ACID /ALKALINE FOODS

One of the most amazing discoveries of the 21st century besides Neil Armstrong stepping foot onto the moon is that your blood pH should be alkaline between 7.1 to 7.5.

If your blood pH is alkaline this will greatly reduce your chances of suffering a heart attack or contracting cancer. Having alkaline blood will mean an increase in the oxygen in your blood, whereas, if your blood is acidic, a pH of 6.5 to 6.9, the oxygen concentration in your blood will be less.

Cancer loves an acidic environment and what happens generally is the cells start to multiply rapidly in the body at the weakest link, e.g. the liver or stomach etc.

Having a slightly alkaline blood is one of the keys to a long life and that is why the Hunza people, the Okinawa people and people from most other communities with greater longevity eat mostly vegetable and fruits.

My journey

Many years ago I made an important discovery. I read Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond and something touched a deep chord inside me when I learned about how the pH of our blood can affect our health.

Health experts agree that the pH of our blood should be approximately between 7.1 to 7.5 which means our blood is slightly alkaline. To achieve a pH in this range, we would need to mostly eat fruits and vegetables. While our blood remains slightly alkaline, it is far more difficult for major diseases to gain a foothold. When our blood is slightly acidic, that is 5.5 to 6.9, this means we are eating too much protein and carbohydrates, which can lead to many diseases. Dr Paavo Airola, a world famous nutritionist, believes that having acidic blood is the basic cause of all disease and acidic blood will result if we don't eat enough alkaline foods to balance the acidic foods we eat over a period of time. One of the consequences of acidic blood is that acid will be deposited in the joints and tissues over many years slowly creating diseases such as arthritis which many people suffer in their later years. Dr Airola's book, How to Get Well, published by Health Plus is a valuable reference about acid and alkaline forming foods.

My personal journey into acid and alkaline forming foods began when I discovered that the pH of our saliva closely follows the pH of our blood which meant I could easily and regularly check the pH of my blood by testing my saliva.

This is the method I used to test the pH of my saliva. First, I purchased a packet of pH testing strips. Then, two hours after eating food or fluids I would place the pH paper on my tongue and rub saliva onto the pH paper. I would wait about 15 seconds and then match the colour of the pH paper to the colour printed on the side of the packet as a reference. When I first tested for pH, the colour matched 6.5 which is slightly acidic. This was an "aha" moment where I realised I had been eating mostly meat and potatoes with very little vegetables and fruit in my diet and was not doing much exercise. No wonder I was always tired and fatigued and had little energy.

This was a turning point in my life. It was as if an angel had landed on my shoulder and whispered, "It is time you are at the crossroads of your life. Move forward into an alkaline and healthy life or go backwards into an acidic and sickly life. Change is inevitable."

My journey, during which my blood chemistry changed from acidic to alkaline took three months.

Vitality, energy, a more positive attitude and abundant health began to take roots deep inside me.

Let food be thy medicine. – Hippocrates

How different foods are classified: alkaline forming or acidic forming

The following is an important guide that explains how different foods are classified as to whether they are alkaline forming in the body or acidic forming in the body. It would be wise to achieve greater longevity by eating mostly alkaline forming food, say 80% and 20% acid forming foods.

Let us follow the wise leaders of the past

Famous vegetarians

• Leonardo de Vinci

• Albert Einstein

• Socrates

• Plato

• St Francis of Assisi

• George Bernard Shaw

Why did the wise leaders of the past eat mostly vegetarian food? Let us examine some facts. Your body is designed of cells. Your cells need energy, vitamins, minerals, protein and water.

What your cells need

Important Vitamins

Vitamin A – For good vision, skin and hair. Food sources: carrots, green leafy vegetables, pumpkin, coloured fruits and vegetables

Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – Very important for the nervous system and digestive system, helps maintain normal red blood count, prevents fatigue and gives greater stamina. Food sources: wheat germ, whole grain cereals, all seeds and nuts, green leafy vegetables and potatoes.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – Essential for general health, eyes, skin, hair and nails. Food sources: milk, cheese, eggs, wheat germ, almonds and sunflower seeds.

Vitamin B3 (niacin) – Important for good circulation, nervous system and intestinal health. Food sources: brown rice, seeds, nuts, green vegetables, wheat germ and rice bran.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – Good for the hair and helps increase the action of other B vitamins. Food sources: seeds, grains and brown rice.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) – Helps build enzymes in the body, helps the nervous system, helps the essential balance between potassium and sodium in the body, and contributes towards longevity. Food sources: wheat germ, soya beans, bananas, avocado, walnuts, cabbage, carrots and green peppers.

Vitamin B9 (folic acid) – Needed during pregnancy, functions together with vitamin B12 in many body processes such as cell division. Food sources: most green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, soya beans, kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas, asparagus, lentils and walnuts.

Vitamin B12 – (cyanocobalamin) – Needed for the generation of red blood cells. Food sources: clams, oysters, sardines, salmon and Swiss cheese.

Vitamin B17 – (nitrilosides) – Helps prevent cancer in the body and discovered by Dr E. Krebs – Food sources – Apricots and particularly the seed kernel, apple seeds.

Vitamin C – Important for wound repair, an essential antioxidant, improves the immune system especially related to colds and flu.

Food sources: red peppers, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, oranges and lemons.

Vitamin D – Prevents rickets in the bones, helps prevent tooth decay, helps prevent depression and is also known as the "sunshine vitamin". Food sources: sardines, eggs, mushrooms and sprouted seeds.

Vitamin E – Helps increase the efficiency of the muscular system especially the heart and helps with fertility for men and women. Food sources: sprouted seeds,...