Strike the balance
Maintenance of acid-base homeostasis (the body’s ability to regulate its inner environment to ensure its stability in response to changes in the external environment) is a vital function. The blood’s acid-base balance is precisely controlled, and even a minor deviation from the normal range can predispose one to disease and when severely off the mark, can threaten life.
Nutrition has long been known to influence acid-base balance. All foods are digested or “burned” in the body, leaving a “food ash” that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline, depending on the mineral composition of the foods.
Foods that create acidic residues after they have been broken down by the body are known as acid-forming foods. These include protein-rich foods such as eggs, meat, poultry, legumes, pulses and nuts. Alkali-forming foods include fruits and vegetables that leave an alkaline or basic ash. They contain magnesium, calcium and potassium salts of organic acids, which yield an alkaline residue when oxidised.
Excessive intake of acid-forming foods can lead to metabolic acidosis that occurs when blood pH falls below 7.35. Its symptoms include nausea, weakness and depression of central nervous system through decreased nerve transmission. Eventually, it may lead to disorientation, loss of consciousness, coma and even death.
An optimum ratio between acid and alkaline foods in diet is thus important. When an ideal ratio is maintained, the body has a strong resistance against diseases. Excessively acidic diets can increase risk of osteoporosis and autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and chronic inflammation.
In most disease states, catabolic state (where organic matter is broken down to release energy in cells) or fasting, the patient develops acidosis. Increasing intake of alkaline foods accelerates healing. The higher the ratio of alkaline elements in the diet, the faster will be the recovery. Alkalis neutralise the acids. Therefore, in the treatment of most diseases, it is important that the patient’s diet includes plenty of alkaline-ash foods to offset the effects of acid-forming foods and leave a safe margin of alkalinity.
Alkalosis, on the other hand, happens when blood pH rises above 7.45. It is a condition when acid-base disturbance is caused by an elevation in plasma bicarbonate (HCO3) concentration and its symptoms include confusion, hand tremor, light-headedness, muscle twitching, nausea, numbness or tingling in the face, prolonged muscle spasms, convulsions and if severe, loss of consciousness and death. Severe alkalosis depresses respiration.
Aim to achieve at least five to nine servings (1serving = ½ cup) of fruits and vegetables daily with whole grains, modest intake of low-fat dairy, pulses, animal foods and nuts and limited intake of salt, sugar, fat and alcohol.
POTENTIALLY ACID OR ACID-ASH FOODS
Meat: Meat, fish, chicken, shellfish
Fat: Walnuts, peanuts, peanut butter
Starch: All types of bread (especially whole wheat), cereal, crackers, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, rice.
Vegetables: Corn, lentils
Fruit: Cranberries, plums, prunes
Desserts: Plain cakes, cookies
POTENTIALLY BASIC OR ALKALINE-ASH FOODS
Milk: Milk and milk products, cream, buttermilk
Fat: Almonds, chestnuts, coconut
Vegetables: All types (except corn and lentils), especially beets, beet greens, swiss chard, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens
Fruit: All types (except cranberries, plums, prunes)
Desserts: Molasses
NEUTRAL FOODS
Fat: Butter, margarine, cooking fats, oils
Starch: Arrowroot, tapioca
Sweets: Plain candies, sugar, syrups, honey
Beverages: Coffee, tea
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