The human body maintains an optimal pH of 7.4 and even a slight shift up or down has a dramatic effect on metabolism. To ensure optimum pH, your body has developed an efficient buffering system using agents derived from food and water. Fruits and vegetables range in their inherent pH factors, but it is the alkalizing minerals they contain that buffer acids in animal foods, grains, and beans. You may be in chronic acidosis if you eat primarily animal source foods, highly processed foods, or those laden with sugar and fat. That’s because these foods lack the alkaline-buffering minerals that you find in fruits and vegetables.
With its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, the 7-Color plan, as presented in my book 7-Color Cuisine: Cookbook and Nutrition Guide, can reduce many of the unpleasant symptoms encountered by those with acidic systems. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of motivation, irritability, nervousness, insomnia, headaches, gastric distress, bowel problems, rectal burning, edema, runny nose, sinusitis, chronic colds, thin brittle nails, leg cramps, muscle spasms, joint pain, stiff neck, poor circulation, and various forms of inflammation or infection. If you suffer from allergies or asthma, simply switching to an alkaline diet can often alleviate your symptoms.
Sodas: Not So Appealing After All
One of the most acidifying and potentially harmful things humans can do is regularly consume soft drinks. According to the December 2000 edition of the International Journal of Integrative Medicine, one 12-ounce can of cola (pH 2.8 to 3.2) must be diluted one-hundred-fold to change the pH to 5, the lowest pH for liquids that the kidneys can safely excrete. But doing so would produce an additional 33 liters of urine—certainly capturing most people’s attention.
Instead the body balances the beverage’s extremely acidic pH with minerals from foods. And if those minerals aren’t available, the body draws them from its own tissues to neutralize the phosphoric acid and sweetener in the beverage. Sodium and potassium are pulled from tissues first; if those reserves are too low, then the body buffers the acid influx by pulling calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from bones. This subtle process is not evident at first, but after doing it for years, the body may pay a heavy price.
Bad for Your Bones and Teeth
Chronic acidosis may lead to periodontal problems, muscle cramping, bone thinning, and osteoporosis. We tend to think these conditions occur only in older people, but the high consumption of soda among teenagers, who are developing peak bone mass during those years, poses a great risk for higher rates of bone thinning, fracture, and osteoporosis later on.
Stress and excessive exercise also increase acidity in the body. How you prepare and enjoy food can actually lower stress. That is the primary take away message from all my food articles, videos and nutrition books. Mindfulness is the most important step you can take to control your stress. Exercise is an absolute must for anyone working to optimize their health. However, intense exercise produces lactic acid and this needs to be neutralized by alkaline foods. Some of the same symptoms listed above apply with fatigue and muscle soreness topping the list.
