Just Health: Acidic and Alkaline Foods - Part 1

In many of my articles, I mentioned the concepts of 'acidic food' versus 'alkaline food.' The balance between these foods has a significant impact on our health. Therefore, it is worth dedicating an article to this important topic.

Acidity and alkalinity are two different chemical states, each with different health implications in our bodies (it is complicated to explain the chemical meaning of these two states in this context. Also, it's important to note that it doesn't necessarily refer to food tasting sour versus food that doesn't taste sour). Generally, the acidic or alkaline state of the body is influenced by various factors, such as different health problems like kidney issues, stress, medications, different foods, and more. In this article, I will refer to the impact of food on the chemical state of the body, whether acidic or alkaline.

In general, I would state that the foods we eat can be divided into those that, through a chemical process occurring in our bodies, create an alkaline reaction, and foods that through another chemical process occurring in our bodies create an acidic reaction. What causes a certain food to affect the body with an alkaline or acidic reaction depends on which minerals present in the food are dominant in quantity relative to others. Food with a dominant presence of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron will have an alkaline reaction. However, food where sulfur, phosphorus, and chlorine are dominant will have an acidic reaction.

Accordingly, I would note that, in general, acid-producing foods are mainly animal proteins, including meat, fish, eggs, cheeses, sugar, as well as some legumes and some cereal grains like wheat, rice, coffee, tea, alcohol, and more. In contrast, most fruits and vegetables have an alkaline reaction in the body.

As mentioned, a correct balance between acidity and alkalinity in the body is one of the keys to health. As long as a person eats a small amount of acidic or alkaline food, the body knows how to balance the chemical environment in various ways. However, if most of a person’s food is acidic or alkaline, this is already a situation that can cause a significant disruption in the balance between acid and base. This situation may make it difficult for the body to create the balance, which could be a source of different diseases. For example, if a person eats a lot of meat or other foods with a tendency to create acidity over the years, the acidity level in the body will be high, and the body will 'steal' calcium from other places in the body, such as the teeth or bones, leading to cavities or calcium depletion. We will continue to explain this next week.