The Relationship between Nutrition and Acidity

 

But why should this happen? Effectively, all the body’s internal fluids are designed to be slightly alkaline, such as interstitial fluid, cerebrospinal and lymphatic fluid, liver bile and so on. The only exception to this is the hydrochloric acid produced in the blood vessels for the stomach.

 

ALKALINE; OUR NATURAL STATE

 

While our bodies are designed to be alkaline, cells produce acid as a by-product of their normal activity. The acid waste matter thus produced is reduced to carbon dioxide and water which is then excreted harmlessly from the body. However, when food is consumed and metabolized, not all of it is utilized; a residue remains and this is referred to as ash. Perhaps the major area of disagreement within this subject is over the classification of foods into acid-ash forming and alkaline-ash forming foods. Digestion oxidizes foods in the same way as if they were burned except that it involves enzymes operating at low temperatures. For example, a lemon will break down into carbohydrates that will further break down into carbon dioxide and water leaving a residual alkaline ash consisting of minerals salts such as sodium, potassium and calcium etc. So while a lemon will taste acidic and presents an acid pH if tested raw, its ash will be alkaline and so will its effect on the body.

 

 

 

PROTEINS: THE SILENT ACIDIFIER

 

Proteins, on the other hand, leave an ash consisting of phosphates, sulphates and nitrates that come from the phosphorus, sulphur and nitrogen that proteins contain. These are all acid. The net effect of protein consumption, whether from animal or vegetable sources, is to increase acidity. The body has to rid itself of its acid wastes. This type of acid ash cannot be eliminated through the lungs as carbon dioxide and water in the same way as cellular metabolism. Instead, the body has to buffer the ash with alkaline substances in order to neutralize it. Buffering takes place both inside and outside the cell with the majority of the buffering occurring in the blood itself.

 

Clinical research by Dr. M.T. Morter (Arkansas, USA) has shown that if the anabolic urinary and salivary pH (measured immediately upon awakening) is below 6.8, we can be relatively certain that digestive support must be provided.

Controlled clinical studies by Dr. Paul Yanick (Pasadena, USA) have confirmed Dr Morter’s findings and recorded that intracellular assimilation of nutrients is significantly decreased when the anabolic pH is below 6.8.

 

As both these researchers have shown, supplementing the diet with appropriate alkalizing methods is highly beneficial in supporting the systemic pH by replenishing the alkaline mineral and enzyme reserves. Since systemic deficiencies show only in the last instance in the digestive tract, practitioners should not wait until the signs and symptoms of poor digestion become evident. From a preventative perspective, compensation should be made when symptoms are minimal and the anabolic pH is below 7.4 after an Alkaline Load Test (see “Correlative Urinalysis” by M T Morter).

 

GOOD DIGESTION – OR ACID? TAKE YOUR PICK.

 

Diets that are high in protein, fat and carbohydrates and low in greens and raw food, stress our digestive mechanisms. This inhibits proper digestion and overloads the immune system with incompletely digested macromolecules and toxins. These digestive disturbances are aggravated by the typically high intake of food additives, pesticides and stimulating foods that are common in the Western diet.

Also in an effect to solve the problem of worsening public water quality, more and more people are turning to water in plastic containers. What is not common knowledge is that virtually all bottled water is highly acidic and missing the essential alkalizing minerals.