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A Brief Lesson in Nutrition
Pat Homan
Over the years nutrition experts have advocated for a balanced diet--lots of fruits and vegetables and fewer carbohydrate type foods. The human body is a marvelous machine--a God designed masterpiece. Centuries ago Moses recorded that "the life of flesh is in the blood" Lev 17:11. How true that is because the blood has a mechanism that keeps the "pH" factor at about 7 at all times, which keeps the body alive.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 with pH meaning the rating of the potential hydrogen atoms in any substance. Less that 7 is considered acidic and greater that 7 is considered alkaline. Blood, spinal fluid and lymph fluid also has a pH around 7, as does filtered water. The digestive track is naturally more acidic.
Foods are either alkaline or acidic based upon the mineral content of the food, how the body uses the food and what is left afterward--the ash content or remaining residue. Some foods leave an acid ash and others leave an alkaline ash.
For example, one might assume that pineapple, lemons or tomatoes are acid foods because they have tartness. The truth is that they are alkaline foods because they produce alkaline ash in the human body.
Some other foods that leave alkaline ash are fresh or frozen green vegetables (broccoli, green beans, Brussel sprouts, spinach, peas, etc.), banana, avocado, sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower, onions, herbs, seeds, sprouts, garlic, pumpkin, squash, melons, figs, raisins, purple/red grapes, cherries, berries, apples, olive oil, raw honey, raw milk, cinnamon, and sea salt.
Some of the foods that leave acidic ash are meats, white potatoes, dried beans, corn, cranberries, green grapes, vegetables/fruits processed in metal cans, grain products, egg yokes, sugar, margarine, carbonated beverages, coffee, wine, fatty foods and chemicals added to processed foods. Most prescription drugs also leave an acid ash in the human body.
A balanced diet is 60-70% alkaline foods and 30-40% acidic foods. The best way to obtain this ratio is to look at the portions of foods on your plate. It's not necessary to count calories. Some people notice that cravings for carbohydrates diminish when acid type foods are lowered--weight loss then occurs naturally without calorie counting or diet foods.
When the blood becomes acidic it must seek out minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium) from the body to adjust the pH level. These minerals are borrowed from the bones and vital organs to neutralize acid foods and keep the body alive. If the blood pH gets too acid, or too alkaline, and the neutralizing minerals are depleted, death will occur promptly.
If the blood cannot get rid of the acid quick enough, survival tactics come into play--the acid cells are quickly deposited in storage areas in the body and isolated. The heart pumps faster to get the blood moving faster to complete this clean-up process. If this storage cycle continues for too long the healthy cells in the storage areas begin to die or mutate to survive in the acid environment. The cells then become malignant--cancer develops in the acidic storage areas. This acid strain on the body can also cause a variety of other degenerative diseases in vital organs, such as, heart disease, kidney failure, and liver problems.
Unless the body's pH levels are kept at the proper levels, the body cannot repair damaged tissue efficiently, detoxify heavy metals or effectively use nutrients from foods or supplements. When the body has to function in an acid state for too long numerous symptoms begin to appear, such as, dry skin, brittle nails, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, gout, leg cramps, infections, tooth decay, high blood pressure and hormonal problems.
Most health food stores carry products where a person can test the pH of their own saliva (or urine) at home. Some lists of acid / alkaline foods differ from other lists of acid / alkaline foods so with a personal pH testing it becomes easier to see what needs to be adjusted in the daily diet to stay close to the neutral zone. If the blood does not have to waste time adjusting pH levels after each meal, the body will have more energy and be healthier.
And, what about carbonated beverages? In a laboratory situation it takes 32 glasses of alkaline water (pH 9) to neutralize a 12oz can of cola (pH 2.5). As a point of interest, Root Beer has a pH of 4 and battery acid has a pH of 1. So, if you're given a choice between cola, Root Beer or battery acid, take the Root Beer. Better yet, drink filtered water (pH7).
In the human body, carbonated beverages are very destructive. The blood will need lots of calcium from the bones to raise the alkalinity level in the blood so that death does not occur immediately. Soda pop has the same pH as vinegar but is consumed in a much larger quantity.
Because soda pop is a liquid it passes quickly through the small intestine into the blood steam and comes into contact with every cell in the body. Since it is a high acid food, the carbonation has a large number of hydrogen electrons that are attracted to other electrons in other body cells. When high acid foods with these free electrons attach to healthy cells it causes a spark in the cell, which causes damage to the cell. This damage is called a "free radical exchange" and too much of this kind of cell damage leads to a variety of diseases and premature aging.
The above is only a very brief overview of the pH factor as it relates to diet. Do your own research and see what works for you. Here's to your health!
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