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Acidic & Alkaline Foods
The Western diet typically contains an unhealthy balance of "acid-forming" foods, which can contribute to disease. The pH balance ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being "neutral." Alkaline foods are in the high end of this scale, and are thus desirable as antioxidants. Lifestyles also contribute to our pH balance, as emotional stress, anxiety and anger bring the balance over toward the "acidic" side. The following is a list of common foods, beginning with the "Highest Alkaline-Forming," down to the most acidic, to help plan a workable antioxidant diet.
[www.greatestherbsonearth.com/articles/acid_alkaline.htm] ACTIVITIES Meditation, Prayer, Peace, Kindness, Love Extremely Alkaline Forming Foods - pH 8.5 to 9.0: 9.0 Lemons 1, Watermelon 2, 8.5 Agar Agar 3, Cantaloupe, Cayenne (Capsicum) 4, Dried dates & figs, Kelp, Karengo, Kudzu root, Limes, Mango, Melons, Papaya, Parsley 5, Seedless grapes (sweet), Watercress, Seaweeds Moderate Alkaline - pH 7.5 to 8.0 8.0 Apples (sweet), Apricots, Alfalfa sprouts 9, Arrowroot, flour 10, Avocados, Bananas (ripe), Berries, Carrots, Celery, Currants, Dates & figs (fresh), Garlic 11, Gooseberry, Grapes (less sweet), Grapefruit, Guavas, Herbs (leafy green), Lettuce (leafy green), Nectarine, Peaches (sweet), Pears (less sweet), Peas (fresh sweet), Persimmon, Pumpkin (sweet), Sea salt (vegetable) 12, Spinach 7.5 Apples (sour), Bamboo shoots, Beans (fresh green), Beets, Bell Pepper, Broccoli, Cabbage;Cauli, Carob 13, Daikon, Ginger (fresh), Grapes (sour), Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce (pale green), Oranges, Parsnip, Peaches (less sweet), Peas (less sweet), Potatoes & skin, Pumpkin (less sweet), Raspberry, Sapote, Strawberry, Squash 14, Sweet corn (fresh), Tamari 15, Turnip, Vinegar (apple cider) 16 Slightly Alkaline to Neutral pH 7.0 7.0 Almonds 17, Artichokes (Jerusalem), Barley-Malt (sweetener-Bronner), Brown Rice Syrup, Brussel Sprouts, Cherries, Coconut (fresh), Cucumbers, Egg plant, Honey (raw), Leeks, Miso, Mushrooms, Okra, Olives ripe 18, Onions, Pickles 19, (home made), Radish, Sea salt 20, Spices 21, Taro, Tomatoes (sweet), Vinegar (sweet brown rice), Water Chestnut, Amaranth, Artichoke (globe), Chestnuts (dry roasted), Egg yolks (soft cooked), Essene bread 22, Goat's milk and whey (raw) 23, Horseradish, Mayonnaise (home made), Millet, Olive oil, Quinoa, Rhubarb, Sesame seeds (whole) 24, Soy beans (dry), Soy cheese, Soy milk, Sprouted grains 25, Tempeh, Tofu, Tomatoes (less sweet), Yeast (nutritional flakes) ACTIVITIES Overwork, Anger, Fear, Jealousy, Stress Extremely Acid Forming Foods - pH 5.0 to 5.5 5.0 Artificial sweeteners 5.5 Beef, Carbonated soft drinks & fizzy drinks 38, Cigarettes (tailor made), Drugs, Flour (white wheat), 39, Goat, Lamb, Pastries & cakes from white flour, Pork, Sugar (white) 40, Beer 34, Brown sugar 35, Chicken, Deer, Chocolate, Coffee 36, Custard with white sugar, Jams, Jellies, Liquor 37, Pasta (white), Rabbit, Semolina, Table salt refined & iodized, Tea black, Turkey, Wheat bread, White rice, White vinegar (processed). Moderate Acid - pH 6.0 to 6.5 6.0 Cigarette tobacco (roll your own), Cream of Wheat (unrefined), Fish, Fruit juices with sugar, Maple syrup (processed), Molasses (sulphured), Pickles (commercial), Breads (refined) of corn, oats, rice & rye, Cereals (refined) eg weetbix, corn flakes, Shellfish, Wheat germ, Whole Wheat foods 32, Wine 33, Yogurt (sweetened) 6.5 Bananas (green), Buckwheat, Cheeses (sharp), Corn & rice breads, Egg whole (cooked hard), Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Oats, Pasta (whole grain), Pastry (wholegrain & honey), Peanuts, Potatoes (with no skins), Popcorn (with salt & butter), Rice (basmati), Rice (brown), Soy sauce (commercial), Tapioca, Wheat bread (sprouted organic) Slightly Acid to Neutral pH 7.0: 7.0 Barley malt syrup, Barley, Bran, Cashews, Cereals (unrefined with honey-fruit-maple syrup), Cornmeal, Cranberries 30, Fructose, Honey (pasteurized), Lentils, Macadamias, Maple syrup (unprocessed), Milk (homogenized) and most processed dairy products, Molasses (unsulphered organic 31, Nutmeg, Mustard, Pistachios, Popcorn & butter (plain), Rice or wheat crackers (unrefined), Rye (grain), Rye bread (organic sprouted), Seeds (pumpkin & sunflower), Walnuts Blueberries, Brazil nuts, Butter (salted), Cheeses (mild & crumbly) 28, Crackers (unrefined rye), Dried beans (mung, adzuki, pinto, kidney, garbanzo) 29, Dry coconut, Egg whites, Goats milk (homogenized), Olives (pickled), Pecans, Plums 30, Prunes 30, Butter (fresh unsalted), Cream (fresh & raw), Margarine 26, Milk (raw cow's) 27, Oils (except olive), Whey (cow's), Yogurt (plain) "In reality, a person very rarely dies of cancer. It is always starvation and toxicity. As the malignant tumor grows it gives off waste products, which must be eliminated through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs and skin. These waste products accumulate and gradually overburden the body. Most persons then die of toxemia. Before any disease can be cured, the waste products and impurities must be cleansed from the body. The sooner this is done, the sooner the body can begin repairing itself." [From http://alsearsmd.com/ha208.php ] : Flavonoids give apples and other fruits and vegetables their bright, rainbow-like colors. You can also find them in teas and wine. There are more than 5,000 flavonoids in nature. You should know about two in particular, if you want to protect against cancer: quercetin and catechins. Quercetin is the flavonoid in those healthful apples. It can protect against lung, skin and prostate cancers. A study published in the journal Carcinogenesis recently found quercetin could stop cancer-causing changes in prostate cells. It flushes away carcinogens and can block tumor development and growth. Catechins pack such a wallop against cancer they can prevent tumors in almost every organ in your body, from your esophagus and stomach to your colon and liver- even your breasts. Catechins work by acting as antioxidants. They fight tissue-attacking free radicals and protect your cells against tumor development and growth. In fact, studies show increasing your intake of catechins can reduce your cancer risk between 30 and 60%. But most people don't consume near enough flavonoids to get this kind of cancer protection. In fact, the average daily intake is only 23 milligrams. You need 100 milligrams. The good news is getting more each day is easy: Eat more fruits and vegetables rich in these two flavonoid compounds. The most quercetin is in onions, apples, peppers, berries, grapes, tomatoes, black tea and garlic. For added cancer fighting, substitute / trade morning cup of coffee for a mug of catechin-rich green or black tea a couple times a week. By making these changes alone, you can easily improve your flavonoid intake to 100 milligrams a day. And, if you're curious to learn about more food sources of flavonoids, the USDA has a cumbersome, overly-long Adobe (PDF) site of 225 foods and their flavonoid content. You can link to it from: www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Flav/flav.html To Your Good Health, Al Sears M.D. [http://www.drlam.com/opinion/ph.cfm ] The body becomes acidic due to a diet rich in acids, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. When this happens, the body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals such as calcium. As a result, calcium is removed from the bones, causing osteoporosis. Acidosis, which is an extended time in the acid pH state, can result in rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure and most cancers. www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/9551783.htm You've no doubt heard about the possible health benefits of drinking red wine. One of today's recommended wines, Benton-Lane's pinot noir, consistently tests among the highest in the world for the presence of resveratrol, according to the winery. Resveratrol, a flavanoid compound that occurs naturally in the skins of grapes, may be a cancer-fighting agent and contain antioxidants that could help prevent arterioscleriosis and heart damage related to cholesterol. Typical levels of resveratrol in pinot noir are higher than in merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and this particular wine from Oregon tests at three times the level of most other pinot noirs. Red wines contain more resveratrol than white wines. Testing is still ongoing, but many people believe that resveratrol can help prevent heart disease and some types of cancer.
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