Naturopathy : Alkalizing Diet
The human body is composed of various organs and parts, which are made up of tissues and cells. These tissues and cells are composed of 16 chemical elements.
The balance or equilibrium of these chemical elements in the body is an essential factor in the maintenance of health and healing of disease. The acid-alkaline balance plays a vital role in this balanced body chemistry. All foods, after digestion and absorption leave either an acid or alkaline ash in the body depending on their mineral composition. The normal body chemistry is approximately 20 per cent acid and 80 per cent alkaline. This is the acid-alkaline balance.
In normal health, the reaction of the blood is alkaline and that is essential for our physical and mental well-being. The preponderance of alkalis in the blood is due to the fact that the products of the vital combustions taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. Carbohydrates and fats form about nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. IN normal health, this great mass of material is converted into carbon dioxide gas and water. Half of the remaining one-tenth fuel is also converted into the same gas and water. The blood to the various points of discharge, mainly the lungs, transports this huge amount of acid. By virtue of alkalinity, the blood is able to transport the acid from the tissues to the discharge points.
Virtually all degenerative conditions involve some degree of acidity in the body. Cancer and many pathogenic disease-causing organisms cannot exist in an alkaline environment. Each of our tissues and body fluids has an optimum p.H. range that is unique. When one of our tissues or fluids is too acidic, our body will try to adjust - sometimes compensating by making another tissue or fluid overly alkaline.
In order to correct over acidity, the body must borrow minerals-including calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium-from vital organs and bones to buffer (neutralize) the acidic condition. Over time, this drain on the body's mineral stores can cause severe mineral imbalances that dramatically affect many essential physiological functions. Health challenges associated with chronically-acid body states include low blood pressure, insomnia, water retention, headaches, fatigue, eczema, immune deficiency, joint and muscle pain, premature aging, obesity, and in severe cases, kidney disease, cardiovascular illness, osteoporosis, and cancer.
Generally speaking, an immune-boosting, yeast-starving diet is quite alkalizing. By doing a search on the internet, you'll find plenty of food charts to help you examine the acid/alkaline theory in more detail. Be aware that as with almost any field of nutrition, you can expect to find a level of disagreement out there.
There is some controversy on the classification of certain foods as acid-producing or alkaline-producing because some foods can have both an alkalizing and acidifying effect. Cranberry for example, is an acidic fruit. It is said to acidify the urine but alkalize the tissues. This kind of duplicity is not that uncommon and serves to complicate the classification of foods.
When it comes to the adaptation of our diet with optimum pH in mind, there is some consensus that most health problems stem from general over-acidity. We also know that a diet of meats, cheeses, mucous-producing foods, starches, sugar and coffee produce symptoms of over-acidity. A diet of primarily whole foods, vegetables and beans is less likely to produce these conditions.
