Alkaline Diet
This diet is supposedly for people who don’t just want to lose weight, but cure arthritis, diabetes, and cancer, as well as slow down the ageing process.The pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity.
A pH of 0 is completely acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is completely alkaline. The digestive system is about 5 meters long.A person does not have one pH level throughout the GI tract. It varies considerably depending on how soon after eating it is measured and where you measure it.
For instance the stomach produces acid for the purpose of breaking down protein into smaller components called amino acids that can be absorbed into the blood stream and used for building new cells. The stomach ranges in pH from 1.35-3.5, while the small intestine of the gastrointestinal tract is about 7 – 8.5 and the large intestine is about 5.6- 6.9. The blood however must always be slightly alkaline, with a pH of about 7.35 to 7.45.
The theory of an alkaline diet is that if you eat certain foods, mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and legumes it will help maintain the body's ideal pH balance and improve overall health.It is basically a healthy diet because it recommends avoidance of processed foods such as white flour, sugar, caffeine and alcohol but it also discourages consumption of animal protein (meat, poultry, fish) and dairy foods (butter, milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, eggs) which are usually considered healthy.
The western diet is very acidic – high in protein and refined white foods. The body will regulate your pH no matter how you eat, but it may have to borrows alkaline minerals calcium and magnesium from your bones, teeth and muscle in order to do so if there is insufficient supply in your diet.
Diets high in animal protein can lower urine pH and raise the risk for kidney stones. Conversely eating a diet rich in vegetables, can raise urine pH and lower the risk for kidney stones.
Studies have proved that people who eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and hydrate properly have lower rates of cancer and other diseases.