Alkaline & pH Diet - What is this?

Alkalising your body- What does it mean?

We are often told by natural health care practitioners that maintaining an alkaline pH in our bodies helps support general health and well being. I investigate what this means, and why they keep saying it.

Eating certain foods can result in by-product ashes which make your urine acid or alkaline. Alkaline-ash forming foods include fresh fruit and raw vegetables, and acid-ash forming foods include all animal products, grains, beans and other seeds (The exceptions to this rule can be seen as listed below).

Organic acids would acidify your blood, if it weren't for the body's in-built mechanisms to maintain an alkaline blood pH of 7.35–7.45.

As soon as organic acids are detected in the blood, the body draws from it's own alkaline mineral stores to buffer these acids. Examples of alkaline minerals are potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium are lost from bones leading to osteoporosis, while another alkali, ammonia, is lost from muscle tissue leading to muscle wasting. These bases combine with acids to form salts, and are excreted via the kidneys and bladder.

Research shows that the demineralization of bones is especially caused by low blood pH, which is often the result of high consumption of animal protein (high in sulphuric acid) vs vegetables (high in potassium bicarbonate).

When urine pH tests are done using litmus paper, it is the acid levels that are being measured. High level of acid excretion is simply an indicator that the body has a lot of acid to contend with and neutralize. As a result mineral stores may be compromised.

What other medical professionals think:
Most physicians are familiar with extreme acidosis, such as lactic acidosis (from over exercise), ketoacidosis (from severe fat loss), and renal acidosis (from kidney failure). They are, however, not always familiar with the finer imbalances that a high acid diet can cause to ones health. As a result, they often regard the alkaline diet with much scepticism. To fuel controversy, many unqualified claims are made by companies selling alkaline supplements.

The role of alkaline minerals in the alkaline diet:
As explained, chronic low-grade metabolic acidosis can lead to mineral deficiencies. This increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, fatigue, weakness, muscle cramping, arrhythmias, anxiety, diabetes, kidney disease, and these deficiencies are implicated in hundreds of other health problems.

Calcium, magnesium, and potassium are electrolytes (conduct electricity) that the body uses for the proper function of cells, tissues, and organs. These minerals are of particular interest because they are so easily used up by pH modulating as well as other metabolic processes, but are not regularly replenished by the typical western diet of sandwiches and meat based dishes.

It is now recognised that chronic low-grade acidosis increases insulin resistance, as well as the risk of kidney stones and kidney failure.

Supplementing with mineral buffers:
When products containing calcium, magnesium, and potassium are sold because they “alkalise your blood” (e.g. Base powders), what they should really say is that they help replenish essential body stores of these alkaline minerals.

On that note, it is important to get these minerals in their most bioavailable form, the best being from mineral rich foods, and the second best being from good quality mineral supplements.

Certain mineral supplements have gotten a bad rep for increasing the risk of mineral deposits forming in the kidneys, gallbladder, and even in blood vessels. This is a heated and complex discussion on it's own.

It is generally agreed however, that ionic and chelated minerals are better absorbed than elemental minerals. Colloidal mineral supplements are popular, but claims for their high level of absorption may not be all that well supported by research.

Avoid using supplements that only state the elemental name, i.e. calcium, or magnesium, in their ingredients list, and ask your product advisor or nutritionist for an ionic, chelated, or food based mineral supplement instead.

If dietary and lifestyle habits that contribute to pH imbalance are not reformed, supplements alone are unlikely to provide sufficient support, and chronic disease may still prevail.

Besides being the best source of absorb able minerals, fruit and vegetables also provide an array of other essential nutrients, without which our bodies would function sub-optimally and would become predisposed to illness. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals such as antioxidants and enzymes, that support essential chemical reactions and the healthy functioning of cells.

How to follow an alkaline forming diet:

- Increase vegetables and fruit. These should make up the bulk of your diet.

- Reduce intake of cheese, meat, grains, and refined or processed foods. While all grains tend to produce an acidic ash in the body, I must stress that whole unrefined grains do provide a good source of energy and nutrients, and should be included (in moderation) into a well balanced diet.

- Reduce table salt (sodium chloride). The typical diet provides high levels of table salt, usually hidden in preprepared meals, and pre-packaged foods. Sodium antagonises potassium, and chloride (acid-forming) antagonises bicarbonate (alkaline-forming) levels in the body. Bicarbonate is a useful biochemical buffer.

- Wash fruit and vegetables before eating them, and minimise your intake of pickled and marinated fruit and veg. These are acid forming. It is also worthwhile mentioning that it is generally thought that pesticide residues can increase tendency of fruit to yield acid residues.

- Drink plenty of water, herbal teas, and vegetable juices.

The following list describes which foods form acid residues and which foods form alkaline residues in the body. This is a basic idea, and is compiled from various different sources - There will be minor variations between this list and others found on the topic.

For example, some list milk as slightly acid-forming, and certain fruit are also sometimes listed as acid-forming. Fruit are usually rich in alkalising minerals, as well as natural sugars. There may be nutrient variances depending on farming and storage methods, including chemical residues, and the mineral levels in the soil that these fruit are grown in. These factors may antagonize each other, and can alter the nutrient content of different fruit and their affect on pH.

*If you are interested in trying an alkaline diet out, consider investigating Macrobiotics. Macrobiotic diets are renowned for being low acid-forming.


Acid- forming
- Lentils
- Walnuts, Cashews, Peanuts, Pistachios, Hazelnuts, Macadamia Nuts
- Rice, oats, wheat, corn, rye - in all their forms i.e. bread, pasta, cereals
- Parmesan, Processed (soft) cheeses, Hard cheeses, Gouda, Cottage cheese, Yoghurt
- All Meats including Luncheon meats, Liver, Chicken, Cod, Herring, Trout, Beef, Pork
- Saturated fats, Hydrogenated fats & oils - Beware vegetable oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and margarine
- Eggs
- Soy sauce, Tamari
- Sweets
- Honey
- Artificial sweeteners
- Refined and processed foods
- Alcohol
- Fizzy Drinks
- Tea, Coffee
- Boxed or sweetened fruit juice

Neutral
- Coconuts & coconut milk
- Brazil Nuts
- Buttermilk, Milk, Cream

Alkaline- forming
- All Vegetables
- All Fruit
- Hummus
- Sprouted legumes
- Almonds
- Pumpkin, Sunflower, Sesame, Flax seeds
- Tahini
- Sprouted seeds
- Millet, Buckwheat, Spelt
- All sprouted grains
- Unrefined cold pressed vegetable oils including:Flax, Hemp, Avocado, Olive, Evening Primrose, Borage
- Vegetable juice
- Herbal tea
- Almond milk, Unsweetened soya milk

Where to draw the line:
Moderation is key. Avoid being obsessive about what is and what is not aloud into your diet, but be moderate about including any foods that have been altered by any degree from their natural state. I always say this about food;"If you can pick it off of a tree, or pull it from the earth, then its most likely good for you".

Monitoring the body's acid levels with litmus paper:
Using litmus paper, test your second urination of each day, and compare the colour it shows to that on a pH colour chart. Record this for a period of 10 days. Average the results to get an idea of what your acid levels are like. Most therapists want to see a pH reading of between 6.8 to 7.4.

When someone makes dietary changes to support their health, results can be frustratingly slow to recognize. Ph testing is a simple way to monitor progress and encourage one to take healthy action.

Bibliography:
(...a bit informal, I know, but good for the sake of discussion)
- Acid & Alkaline, Herman Aihara, George Ohsawa Macrobiotic Foundation
- www.quackwatch.org Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense, by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
- http://gerd.emedtv.com/antacids/antacids.html
- http://www.naturalnews.com/Report_acid_alkaline_pH_0.html
- http://cancernd.blogspot.com
- http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html
- http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm
- http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/minerals/organic-and-inorganic-minerals.html
- Sparks of Life Colloidal Minerals, Tonita d'Raye, Aweica Inc.
- http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/16/25/18.html