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Alkaline foods, or more accurately, alkaline-forming foods, are an important key to health. They prevent the flu and other infectious diseases, because viruses, bacteria, fungi and other harmful microorganisms thrive only in an acidic body condition. Even cancer cells require an acidic condition to grow and multiply. If you maintain your body in a slightly alkaline condition, you can avoid hundreds of diseases and ailments.
The theory of acid and alkaline balance is not widely accetpted within medical circles. Doctors acknowledge that extreme cases, where the body is either very acidic or very alkaline, can lead to serious problems and eventually death. But generally, they don't pay much attention to subtle changes in the acid-aklaine balance. Some "quack busters" even assert that such theories are non-sensical.The idea of acid-alkaline balance and of taking more alkaline foods to make the body condition alkaline was championed by Claude Bernard, a comtemporary of Louis Pasteur. Bernard rejected Pasteur's germ theory of disease and argued instead that the "terrain" of the body was more important. This "terrain" refers to an alkaline condition that prevents harmful viruses and bacteria from thriving.
Similar concepts were taught in macrobiotics by the late Herman Aihara. Click here to learn more about Aihara's teachings on acid-alkaline balance and alkaline foods.
So what are these foods? As mentioned, they should rightly be called "alkaline-producing foods" but since most people shorten it to "alkaline foods" we shall use this term for this article.
The important thing to note is this - we want to know the end result, not what the food oiginally tastes like. Lemon, for example, tastes acidic. but eating lemon will produce an alkaline condition. To understand this better, it helps to know a bit of chemistry. Otherwise, you can just refer to the chart below on acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods.
Acid-forming vs alkaline-forming foods
Acid is formed when elements combine with hydrogen (H). For example, hydrochloric acid (HCI) is chlorine combined with hydrogen. Sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is sulphur and oxygen combined with hydrogen. And so on. The elements that combine easily with hydrogen are sulphur (S), phosphorous (P), chlorine (CI) and iodine (I). Foods that are rich in these elements tend to form acids. They are said to be acid-forming foods.
Alkaline-forming foods are those that do not combine with hydrogen. The main alkaline elements are sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). Foods rich in these elements are said to be alkaline-forming foods. or alkaline foods in short.
That, in essence, is the theory of acid and alkaline. It is simple and straight forward.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in alkaline elements like potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. So fruits and vegetables are actually alkaline-forming or alkaline foods. If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, your body becomes more alkaline.
Meat, eggs and other high protein foods produce uric acid when digested. High-protein foods are acid-forming. Remember, what is important is the final outcome - whether a food is acid-forming or alkaline-forming, not whether or not it tastes acidic.
Acid-forming foods include:
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Alkaline forming foods include:
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You need both categories of foods for good health, but with greater emphasis on alkaline-forming or alkaline foods.
One of the best alkaline foods is the Japanese pickled sour plum, umeboshi. It is reputed to be the "king" of alkaline-forming foods as it has very powerful alkaline-forming effects. Not surprisingly, then, umeboshi is claim to cure over a hundred different diseases. This may seem far-fetched if you think of a hundred diseases having a hundred different causes. But if you think of them all being basically caused by an acidic condition, then umeboshi could well cure all of them.
The blood of a healthy person has a pH of 7.4 – a slightly alkaline balance. Most illnesses occur when the blood becomes acidic. In fact, proponents of the acid-alkaline theory say that illness begins when the body condition turns acidic, not when symptoms appear or when bacteria and viruses are detected.
When the blood becomes too acidic – with a pH value of less than 6.9 – the person enters a coma and finally dies.
Of course, illness can also occur when a person becomes too alkaline. In extreme cases, the person may develop fits and seizures. Illnesses due to an overly alkaline balance are rare, however, because the modern diet consist of mostly acid-forming foods.
Taking "alkaline foods" is not the only factor that can influence a person’s acid-alkaline balance. Another way to make the body more alkaline is to take cold baths or showers. To avoid chills, start with hot water first, then switch to cold. Bathe the legs first, and slowly move up the body.
Another effective way to alkalinize the body is simply to talk. Or sing, sigh or simply breathe out. Macrobiotic teacher the late Herman Aihara demonstrated this by testing his saliva with a piece of litmus (pHydrion) paper.
At the start of his lecture, the paper turned light green, indicating a pH of about 7.0. His condition was neutral, or slightly alkaline. After two hours of talking, he tested again. This time, the litmus paper turned dark blue. His pH had risen to about 7.5; his condition had become more alkaline.
The body has five main types of acids, Herman explains. Of these, the most abundant is carbonic acid. When we talk, sing and express ourselves, this carbonic acid is converted into carbon dioxide – which we breathe out – and water.
When we do not express ourselves, when we keep our emotions, we do not exhale very much. We keep the carbonic acid. The body remains acidic and we are more prone to sickness. This, Herman believes, is the main cause of cancer and other serious diseases. Although poor eating habits play a big role, he believes that keeping emotions play an even bigger role in the development of cancers.
Herman encourages cancer patients, especially, to talk about their illness, their concerns and their fears. He even suggests that they go up to strangers along the road and tell them, “I have cancer!” He encourages everyone to talk and express themselves freely.
And so the class talks about how it is, in fact, healthy to express anger and unhappiness…. To gossip and to complain. And we laugh. Hey, that’s healthy too!