There are people who swear by the alkaline diet, saying it makes them healthier and can even be a cure for cancer. To add to this, many any people are confused on the subject of acidic foods. Should you avoid acidic foods or should they be included in your diet? Before that question is answered, you have to know exactly what acidic foods are. You might think a lemon is acidic…and you’d be right and yet wrong at the same time. While lemons are high in acid, they actually leave an alkaline ash in the urine. Sugary products, on the other hand, may taste sweet and have no sign of acidity when you eat them, leave an acidic ash in the urine. According to the myth of alkaline and acid forming foods, the foods actually change the blood pH, which is untrue. They only change the pH of the urine because of the ash left behind.
Acid forming foods leave your body acidic and forced to work harder to normalize.
Water is neutral with a pH value of 7.0. Below 7.0 is acidic and above it is alkaline. The body needs blood to be at a pH of approximately 7.3 to 7.45. When you eat food, it doesn’t remain the same pH. It goes into the stomach that has highly acidic stomach acid. When all is said and done, the residue of the food, the ash, evacuates the body in the urine. That’s why testing urine can show alkalinity or acidity.
Fruits and vegetables leave an alkaline ash.
While the diet may be based on bad science, since the ash doesn’t change the blood in any manner, it’s actually very healthy. Foods that leave the highest alkalinity are often plant based, those leaving ash that’s higher in acidity are often processed. While the basic theory for the diet is a bit flawed, the foods it recommends are actually very healthy. They tend to be primarily fruits, sprouts and vegetables. These are included in healthy eating.
Acid forming foods are often highly processed foods and normally not part of a healthy diet.
While there are some healthy foods on the acidic list, there are also many foods you would want to avoid or limit on any type of diet. You are allowed to have some of these foods, but focus mainly on alkaline ones, like greens. Meat, dairy, legumes, nuts and eggs should be eaten in moderation according to proponents, with alcohol, refined sugar products and refined white flour products avoided. It sounds like a healthy diet plan to me.
– Does the alkaline diet make the body healthier? The answer is yes, but not for the reasons given by proponents. It provides foods that boost the body’s immune system and improves overall health, as long as it’s not adhered to rigidly—omitted important sources of protein.
– What are some of the claims of the alkaline diet? The diet has claimed to cure everything from kidney problems to cancer. While there is research that identifies that the foods you eat play a huge role in your overall good health, there are no studies showing this diet does that. It’s healthy and does give the body a fighting chance to heal itself.
– The alkaline diet requires you to test your body’s urine with a pH strip to find its alkalinity. Instead, you’re simply measuring the alkalinity of the waste products from your body.
– Those who strictly adhere to the diet, leave out important sources of protein necessary to for a healthy diet. This can actually create health problems.