Overweight or Overacid?
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Did you know that there is a connection between the food you eat, the level of acidity in your body and your weight?
Until just a couple of years ago, I had absolutely no idea about this. That is until I read a book about the Acid Alkaline Diet which totally opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about food. This is not the latest diet fad for losing weight either, it is a scientific way of finding a truly balanced diet that works for you.
However, if you do happen to be overweight and use the information that I’m about to share with you, it is highly likely that you will lose more than just a few pounds, as your body will naturally try to return to it’s healthy weight, which may be considerable lighter than what you weigh now. In fact, when you make these simple yet distinct changes to your diet, it is possible to lose up to 1 pound per day without vigorous exercise or starving yourself.
Sound interesting? Well it sure did to me when I first heard about it and since that time and after experiencing truly wonderful health benefits (including losing 6 and a half kilos / 13 pounds in 30 days), I’ve become very passionate about the whole Acid/Alkaline subject.
Let me explain how it works.
Our blood in it’s natural healthy state is around 7.35 on the pH scale. Now without getting into a full on chemistry lesson, the pH scale is a measure of acidity and alkalinity ranging between 1 and 14. The midpoint, 7 is considered to be pH neutral. Below 7 is considered to be acidic and above 7 is considered to be alkaline. So keeping this in mind, our blood (at 7.35) is naturally slightly alkaline.
The whole basis to the Acid Alkaline Diet (or more accurately ‘lifestyle’) is that if the blood is slightly alkaline when in it’s natural, healthy state then we need to keep it in a slightly alkaline state in order to remain healthy. However, if we consistently make unhealthy lifestyle choices (e.g. eating the wrong kind of foods) then the pH level of our blood can drop to acidic levels and potentially cause us ill health, dis-ease and yes, even weight gain.
The Food-Acid Connection
Basically, the foods we eat are classed as ‘acid-forming’ or ‘alkalizing’ depending on the effect that they have on the body. An acid-forming food makes the blood more acidic after digestion and an alkalizing food makes the blood more alkaline after digestion.
This is because when our food is digested it leaves behind a residue that is absorbed into the bloodstream which then travels around our body effecting our organs and functions. This residue is either acidic and puts strain on the body, or is alkaline and is supportive to the body.
When we eat more acid-forming foods than alkaline-forming foods the pH level of our blood drops into acidic territory. The good news is that our amazing bodies will try and restore our blood back to an alkaline state ‘automatically’ by using it’s own natural processes (including breathing, sweating, urination and defecation) to neutralize the acidity.
However, as amazing as our bodies are, they can only handle so much. If we continue to put strain on our internal systems by eating primarily acid-forming foods, eventually our health will suffer.
It has been stated by Acid/Alkaline nutritional experts that a healthy balanced diet should comprise of 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods. However, here in the Western world we have it ‘back to front’ with many people’s diets consisting of 80% acid-forming foods and only 20% alkaline-forming foods.
This has had disastrous consequences and many nutritionists agree that this has been a major contributor (if not the primary contributor) to the current global epidemic of obesity and diabetes.
The Acid-Weight Gain Connection
Our bodies are only as healthy as the blood that circulates around them. If the blood is acidic then everything in our bodies is swimming in acidity. A fully acidic body is a dead one and as our bodies are designed to survive and to rejuvenate, one of the mechanisms they use for protection against acidity is the creation of fat cells. Yes, your body may actually make you fat in order to protect you from your own acidity!
It does this by creating fat cells to store the acid and then carries these fat cells away from the vital organs. Any guesses where those fat cells go to? Well, they go to those places that many of us have trouble with i.e. hips, thighs, belly and butt.
So while you may be overweight you are actually overacid. The fat you see is not your enemy it is in fact keeping you alive! So the whole approach to weight loss being about exercising to burn the fat is a dangerous one. In fact, too much exercise creates even more acid in the body. Ever hear of lactic acid? Don’t get me wrong exercise is absolutely important, especially exercise that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat. Sweating is great for detoxifying and removing acid from the body. Remember our the skin is our largest organ.
However diet always has and always will trump exercise when it comes to overall health and weight loss and when you switch to a primarily alkaline diet, you will see those excess pounds / kilos fall away like they never have before. This is primarily because the body no longer needs to create fat cells to protect itself from the acid and it will swiftly work to return you to your optimum healthy weight.
Sound too good to be true? Well, I’ve personally read dozens of success stories and I even have my own.
My Own Acid/Alkaline Success Story
A couple of years ago I went through a period of about 12 weeks where I had really let my regular healthy diet and exercise habits go completely out the window. I was focusing 100% of my time and attention on a big project I was working on at the time. Anyway by the end of the 12 weeks I was disappointed to see that I had put on just over 6 kilos / 13 pounds and was feeling extremely lethargic and unwell. Then a friend of mine put me onto a book called The Acid Alkaline Diet Made Simple and it was really a huge eye opener for me.
Have you ever noticed in your life when it comes to books, that the right one seems to appear at the right time? Well this was one of those times.
After reading The Acid Alkaline Diet Made Simple in just one sitting, I immediately took the recommended steps to reduce my intake of acid-forming foods and dramatically increase my intake of alkaline-forming foods. I also decided to drink a lot more water and my Naturopath friend put me onto this incredible stuff called, Vital Greens which is an alkaline nutritional powerhouse.
[SIDENOTE: Actually, for those of you based in North America, they recently launched it over there under the name, Revitalize. Truly amazing stuff. I can't recommend it highly enough. Just one look at all the ingredients inside you'll understand why!]
Anyway, I really wanted to put this Acid Alkaline theory to the test and for the next 30 days I decided that I would do absolutely zero exercise and see if I would still lose weight from the change in diet alone.
30 days later and not only had I returned to my original good health before starting on my project, I actually was feeling better than I had my whole life. I had energy to burn, my mind was clear and focused and I just plain felt really good inside, so alive! In addition to this, I was delighted (and not to mention surprised) to get on the scales and see that I had lost 6 and half kilos / over 13 pounds. Remember I did no exercise during this time and my days were spent working on the computer.
This realization totally changed my ideas about losing weight and I truly believe that this Acid/Alkaline lifestyle change will work for anyone.
The Acid Alkaline Diet
I need to clarify something. This Acid Alkaline Diet is not really a diet at all. It is a way of life where you are conscious about the foods that you eat and the effect that they will have on your body. It’s not about depriving yourself, it is about keeping things in a healthy balance so that your diet consists ‘primarily’ of alkaline-forming foods.
To follow is a list of both acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods. You’ll notice that your fresh vegetables and in particular your greens are highly alkaline as well as your lemons, watermelon and grapefruit and on the acidic side you’ll see your meats, your dairy, alcohol, soda, coffee and artificial sweeteners.
Acid Alkaline Food ChartHighly Alkaline Forming Foods Baking soda, sea salt, mineral water, pumpkin seed, lentils, seaweed, onion, taro root, sea vegetables, lotus root, sweet potato, lime, lemons, nectarine, persimmon, raspberry, watermelon, tangerine, and pineapple. Moderately Alkaline Forming Foods Apricots, spices, kambucha, unsulfured molasses, soy sauce, cashews, chestnuts, pepper, kohlrabi, parsnip, garlic, asparagus, kale, parsley, endive, arugula, mustard green, ginger root, broccoli, grapefruit, cantaloupe, honeydew, citrus, olive, dewberry, carrots, loganberry, and mango. Low Alkaline Forming Foods Most herbs, green tea, mu tea, rice syrup, apple cider vinegar, sake, quail eggs, primrose oil, sesame seed, cod liver oil, almonds, sprouts, potato, bell pepper, mushrooms, cauliflower, cabbage, rutabaga, ginseng, eggplant, pumpkin, collard green, pear, avocado, apples (sour), blackberry, cherry, peach, and papaya. Very Low Alkaline Forming Foods Ginger tea, umeboshi vinegar, ghee, duck eggs, oats, grain coffee, quinoa, japonica rice, wild rice, avocado oil, most seeds, coconut oil, olive oil, flax oil, brussel sprout, beet, chive, cilantro, celery, okra, cucumber, turnip greens, squashes, lettuces, orange, banana, blueberry, raisin, currant, grape, and strawberry. Very Low Acid Forming Foods Curry, koma coffee, honey, maple syrup, vinegar, cream, butter, goat/sheep cheese, chicken, gelatin, organs, venison, fish, wild duck, triticale, millet, kasha, amaranth, brown rice, pumpkin seed oil, grape seed oil, sunflower oil, pine nuts, canola oil, spinach, fava beans, black-eyed peas, string beans, wax beans, zucchini, chutney, rhubarb, coconut, guava, dry fruit, figs, and dates. Low Acid Forming Foods Vanilla, alcohol, black tea, balsamic vinegar, cow milk, aged cheese, soy cheese, goat milk, game meat, lamb, mutton, boar, elk, shell fish, mollusks, goose, turkey, buckwheat, wheat, spelt, teff, kamut, farina, semolina, white rice, almond oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, tapioca, seitan, tofu, pinto beans, white beans, navy beans, red beans, aduki beans, lima beans, chard, plum, prune and tomatoes. Moderately Acid Forming Foods Nutmeg, coffee, casein, milk protein, cottage cheese, soy milk, pork, veal, bear, mussels, squid, chicken, maize, barley groats, corn, rye, oat bran, pistachio seeds, chestnut oil, lard, pecans, palm kernel oil, green peas, peanuts, snow peas, other legumes, garbanzo beans, cranberry, and pomegranate. Highly Acid Forming Foods Tabletop sweeteners like (NutraSweet, Spoonful, Sweet ‘N Low, Equal or Aspartame), pudding, jam, jelly, table salt (NaCl), beer, yeast, hops, malt, sugar, cocoa, white (acetic acid) vinegar, processed cheese, ice cream, beef, lobster, pheasant, barley, cottonseed oil, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, fried foods, soybean, and soft drinks, especially the cola type. To neutralize a glass of cola with a pH of 2.5, it would take 32 glasses of alkaline water with a pH of 10. |
Use this list as your guide to following the 80/20 rule: 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods.
If you make this change to your diet I wholeheartedly believe that not only will you lose any excess weight that you’re carrying, but your energy levels will increase dramatically and you will better than you have in a long time, perhaps ever!
Oh and you can still enjoy your favourite ‘unhealthy’ foods, just keep them as a small part of your overall diet by reducing your portion size and the frequency that you eat them.
One thing’s for sure and that is that our Grandparents were giving us great advice when they said, “Eat your greens!” Have you had yours today?
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