It Is Important To Maintain The Acid-Alkaline Balance In Our Body

Acid-Alkaline Balance

Probably the most important factor to consider in planning healthy and nutritious meals is the acid-alkaline balance in our body.

Relating this to our food intake, natural foods such as fruits and vegetables are predominately alkaline-forming as they go through the digestive process. On the other hand, most animal proteins, processed foods and beverages are acid-forming.

In a healthy body, nature maintains a reserve of alkaline elements, much like a bank account. Under such circumstances, if we eat a meal that is more acidic than alkaline, our digestive processes automatically draw on the reserve of alkaline substances in our body to neutralize the acid-forming foods. But if we regularly eat meals that are overly acid-forming, the alkaline reserve in our body becomes depleted, and our body is unable to neutralize the acids. This is analogous to continuing to write checks off of a bank account without making adequate deposits – the account soon becomes overdrawn.

The greatest cause of disease in the world today is an excess of acid-causing foods in our diet that end up as acidic residues in the cells and tissue. Cancer cells and other degenerative diseases cannot thrive in an environment that is not acidic. Even the common cold virus has difficulty surviving in an alkaline environment.

Whether a substance is alkaline or acidic is determined by its pH (potential Hydrogen). This is a measure of the number of negative ions, which are alkaline-forming, as opposed to the number of positive ions, which are acid-forming. The standard pH scale goes from 1 to 14, with 7 being the neutral point. A substance with a pH of less than 7 is acidic, whereas one with a pH of greater than 7 is alkaline. From an energetic perspective, pH measures how much the negative ions and positive ions push against each other.

Translating this to the biochemical processes that take place within our body:

• An alkaline-forming reaction refers to any chemical alteration in the body that produces an increased ability to energize the system, and leaves an alkaline residue.
• An acid-forming reaction refers to any chemical alteration in the body that produces a decreased ability to energize the system, and leaves an acid residue.

If a meal has a perfect balance of alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods, then the alkaline and acids neutralize each other, and the residues will also be pH neutral. One of the problems, however, is that most fruits and vegetables are only moderately alkaline-forming, whereas many of the meat products, processed foods and beverages are extremely acid-forming. So maintaining a balance within our body is not just a matter of the quantity of alkaline-forming food we eat compared to acid-forming food, but also the degree to which the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming.

The 80/20 Rule

In order to assure that we regularly replenish and sustain our alkaline reserve, the best guideline to follow is the ’80/20 Rule’. This simply means that 80% of the foods we eat should be alkaline-forming, and 20% acid-forming. This rule does not give us license to eat acid-forming foods that may be laden with toxins such as preservatives, artificial sweeteners and other unhealthy additives. But there are certain natural foods, such as cranberries and blueberries that, although acid-forming, can be helpful in keeping our kidneys and bladder clean.

Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)

At this point, a note of clarification may be appropriate. A healthy body produces hydrochloric acid (HCl) that is essential to the digestive process. It is the only acid that our body produces. All other acids are by-products of metabolism, and are eliminated as soon as possible. HCl is the first substance in the stomach that breaks down food so that it can be metabolized. It is also our first line of defense against various destructive microbes that enter the body by way of the food we eat. HCl keeps us alive by helping to maintain a proper alkaline-acid balance, and then it becomes alkaline after its vital job in the digestive process is done.

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This is an excerpt from the book SIMPLE STEPS TO TOTAL HEALTH by Andreas Moritz & John Hornecker