Proper nutrition provides for the daily intake of alkalizing foods and the reduction of acidifying foods. This allows to preserve the human body balance and health.
> 1. The pH of the tissues
> 2. Causes of acidification
> 3. What are acidic foods
> 4. The acidifying diet
> 5. The correct food associations
The pH of the tissues
The human body, to stay healthy, needs to maintain a state of acid-base balance, so as not to run into diseases. Diseases, in fact, could be caused by alterations in pH, when it tends towards acidity. Pathologies, therefore, according to this principle, would occur following the intake of foods that have an acidifying action.
Precisely for this reason it is very important know what these foods are, so that we can limit them and keep our body in a balanced and healthy condition. The presence of an acidic pH in tissues it means that there is a accumulation of acid toxins and possibly that there has been a loss of basic elements such as calcium and sodium.
Tissue acidification is one of the causes of numerous pathologies which can be obesity or chronic or degenerative diseases.
Furthermore, an acidic environment reduces the efficiency of the immune system and promotes cellular aging. Alkalinity favors bacterial proliferation, while acidity counteracts it. A health situation sees the blood in basic-alkaline balance.
Causes of acidification
The causes of acidification in the tissues are as follows:
- Excessive intake of acidifying foods;
- Medicines;
- Deficiency of trace elements and vitamins;
- Polluting substances;
- Sedentary lifestyle;
- Endocrine and metabolic dysfunctions;
- Dysfunctions of the excretory organs;
- Psychophysical stress.
What are acidic foods
When you ingest certain foods, these can give you a variety of acid reactions, which tend to remove mineral salts from the body (while alkaline-basic foods are mineralizing).
Foods that exhibit acid reactions are: legumes, meat, fish, dairy products, cereals, dried fruit, refined foods, white sugar, peanuts, eggs, salmon, seafood, bread and wholemeal flour, tea coffee, chocolate.
Some types of fruits are very acidifying such as pineapple and also the mango. Attention should also be paid to the consumption of canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, mushrooms and chicory: they are all highly acidifying foods. Wine and spirits in general, beer, coffee and soda-based drinks are very acidifying.
Instead, find out what alkaline foods are and what they are for
The acidifying diet
In the diet, acidifying foods should be limited because, if the environment in which the cells of the body live becomes very acid, the pH is altered and diseases are incurred, in particular in diseases called by cellular degeneration.
It is mainly about cardiovascular diseases and chronic inflammatory disorders. It would therefore be a matter of preserving the body's balance on an acid-base ratio, favoring alkalizing foods instead of acidic ones, such as, for example, spinach, cauliflower, carrots, millet, amaranth, sage, rosemary and ginger.
To counteract an excess of acidity, which can be the cause of an excessive loss of mineral salts, it is good to take vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, celery, raw salads, orange juices, and fruits such as pineapple, cherry, strawberry, apple, grapes.
However, it is good not to discard acidic foods, which the body still needs.
The correct food associations
For a correct acid-base balance it is good to observe the following associations:
- Protein of various origins require specific enzymes that are activated according to the type of acidity.
- Wine or beer and starches: wine and beer are substances that increase acidity and therefore slow down the digestion of starches, which require an alkaline environment.
- Starchy fruit and proteins should not be taken together as fruit, with its content in acids and sugars, interferes with the digestion of starches and proteins.
- Vinegar, lemon, apples, pears, citrus fruits, should not be taken with starches and proteins because they inhibit acid secretion.
Acid foods: properties and how to combine them
