Acidosis: The Cure

by Heidi Stevenson

10 April 2010

This is the second part of Acidosis: The Modern Pandemic and Its Surprising Cure. The first part explained what acidosis is and isn't, and why it's so damaging. Following is a discussion of how chronic acidosis can be countered and prevented.

How to Counter Chronic Acidosis

Your body operates at its best when the food you eat keeps it slightly alkaline, a pH of 7.365. So, the issue is what makes that happen. The most significant factor in acid-alkaline balance is food. Other things also matter, including exercise and how minor illnesses are handled. These will be discussed briefly after information about food.

Foods and Their Effects on the Acid-Alkaline Balance

This is where what seems obvious can lead you astray. Lemons, though quite acidic, are alkaline-producing in the body.

First, keep in mind that your gastric juices are very acidic. Lemons are only mildly acidic in comparison. You don't inject lemons into your bloodstream. You eat them, and they're processed through digestion, separating out the nutrients for absorption.

An alkaline-producing food breaks down into molecules that combine with hydrogen ions, thus raising the pH. An acid-producing food breaks down into molecules that release free hydrogen ions, so lowering pH.

What makes a food acid-producing or alkaline-producing is what its component nutrients do in the body. Lemons, though highly acidic, remove hydrogen ions, thus making the blood more alkaline.

Keep in mind that acid-producing foods are not inherently bad. You do, in fact, require both.

The problem we face is that the foods most pushed by Agribusiness are acid-producing: grains. That doesn't mean only processed grains, but also whole grains. So, if you are eating processed foods, even if they aren't genetically modified, even if they aren't full of pesticides, even if they have no damaging artificial sweeteners, your health is being damaged.

To get your body into good condition, you must limit your intake of grains. Of course, you don't want to put your body into alkalosis, either—but when was the last time you heard of it being a problem? It's certainly possible, but unless you have a congenital condition, it's difficult in modern society.

There are many lists of acid-producing and alkaline-producing foods online. You'll find that they don't all match, but the primary things to know are:

• Grains are nearly all severely acid-producing. Millet and buckwheat are not; they're fairly neutral. Quinoa is probably mildly alkalizing.
• Most fruits and vegetables are alkaline-producing, though that's not absolute. (Remember that corn is not a veggie. It's a grain and is highly acid-producing.)
• Most drugs are acid-producing. That includes aspirin—another reason not to take an aspirin a day.
• Soda pop, beer, wine, hard alcohol, and coffee are acid-producing. Teas vary, but they tend to be only mildly acid-producing or alkalizing.
• Vegetable and nut oils are acid-producing. Raw butter is neutral, but pasteurized butter is acid-producing.
• Mushrooms tend to be alkalizing.
• Stevia and xylitol are alkalizing.
• Raw milk is alkalizing. Pasteurized milk is acid-producing. If made from raw milk, soft cheeses and other milk products, such as yogurt, are alkalizing. Hard cheeses, though, are always acid-producing. Butter from raw milk is alkalizing, but it's acid-producing when made from pasteurized.
• Certain minerals are alkalizing. These include calcium, cesium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and sodium bicarbonate.
• Most nuts are acid-producing, with the exception of brazil nuts, almonds, and cashews.
• Eggs are acid-producing.
• Sugar and corn syrup are acid-producing.
• Vinegar is acid-producing, unlike lemons.
• Cooked meats are acid-producing. However, when they're cooked lightly, they're only mildly so. Raw meats are alkalizing. I strongly suspect that methods of raising animals also have an effect. Along with other drugs, antibiotics are very acid-producing. Organically raised animals most likely will produce meat that is less acid-producing.
• Pesticides are acid-producing—yet another reason to eat only organic foods.
• Lemons and limes are the most alkalizing foods you can eat.

Beans also show up on both sides. The wide variation in classification of beans as acid-producing or alkalizing makes me suspect that how they're grown is the real issue. I've seen lentils listed as among the most alkalizing foods and also as highly acid-producing. There must be a tale behind this, but the bottom line is that you needn't worry about it too much.

Differing advice is given on the proper ratio between acid-producing and alkalizing foods. Frankly, it's futile to try to follow such suggestions. There is simply too much variation in foods. How they're grown, whether they're pesticide-ridden, how they're cooked...all of these determine just how much acid or alkaline effect they will have.

Therefore, for general good health, the best advice is to simply focus on fruits and vegetables as the basis of your diet, avoid grains as much as possible, eat as much raw, organic, and free range food as you can...and stop worrying about getting it "right". In time, given a good diet of good quality foods, you'll ultimately find that your body will start craving the foods that you need.

Exercise and Its Effect on the Acid-Alkaline Balance

One of the body's methods of achieving an acid-alkaline balance is through respiration. Hyperventilating can cause alkalosis, though it's temporary. That happens because rapid breathing causes too much carbon dioxide to be taken from the blood stream and breathed out. The loss of carbon dioxide increases blood pH, making it more alkaline.

Exercise causes the same thing to happen, though not in as dramatic a fashion. Therefore, exercise is an alkalizing process.

The Effect of Mild Illness Treatment on the Acid-Alkaline Balance

When you have a mild illness, such as a cold, your body expells a lot of gunk. (Nice technical term, gunk.) You sneeze, cough, blow your nose. These are acidic waste products and must be discharged to return to good health. Viruses (and bacteria) thrive in an acidic environment.

If you try to suppress the symptoms by taking cold remedies, you're not allowing your body to heal its acid-base balance. You are also probably lengthening the cold's duration and increasing the likelihood of developing a worse illness later.

Recap

Acidosis is a pandemic disease, one that was created by civilization, first through farming and growing grains, taking them from being rare foods in people's diets to becoming the basis of modern diets through Agribusiness.

Acidosis is nearly always preventable and curable through the simple expedient of returning to a good and natural diet. Good health and happiness requires a good diet, and the first issue to be addressed is the acid-base balance.

Today's diets of processed foods have damaged our ability to know what's good for us. Our bodies are addicted to substances masquerading as food, but better defined as fillers with a dollop of addictive drugs. We need to take back control of our diet. The sooner, the better. Then, we can stop worrying about it, stop "dieting", discover what real health feels like, and get on with it.

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