A very basic concept for good health is the idea of acid/alkaline balance. Let's take a look at it:
All foods, when metabolized by the body, produce a residue that is either acid or alkaline. This is quite critical because the body must maintain the blood stream at a constant pH level between very narrow limits of 7.35 and 7.45 (which is alkaline). Outside those limits the body cannot maintain life.
Consequently, the pH of other systems in the body is sometimes adjusted (through a "borrowing" of minerals) in order to ensure the stability of the all-important bloodstream. This can and does, however, adversely affect these other systems and the overall well-being of the body in general.
It's worth noting that the normal pH for all the systems and fluids in the body, except for the stomach, is alkaline. Yet many of our commonly-eaten foods produce acidic by-products—a process which, carried to excess, produces acidosis in the body.
Which foods produce acidic by-products?
The metabolism of protein is the primary producer of acidic by-products and end-products in the body. The breakdown and assimilation of protein in the diet produces sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid and most importantly, uric acid, among others. All of these substances are toxic to the body.
Fat metabolism produces acetic acid, and when incompletely metabolised, produces ketones which are also acidic.
The metabolism of carbohydrates produces lactic acid, butyric acid and pyroacemic acid, among others.
None of this is a problem if the food is accompanied by natural organic alkalizing minerals in the food, which act to neutralise the acidic by-products.
Thus, the ratio of acidic end-products to minerals in the food determines whether the overall effect of that food is acidifying or alkalinizing to the body. Through sophisticated laboratory analysis this has been precisely measured for various foods, but the overall effects are as follows:
Fresh unrefined fruits and vegetables, which contain an abundance of the alkalizing minerals of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, among a host of others, more than compensate for the acidic end-products of metabolism and thus create an alkalizing overall effect on the body.
In contrast, refined carbohydrates such as white sugar, white flour, white rice, corn syrup and so on, by the very process of concentration and fractionation are stripped or severely depleted of their minerals and thus produce an acidifying effect.
This is not true of the sugar in fresh raw fruits, because their natural sugar is accompanied by an abundance of minerals in organic form, so that their effect in general is strongly alkalinizing.
As a side note, fruits which might seem acidic such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc. are actually alkalinizing to the body because of their strong mineral content.
Animal foods, such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs, are very acidifying to the body because the strongly acidic by-products of their metabolism completely overwhelm the minerals which they contain.
Dairy products are acidifying, though not quite as much as flesh foods and eggs. Beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds, because of their high protein content, are also acidifying, but not as much so as flesh foods and eggs because of their strong mineral content.
Grains, such as rice, corn, wheat, millet, etc. have about 10% protein usually and are thus acidifying, but somewhat less so.
The consequenses of all that are this:
Diets which contain substantial amounts of animal protein tend to be strongly acidifying to the body. If, in addition, the diet has few fresh fruits and vegetables, the effect is even more pronounced. Long-term, demineralization and acidosis are produced.
The first and most obvious effects of an acidic body are fatigue, lethargy, a feeling of stiffness (especially upon waking). Headaches, sinus problems, irritability, colds and flus are other symptoms. These are, in general, the symptoms of a build-up of toxins in the body.
Long-term, research has demonstrated a strong correlation with more serious degenerative diseases of "modern" culture such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, colitis, osteoporosis and so on. An acidic and toxic body is actually normal for most people in industrialized societies, to which the high rates of degenerative diseases are a solemn testimony.
To counteract these efffects, people sometimes switch to a mostly plant-based diet, but then fill their diet with large amounts of dairy, yogurt and cheese "to get enough protein." However, this is still an acidifying diet and, long-term, tends to produce the same results.
Or they switch to an exclusively plant-based diet, but then load up on beans, peas, nuts, chips, refined white flour and white rice, or sweets and desserts, etc., all of which are still acidifying. The result, though not as extreme as diets containing animal protein, is still in the same direction.
Long-term, such a diet still leads to toxicosis and acidification of the body, with the resultant effects.
Though much more rare, it is also possible to go to the other extreme and eat a diet which is too alkalinizing. This is sometimes seen in raw-foodists who put so much emphasis on fruits and salads that they eat little else. I have personally seen several cases of this.
A person who is too alkaline tends to become rather anxious and excitable. They also tend to become a bit "spaced out." They're not very well grounded. They may experience spasms or pain in the muscles, and often have a low tolerance of physical or sensory stimulation.
A more balanced approach seems to be followed by the healthiest and longest-lived peoples in the world—the Hunzakuts of northern Pakistan, the Vilcabambans of Equador, the Abkhasians of Georgian Russia and the Tarahumaras of Mexico.
They eat diets which are centered around unprocessed, unrefined starches (grains and legumes, mostly, usually in a 2-to-1 ratio or so) along with copious amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables. They're diets are 99% plant-based.
And of course they avoid all fractionated and processed foods and additives such as white flour, white rice, sugars, pastries, sodas, extracted oils, supplements, fried foods, rich sauces and so on. And they tend to have small amounts of animal foods only on "feast days" a few times a year.
For more articles and information on health-promoting principles, the diets of indigenous peoples, etc., click on the Search button (located at left) and type in the word "Hunza" or the word "health".
Here's to your health, in every way.
—jim sloman, for 1/7/02
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