
Wheat
DAIRY
Butter
Cheese
Ice Cream
NUTS & BUTTERS
Cashews
Legumes
Peanut Butter
Peanuts
Pecans
FATS & OILS
Avacado Oil
Butter
Canola Oil
Corn Oil
Flax Oil
Lard
Olive Oil
Safflower Oil
Sesame Oil
Sunflower Oil
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