Vegetable and animal, protein and carbohydrate, harmful and useful, organic and inorganic, delicacy and dietary – such a diversity of food groups is impressive! And each has its own characteristic features, on the basis of which a diet is formed. For example, vegetarians choose exclusively vegetable food, adherents of PP – healthy, losing weight – low-calorie. Another classification was suggested at the beginning of the 20th century. She was criticized, constantly improved and supplemented, then completely forgotten, then soared to the peak of popularity. Today it is in vogue again.
According to it, our menu contains acidic and alkaline food. The first ones are as harmful as the second ones are useful. Is this classification confirmed by modern science, and is it worth paying attention to?
What is pH
To understand what alkaline products are and how they affect the body, you need to figure out what pH is. This is a hydrogen indicator that reflects the concentration of hydrogen ions and the degree of their activity. Quantitatively expresses the acidity of a particular environment. For biochemical reactions occurring in the body, it is of paramount importance. This affects the properties and functioning of proteins and amino acids.
Neutral pH, equal to 7, is considered normal for the human body. In the blood, it can slightly increase to a value of 7.45 and be safe. For the gastric environment, an indicator of 3.5 is considered the golden mean.
pH scale
Violation of acid-base balance (another name is acid-base equilibrium, abbreviated – ABR, or COR) can lead to serious diseases. Therefore, it is strictly regulated by the body’s buffer systems (bicarbonate, phosphate, protein, hemoglobin, and erythrocytes).
Acidosis is an increase in acidity (decrease in pH) in the body. Main reasons:
- fever;
- bowel disorders;
- pregnancy;
- starvation;
- diabetes.
Consequences of acidosis:
- atherosclerosis, varicose veins, hypertension, increased risk of stroke and heart attack;
- blindness;
- diabetes;
- tumors;
- coma, death;
- obesity, cellulite.
Acidic metabolic products “love” to be deposited in the connective tissue of the hips, buttocks and shoulders. This leads to an increase in the number of adipocytes. As a result – overweight and orange peel in these places.
Alkalosis is an increase in pH due to an absolute or relative excess of bases. The most common reasons:
- hyperventilation of the lungs due to organic brain damage, poisoning with toxins, high fever, acute blood loss;
- vomiting, taking diuretics, kidney disease, hyperhidrosis;
- long-term use of alkalizing products (leads to moderate alkalosis);
- hemolysis.
Consequences of alkalosis:
- hypokalemia;
- arrhythmia;
- neuromuscular excitability, convulsions;
- hypoxemia;
- pulmonary edema.
It should be noted that severe forms of alkalosis and acidosis develop extremely rarely, since the body’s buffer systems instantly respond to changes in pH level and normalize it. However, often diseases, poor health and decreased performance indicate minor, but still violations of the ABR. There are different ways to recover. One of them is an alkaline diet.
Action of alkaline products
In the middle of the 20th century, it was proposed to distinguish between alkaline and acidic foods that have the most direct impact on the body’s pH level.
Alkaline (alkalizing) – after entering the body, they cause alkaline reactions that increase pH and normalize (if consumed within the normal range) the ABR. May cause alkalosis.
Acidic (oxidizing) – after entering the body, they cause acidic reactions that lower pH and disrupt the ABR, leading to acidosis.
Since 95% of people have a low pH level, and an acidic environment prevails in the body, it is necessary to make alkalizing products the basis of the diet. Their effect on the body can hardly be overestimated:
- get rid of fatigue, drowsiness, depression, give energy, improve mood;
- increase immunity;
- enrich the body with vital minerals: zinc, magnesium, calcium, sodium, iron;
- cleanse the intestines, remove toxins;
- contribute to weight loss;
- preserve youth and beauty, improving the appearance and health of the skin (fight cellulite), hair and nails;
- normalize the work of the cardiovascular system;
- destroy free radicals, reducing the risk of cancer;
- improve vision;
- get rid of edema.
With proper use and sufficient quantity in the menu, alkaline products can improve the functioning of many organs, improve well-being, and reduce the risk of various diseases. Conversely, if acidic foods predominate in the diet, when the body is acidified, serious health problems can hardly be avoided.
A few “buts”
If products with an alkaline environment are so useful and contribute not only to the recovery of the body, but also to weight loss, why do nutritionists and doctors treat them with a certain amount of caution?
Reason 1
For the first time, such a classification of products was proposed by Walker, a well-known person in the field of nutrition. The problem is that he did not have a medical education. And how exactly he calculated the alkalization and acidification coefficients is unknown. But his table is the basis of modern alkaline nutrition systems aimed at restoring pH today. Doubts about the reliability of the data provided by him – the main reason for mistrust.
Reason 2
It is scientifically proven that even if acidic foods predominate in the diet over alkalizing for a long time, this will not lead to catastrophic consequences. The reason for this is the body’s buffer systems, which automatically normalize pH.
Reason 3
Often people perceive products that alkalize the body as a panacea for all troubles and completely abandon oxidizing ones. This is a fundamentally wrong approach to nutrition, which will lead to alkalosis with all the ensuing consequences.
Reason 4
Many healers, quite authoritative among the people, were inspired by Walker’s ideas. These are Alexander Timofeevich Ogulov and Ivan Pavlovich Neumyvakin. They have whole systems to restore the body’s ABR. They include breathing exercises, the use of baking soda inside and special physical exercises. And, of course, a special diet with a predominance of alkalizing products. However, official medicine is skeptical about the methods of Ogulov and Neumyvakin and urges to treat their experience with caution.
Reason 5
There are no results of official scientific research confirming a clear division of products into alkalizing and acidifying the body. On the contrary, scientists increasingly say that it is conditional. For example, beans will be alkaline when fresh, and acidic when dried and boiled. One variety of black currant has a sweet taste, since it has a high concentration of sugar. The other is so sour that it reduces cheekbones. And their effect on pH will be completely different.
And even more so, there is no research on the degree of alkalization. It is not known where Walker got the acid-base indices for his classification from. After all, he did not have scientific laboratories at his disposal, and he himself was neither a physician nor a chemist. Most likely, the data was taken “from the ceiling”. Of course, such an approach can hardly be considered scientific.
