Alkaline and acidic foods diets are believed to have the power to cause fat loss, prevent osteoporosis and even heal cancer. Exponents of the acid alkaline diet, such as Dr. Elson Haas, claim that certain foods cause an increase or decrease in hydrogen ions in the body, leading to fluctuations in acidity levels.
PH Levels
The pH scale tests levels of acidity. This scale ranges from 1 to 14 and the higher the reading, the more alkaline the substance is, and the lower the reading, the more acidic it is. For example stomach acid, or gastric acid, has a pH levels between 1 and 2 and is composed of hydrochloric acid. Human blood falls in a very specific range of pH; between 7.35 and 7.45. Many alternative medical practitioners and some conventional doctors claim that foods can cause fluctuations in the bodies pH levels, adversely affecting health. Most of these health professionals also agree that Westerns diets need more alkaline foods as our diets tend to be highly acidic. According to Dr. Cynthia Bailey, primitive hunters and gatherers primarily ate alkaline foods; our bodies like these foods. While processed food and animal based foods are so easy to come by, Bailey notes that they aren't the foods you should eat as the foundation of your diet.
Acidic Foods
Acidic foods include processed foods such as refined sugar, white bread, white rice and fried foods. Many natural foods are also considered acidic. For example, most types of meat such as chicken, beef, poultry, pork, tuna and salmon are acidic, as well as other animal products such as eggs and dairy. Peas, fava beans, buckwheat flour, oatmeal and brown rice are also considered acidic although not as much as meat and animal products. Alcohol such as wine, beer and whiskey are also acidic-forming foods.
Alkaline Foods
Alkaline foods mainly consist of natural foods. Most types of vegetables are alkaline such as ginger, kidney beans, spinach, soybeans, bananas, chestnuts, carrots, mushrooms, strawberries, potatoes, cabbage, radishes, squash and bamboo shoots. Dr. Bailey recommends having a basic diet of vegetables. After vegetables, she notes that you should eat mostly fruit, then whole-grain foods, then nuts, seeds, oils and meat. You should avoid refined foods or at least, eat them infrequently.
Medical Evidence
There is no medical evidence to support the theory that foods either acidify or alkalize the body. Conventional medicine shows that the body regulates its own pH levels through a variety of automatic responses such as faster or slower breathing to regulate carbon dioxide levels, and by excreting the excess acid-forming hydrogen ions through the kidneys. According to Stephanie Vangsness, R.D., when your pH shifts outside the normal range and becomes too acidic or too alkaline, your body automatically corrects itself to bring things back to normal.
References
- Every Diet:Acid Alkaline Diets
- Dr. Baileys Skin Care; Alkaline Mediterranean Diet; Cyntthia Bailey; Jan. 25, 2010
- Doris Rapp MD: Acid Alkaline Forming Foods; Doris Rapp; Jan. 24, 2011
- Intelli Health: Alkaline Diets and Cancer: Fact or Fiction?; Stephanie Vangsness; December 20, 2010
- Daily Mail: How Too Much Cheese And Meat Can Make Your Body Dangerously Acidic; Pat Hagan; June 2011
- Elson Haas: Dr. Elson Haas
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