Alkaline Foods - Acid Foods - The 80/20 Acid Alkaline Ratio

Health & FitnessNutrition & Supplement

  • Author Jamin Thompson
  • Published March 23, 2010
  • Word count 1,069

Many of us get so caught up in eating to look good that we often fail to remember to stick to the basics and focus on our health. Without our health in line, we won't ever achieve that dream physique anyways so it is always best to focus on health first.

Our typical mode of focusing on the outer physique and less on our insides tends to ruin nearly all attempts for a stronger, leaner, healthier body. Out of all of the processes essential to a head spinning physique, a well functioning body is likely the most critical and neglecting your health at the expense of a temporary reward is a recipe for certain failure.

In order to keep your body functioning at its highest you ought to make sure that all of the processes involved aren't overloaded with toxins and overwhelmed by bad lifestyle choices.

Nearly all of us do not live the proper way, we consume the wrong foods, we don't get adequate sleep, we are stressed out, and we don't get adequate fresh air. With all off the abuse we place our bodies through, we can't expect it to function how it's meant to.

It is funny how a good number of us get so frustrated when our bodies do not respond how we would like them to when all we have to do is just pay attention to what the body needs. Comparable to a high performance race car, the human body must be given the proper fuel, maintenance, and service in order to ensure high performance and longevity. If we take care of the body, the body will take care of the rest.

Today I want to discuss the acid / alkaline balance and how maintaining the proper balance can help you enhance your health, well being, and get leaner quicker.

First the basics. Water has a pH (measured according to the potential of hydrogen scale) of 7.0. This range is considered neutral, as water is neither alkaline or acid. Any substance with a pH greater than 7.0 is alkaline, and any substance with a pH lower than 7.0 is acidic. For a human to maintain a proper balance, it is best to shoot for a range between 6.0 and 6.8.

The acid-alkaline balance of the blood must be stabilized via the food we eat and, as such, we must give the body a constant supply of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium because these vital minerals help neutralize the acid wastes that accumulate when we consume proteins, sugars, and starches.

Acid wastes can also be especially perilous because they are believed to cause a variety of health problems and chronic diseases.

If you have suffered with chronic symptoms such as water retention, migraines, low blood pressure, insomnia, sunken eyes, bad breath, tooth sensitivity to acidic fruits, and/or alternating diarrhea and constipation you might be suffering from acidosis. This term (acidosis) means that your body chemistry is likely imbalanced and overly acidic.

Various changes inside the body can also throw off the natural acid balance, which can cause an acidic surge in body fluids and cause metabolic acidosis. Various disorders and diseases like stomach ulcers, obesity, kidney disease, liver problems, anorexia, adrenal disorders, diabetes, and fever can rob the body of its natural alkaline base, but typically, a bad diet plays the key role in creating an acidic environment within the body.

Note: Studies have revealed that the overconsumption of aspirin and vitamin C can also deplete the natural alkaline base.

When training to build a magnificent physique, we so often get caught up in eating proteins and trying to build lean muscle, that in the process we disrupt the natural acid/alkaline balance in the body and become overly acidic.

It is difficult to train and recover effectively when suffering with the irritating effects of acidosis.

As I mentioned earlier, proteins are acid forming foods and we should eat alkaline forming foods to neutralize the acid wastes from protein consumption. This means that you should probably be eating a bunch more veggies with that chicken breast than you generally do.

Finding a perfect balance can be challenging and confusing at first, but a nice way to approach it is to try to keep an 80% alkaline and 20% acid ratio. That means that in order to sustain a healthy, balanced pH, you need to eat a diet that consists of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.

Proteins and starches are acid, vegetables and fruits are alkaline. Just about all of the metabolic wastes of the body are acids so we need to consume alkaline forming foods like fruits and vegetables to help neutralize these acid wastes.

Recent studies have revealed that the average American diet only consists of about 15-20% fruits and vegetables. This means that most people in this country are getting the majority of their calories from acid forming foods. In light of the current health predicament in America, I think that it is safe to say that there is a strong correlation linking acidosis and disease.

For optimal health, fruits and vegetables should make up 80% of your diet. Starches and proteins should make up the last 20%. This guarantees your diet will be 80% alkaline and 20% acid.

Here is a list that outlines the foods that are alkaline and the foods that are acid.

Table 1.0 Alkaline Forming Foods

Vegetables

Artichokes

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumber

Green Beans

Kudzu

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Onion

Radish

Rutabagas

Sprouts

Spinach

Watercress

Fruits

Avocado

Banana

Coconut

Grapefruit

Lemon

Tomato

Watermelon

Nuts

Almonds

Pumpkin

Sunflower

Sesame

Fats & Oils

Avocado

Borage

Evening Primrose

Flax

Hemp

Olive

Table 2.0 Acid Forming Foods

Alcohol

Aspirin & most drugs

Asparagus

Beans

Brussels Sprouts

Catsup

Cocoa

Coffee

Cornstarch

Cranberries

Eggs

Flour based products

Most meats

Milk

Mustard

Olives

Pasta

Pepper

Sauerkraut

Shellfish

Soda, soft drinks

Sugar

Tobacco

Vinegar

Now, just because a particular food is acid forming does not mean that you should completely eliminate it from your diet or steer clear of it for an extended period of time. It just means that you shouldn't over do it, and that you should only select about 20% of your foods from the acid forming foods list. Many foods that are acid forming are, in fact, quite good for you with the exception of a few.

So in closing, try as hard as you can to stick to the 80/20 rule. Your health and physique will greatly improve as a result.

Train hard and expect success.

Jamin Thompson is a motivational speaker & author. He teaches men and women from all over the world unique and little known secrets for losing belly fat fast without using bogus supplements, gimmicks, or crash dieting at www.the6packsecret.com

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