Woodstock Earth Blog

KILLER
ACID

Knowing Why It’s Fatal

Is The Key

Anybody who thinks he or she knows anything about nutrition knows that it’s better to keep your body more “alkaline”, rather than ”acid”, but even most of these more enlightened people don’t know why. Our mothers have always told us to “eat your vegetables”, but even they don’t know why. Once you know why not eating your fruits and vegetables can be fatal, you’ll know why that’s not the way you want to go. Knowing why takes all the mystery out and makes it so simple.

Most of us aren’t aware that human blood, on the pH scale of 1 to 14, (1 being the most acid, and 14 being the most alkaline, and 7 being neutral, neither acid nor alkaline, like pure water), has the pH of 7.35 – 7.45, slightly alkaline. This goes for all humans on this planet, regardless of race, gender, what part of the world, or any other variable. And it has a very narrow range. If the pH of our blood goes even a half a point above or below, we cannot survive. If we eat mostly acidifying foods, and don’t eat enough alkalinizing foods, our blood would tend to get more acid (lower pH than 7.35), but thankfully our bodies have a survival mechanism to keep us alive. If we don’t eat enough vegetables and fruits that contain minerals which would neutralize the acidic condition, in order to keep us going, our bodies have to get these minerals from somewhere, so our blood leaches the minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, among others) from our bones and organs to combat the low pH. This, too, will eventually cause all sorts of bad effects on our health, but at least we will survive, and not die right away from acidosis (a condition of acid blood).

“If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur, starving (our cells) of oxygen. This can decrease the body’s ability to absorb additional minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease its ability to repair damaged cells, decrease its ability to detoxify heavy metals, allow (cancer) tumor cells to thrive and proliferate, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness”, says truthithistreason.net.

The combination of an acidic condition and the resulting depletion of minerals “can lead to the following negative outcomes: slow metabolism and weight gain, chronic inflammation (including arthritis), high blood pressure, diabetes, bladder and kidney conditions (including stones), weakened immune system, chronic fatigue or low energy, slow digestion, yeast and fungal growth and depletion of vitamin and mineral absorption from foods”, according to my-personal-health.com.

Christopher Vasy N.D(Naturopathic Doctor) tells us, “The best-known consequences of demineralization are problems affecting the skeleton and teeth. Bones lose their calcium, and along with it their resistance and flexibility, to the point where they break far too easily (for example, spontaneous hip fractures), lose their density (osteoporosis), become inflamed at the joints (rheumatism), wear away the intervertebral disks (sciatica), and so forth”. Teeth become brittle and chip, become more oversensitive to hot and cold, and more susceptible to cavities. It also affects hair, fingernails, skin, and gums.

We also hear about how enzymes, which every organ in the body (including the brain) needs, can only function properly in an alkaline environment, and how the corrosive nature of acid can cause eczema, itching, hives, urethritis, cystitis, and colitis. Also, the immune system can be compromised, if our blood and tissues become too acidic.

“Think about (the analogy of) swimming pools. When we chemically induce them to a neutral pH the water becomes clear and pristine, and microorganisms like fungus, bacteria, viruses, yeast, etc., cannot survive in the alkaline environment. We also rid the pool of the waste materials as part of the process of bringing the pH from being acidic up to neutral.”

Meanwhile despite all the health problems arising from not eating enough mineral rich fruits and vegetables, when it comes to our diets, our doctors are no help. We live in a society where our doctors are proud to tell us that they know nothing about nutrition, that they would not demean themselves by even discussing nutrition, that they never studied nutrition, that they are not nutritionists, they’re doctors, and we should respect them as such. Hippocrates (460BC - 377BC), the Greek father of medicine would have vehemently disagreed with that position. Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food.” Obviously, the medical school establishment and the American Medical Association must have forgotten this point. Certainly, doctors rarely recommend we eat better. They prefer to prescribe drugs (which incidentally tend to acidify our bodies), and focus on cures, not prevention, in contrast to the line in the modern Hippocratic Oath that they pledge upon graduation, “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.”

So if doctors are no help, and we want to improve and balance our diets, we need to help ourselves by eating more alkalinizing foods, and less acidifying foods. Notice I didn’t say alkaline foods, and not acid foods. Lemons, for an example, contain citric acid, and the pH of lemons would test acid, but lemons are one of the best alkalinizers. How can that be? Citric acid is one of the weaker acids, and once it hits your stomach, it is digested immediately in such a way that it leaves your body through your breath and perspiration. The “ash” from lemons left in your stomach is full of minerals that are very alkalinizing. Conversely, another example is red meat. If you test red meat, it would come out alkaline on the pH scale, but its effect on the body is that it creates uric acid, a strong acid that can only be eliminated through your kidneys and urination, so meat will create a more acid condition throughout your body. 

I’ve included a list right on this posting at the bottom of the page, the left column for alkalinizing foods, and the right column for acidifying foods. This makes it fairly simple to know, which foods are which. There are many lists, and the experts don’t always agree, so I’ve included a third category at the very bottom for controversial foods. You may find a few discrepancies, but just by reading through this post, and then a quick review of the lists, you’ll get a general idea, which is all you need.    

Some experts say you should eat 2 to 1, alkalinizing to acidifying, and some say, up to 4 to 1, (especially as a remedial measure), but whatever you do, even 1 to 1, is better than no improvement at all. Consider it like a traditional American Chinese restaurant, 1 from Column A, and 1 from Column B, and you’ll be eating better than 80% of the American population.

Just take a look at what we Americans feed ourselves and our children, and consider a “healthy” breakfast, eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast, or breakfast cereal (and adults drink coffee), every item acidifying. And an example of a “healthy” lunch, is a hamburger or cheeseburger on a white bread bun, with french fries and ketchup, or pizza and a coke or a pepsi (with 100% high fructose corn syrup), or the diet version of these soft drinks, again every item acidifying. And for a “healthy” dinner, the bulk of what we eat is meat, chicken, or fish, with or without cheese (and the adults have a beer or a glass of wine), all acidifying. Yes, it kills the hunger pangs, but without enough salads, vegetables and fruits, we’re also killing ourselves.

(We’re not suggesting you avoid all acidifying foods. Your body needs proteins to function properly, and your tissues and organs need proteins “to produce a good framework to contain the minerals” that we need to balance our blood’s pH levels.)

By the way, I’m no health guru or expert. For thirty years, I would wake up every night with stomach pains, and that’s after taking every antacid known to man, Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid AC, Prilosec, Gelucil, Rolaids, Tums, you name it, I took it, with varying degrees of success, but ultimately, I would still wake up more than once most nights with terrible stomach pains. I must have spent countless thousands of dollars on antacids and drugs, both prescibed by doctors and over the counter, not to mention the costs of doctor visits and tests. Then I started to eat an apple a day towards the end of the day, and it solved all my stomach problems, just 1 apple a day. It’s been miraculous, and I’m not saying it’ll work for you. All I’m saying is, there I was, ignorant. I was eating junk food, drinking soft drinks with high fructose corn syrup, (an acidy substance – pH of 5 or less), eating meat, fried foods, and lots of carbohydrates (bread, sugar, potatoes, pasta, alcohol), all of which are acid producing. I wasn’t eating well. I wasn’t eating fruits and vegetables, and I suffered for many years with indigestion and acid reflux, (and the doctors and pharmaceutical companies benefitted).

In my recent research, I’ve found why antacids don’t work, have many side effects, and are very unhealthy. Antacids, though they do temporarily reduce the acid in your stomach, do not alkalinize your body. The calcium (from rocks) and aluminum, etc. found in antacids actually make it more difficult for you to absorb the alkalinizing minerals found in food. And good stomach acid works as a barrier to bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Plus, antacids cause an acid rebound effect, which is why, though they create some relief from the pains associated, after a while, it just gets worse.

The best way to control acid indigestion and acid reflux and a myriad of other health problems is through improvement of our diets. Here the old addage, “an apple a day will keep the doctor away”, really works.

It’s no wonder that the population in this country is so unhealthy and our health costs are out of control. Our diet consists of junk food, fast food, and processed food (which even if it contains fruits and vegetables, much of the benefits are processed out). We eat too much fried food, fat, transfat, oil, and corn, too much meat, fish, poultry and eggs, too much sugar, bread, pasta, alcohol, and other carbohydrates, (too much high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners), all of which are acid producing, and not enough alkalinizing fruits and vegetables to balance it out.  Even the rich people, for the most part, eat poorly. It’s no surprise that we are suffering from an epidemic of obesity and diabetes. The food we feed ourselves is to blame, and our doctors don’t help us in this regard. Meanwhile, health insurance costs are out of control, and will continue to skyrocket, unless we get a handle on our diets and are educated to want to do so.

But despite all this, no matter how old we are, it’s never too late. For most of us, though there may be some long term effects of bad diet, it’s amazing how fast eating better will improve our quality of life.

...ALKALINE FOODS...		...ACIDIC FOODS...
ALKALIZING VEGETABLES Alfalfa Barley Grass Beet Greens Beets Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery Chard Greens Chlorella Collard Greens Cucumber Dandelions Dulce Edible Flowers Eggplant Fermented Veggies Garlic Green Beans Green Peas Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce Mushrooms Mustard Greens Nightshade Veggies Onions Parsnips (high glycemic) Peas Peppers Pumpkin Radishes Rutabaga Sea Veggies Spinach, green Spirulina Sprouts Sweet Potatoes Tomatoes Watercress Wheat Grass Wild Greens ALKALIZING ORIENTAL VEGETABLES Daikon Dandelion Root Kombu Maitake Nori Reishi Shitake Umeboshi Wakame ALKALIZING FRUITS Apple Apricot Avocado Banana (high glycemic) Berries Blackberries Cantaloupe Cherries, sour Coconut, fresh Currants Dates, dried Figs, dried Grapes Grapefruit Honeydew Melon Lemon Lime Muskmelons Nectarine Orange Peach Pear Pineapple Raisins Raspberries Rhubarb Strawberries Tangerine Tomato Tropical Fruits Umeboshi Plums Watermelon ALKALIZING PROTEIN Almonds Chestnuts Millet Tempeh (fermented) Tofu (fermented) Whey Protein Powder ALKALIZING SWEETENERS Stevia ALKALIZING SPICES & SEASONINGS Chili Pepper Cinnamon Curry Ginger Herbs (all) Miso Mustard Sea Salt Tamari ALKALIZING OTHER Alkaline Antioxidant Water Apple Cider Vinegar Bee Pollen Fresh Fruit Juice Green Juices Lecithin Granules Mineral Water Molasses, blackstrap Probiotic Cultures Soured Dairy Products Veggie Juices ALKALIZING MINERALS Calcium: pH 12 Cesium: pH 14 Magnesium: pH 9 Potassium: pH 14 Sodium: pH 14 Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalinizing effect in the system. Note that a food's acid or alkaline forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so, lemons are alkaline forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion, but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid forming.		ACIDIFYING VEGETABLES Corn Lentils Olives Winter Squash ACIDIFYING FRUITS Blueberries Canned or Glazed Fruits Cranberries Currants Plums** Prunes** ACIDIFYING GRAINS, GRAIN PRODUCTS Amaranth Barley Bran, oat Bran, wheat Bread Corn Cornstarch Crackers, soda Flour, wheat Flour, white Hemp Seed Flour Kamut Macaroni Noodles Oatmeal Oats (rolled) Quinoa Rice (all) Rice Cakes Rye Spaghetti Spelt Wheat Germ Wheat ACIDIFYING BEANS & LEGUMES Almond Milk Black Beans Chick Peas Green Peas Kidney Beans Lentils Pinto Beans Red Beans Rice Milk Soy Beans Soy Milk White Beans ACIDIFYING DAIRY Butter Cheese Cheese, Processed Ice Cream Ice Milk ACIDIFYING NUTS & BUTTERS Cashews Legumes Peanut Butter Peanuts Pecans Tahini Walnuts ACIDIFYING ANIMAL PROTEIN Bacon Beef Carp Clams Cod Corned Beef Fish Haddock Lamb Lobster Mussels Organ Meats Oyster Pike Pork Rabbit Salmon Sardines Sausage Scallops Shellfish Shrimp Tuna Turkey Veal Venison ACIDIFYING FATS & OILS Avacado Oil Butter Canola Oil Corn Oil Flax Oil Hemp Seed Oil Lard Olive Oil Safflower Oil Sesame Oil Sunflower Oil ACIDIFYING SWEETENERS Carob Corn Syrup Sugar ACIDIFYING ALCOHOL Beer Hard Liquor Spirits Wine ACIDIFYING OTHER FOODS Catsup Cocoa Coffee Mustard Pepper Soft Drinks Vinegar ACIDIFYING DRUGS & CHEMICALS Aspirin Chemicals Drugs, Medicinal Drugs, Psychedelic Herbicides Pesticides Tobacco ACIDIFYING JUNK FOOD Beer: pH 2.5 Coca-Cola: pH 2 Coffee: pH 4 ** These foods leave an alkaline ash but have an acidifying effect on the body.
UNKNOWN: There are several versions of the Acidic and Alkaline Food chart to be found in different books and on the Internet.  The following foods are sometimes attributed to the Acidic side of the chart and sometimes to the Alkaline side.  Remember, you don't need to adhere strictly to the Alkaline side of the chart, just make sure a good percentage of the foods you eat come from that side.
Brazil Nuts Brussel Sprouts Buckwheat Cashews Chicken Corn Cottage Cheese Eggs Flax Seeds Green Tea Herbal Tea Honey Kombucha Lima Beans		Maple Syrup Milk Nuts Organic Milk (unpasteurized) Potatoes, white Pumpkin Seeds Quinoa Sauerkraut Soy Products Sprouted Seeds Squashes Sunflower Seeds Tomatoes Yogurt
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease; research is ongoing.

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                              List courtesy of www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm