Here we are in March – spring is officially sprung and this is the time of year when everyone is beginning to think of summer, with long light evenings, sunshine, coconut sun oil, holidays and beachwear.... for some that’s where the dreaming stops because the thought of bearing all is a just a non starter.  Like with everything about good nutrition, the next thought ought not to be ‘diet’ instead we should be thinking ‘balance’.  Once right eating is a permanent lifestyle change, balance is achieved and we the days of dreading beachwear can be over.

So I thought this month we’d have a look at the theme of balance from the acid: alkaline perspective.  There are a number of books which have been written on the subject, some of them have very good principles, but as we are such unique and individual beings one size doesn’t always or usually fit all.  So what I am covering here is a general view and may need to be tweaked or changed according to your own personal profile.

One of the basic requirements for a body to function optimally is the correct balance between acidity and alkalinity.  pH (potential hydrogen) is a term you may remember from your days in the chemistry lab!  It is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution or fluid.  It has a scale of 0 to 14 with anything lower than 7 being considered acidic and anything over 7 being alkaline, with 7 itself being neutral.  About 50% of the body’s fluid is inside the cell itself and this fluid is around pH 7.  Fluids external to the cells, including the blood have a higher pH of around 7.4.  Obviously there is the exception of the stomach which can be as low as 1.5, since it contains hydrochloric acid necessary to assist digestion (please note that as we age it is very common for hydrochloric acid in the stomach to decrease and contribute to gastro-intestinal symptoms – if you would like more information on this please feel free to contact me).  Additionally there is the saliva, which after eating can be as high as 8.

Living cells are extremely sensitive to even just slight changes in body fluids and extremes of acid or alkaline can be very damaging to body tissues – hence the need to achieve the balance.  Many illnesses today are thought to be due to an excessively acid build up in the body, rather than alkaline, for reasons which will become clear as you read this article.  For example in osteoporosis it is thought that an excessively acid diet will trigger the body’s buffering system into action, potentially causing calcium and magnesium to be leached from the bones, the body’s aim is to counteract the excess acid.  With regard to the diet, whilst it may seem reasonable to assume that citrus foods are acidic and should therefore be avoided, in fact the opposite is true.  Citrus foods when eaten actually have an alkalising effect on the tissues.  It is not the acidity of the food prior to eating it that determines the pH value of the food, it is the metabolic end product of that food after it has been digested.  

After foods have been digested and metabolised by the body there is what’s known as a ‘residue of ash’ left that affects the alkaline reserves of the body.  Foods that leave an ash rich in the minerals magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium are alkaline forming.  Foods that leave an ash rich in phosphorous, chlorine or sulphur are acid forming.  Amino acids from protein are acid forming.  Some foods are classed as neutral as they have both acid and alkaline forming elements to them such as milk and seeds.  To give you a guide approximately 80% of your diet should be from alkaline forming foods and only 20% from acid forming foods.  When you refer to the table of classification of foods below on you will see why most people have very acidic diets and thus prone to illness and disease.

High Medium Medium      High

Edam Brazil Nuts Olive Oil Almonds Avocado

Eggs Walnuts Milk                 Coconut Beetroot

Mayonnaise Cheddar cheese Butter Balsamic vinegar Carrots

Fish Stilton Cheese Coffee* Apple vinegar Potatoes

Shellfish Herrings Tea* Beans Spinach

Chicken Mackerel Sugar* Cabbage Dried fruit

Bacon Rye Syrup* Celery         Rhubarb

Beef Oats Pumpkin Seeds Lentils Beansprouts

Lamb Wheat Sunflower Seeds Lettuce Cucumber

Veal Rice Mushrooms Alfalfa

Plums Onions Radish

Olives Root vegetables Garlic

Cranberries Apricots

Apples

Tomatoes

Bananas

Cherries

Figs

Grapefruit

Grapes

Lemon

Melon

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Raspberries

Tangerines

Watercress

Prunes

* Caffeine and sugar should be avoided or kept to a minimum – refer to previous articles for information about this!

The body can only break down about 70g of protein each day.  Meat and cheese are much more acid forming than vegetable proteins such as nuts, beans and lentils therefore try to ensure you eat half meat protein and half plant sourced proteins.  The bicarbonate ions in the blood can cope with mopping up a certain amount of acid eating protein produces but thereafter it overstetches the body and can lead to inflammatory processes and the longer and more intensely this goes on the more likely we are to experience illness and disease.

As you can see from the chart above many fruits and vegetables are alkaline producing as well as being a valuable source of minerals and antioxidants.  Research has proved that women whose diets include high levels of alkalising fruit and vegetables have less incidence of osteoporosis.

We can’t get away from this!  It increases the body’s uptake of oxygen and elimination of metabolic acids  and increasing metabolic rate which helps the body to release excess acids from connective tissue.  Beware of excessive exercise as this can cause a breakdown in protein which will promote acid formation  - balance again is the key.  Aim for 30 – 45 minutes of heart rate increasing exercise 4 – 5 times a week.

Emotions greatly affect the acid : alkaline balance.  Stress and anger in particular greatly trigger acidity due to the effects of shallow breathing.  This means that less carbon dioxide is exhaled.  Breathing deeply can increase the uptake of oxygen and help to realkalise the body.

The kidneys and the lungs are the organs largely involved in keeping the balance between the acid and alkaline environment and these both use a great deal of water in that process, of eliminating metabolites via urination and exhaling.  We therefore need to ensure an intake in the region of 2 litres daily allowing more during hot weather or whilst exercising.

Times of stress cannot whic cannot be avoided, eating animal protein and exposure to environmental pollutants are such occasions when it may be helpful to supplement with alkalising minerals as previously mentioned and if you would like any help with this then please feel free to contact me.

This is a very basic look at the acid : alkalising principles and there is much more information than can be covered in an article such as this and if you are interested in knowing more about how it could work for you to read up on the subject or contact me for specific information.