If you have a teenager or know one, send them this article and ask them to watch the very interesting (and cute!) video about the tendency to eat an acid-producing diet in this country.  The website is:
www.healthiertalk@healthiertalk.com   and the video is the one called:   "Why diet soda causes weight gain."
Posted on Sunday, August 22.
In the meantime, if you only have 3 minutes to read, here is my quick summary:
 
 
I watched a marvelous 8 minute video on Sunday about American diet trends and the connection to poor health, this time focusing on the damage caused by eating a very high acid-producing diet.  Acid-producing means that when a food or drink is completely metabolized, it leaves a residue that is acidic.
 
Since our blood must remain near the slightly alkaline range (7.4 - 7.5 pH) or death will occur, the body has several mechanisms that kick into place if our acid/alk meter is running acid - in order to force the blood back into slightly alkaline:
1.  Respiration picks up so that the body can rid itself of excess carbolic acid and is expelled through carbon dioxide in our breath.
2.  The kidneys have to work overtime to expell the after-effects of too much protein/acid forming foods, thus turning the urine too acidic.
3.  Minerals (Ca, Mg, Na, Iodine, K) are leached from the bones to make the blood more alkaline.
 
Osteoporosis, kidney malfunction, even cancer, can follow years of an acidic cellular environment.
 
The #1 worst offender in the acid category is soda.  Sodas register at 2.5 on the acid scale, just about the same as battery acid.  It has been estimated that it takes over 50 glasses of neutral water to de-acidify even one soda!
Closely following sodas are beer, alcohol, coffee, wine, tea.  However, coffee, tea, red wine have some redeeming effects in small doses (coffee, wine) and in large doses (tea).
Right behind that comes animal products and flour/grain products.
 
A really simple way to remember which foods are in which category is this:  If it is made by man (packaged foods, processed foods, fast foods) it will be very acidic.  If it grows on a tree, bush, in the ground, it will be mostly alkaline.  We do need some acid-forming foods, like walnuts, blueberries, wild-caught salmon, grass fed animals, but the trick is in(yo-duh news) the balance.  If you emiminate processed foods and eat from the natural world, your own body will guide you as to how much protein you need (less than you think!  Think like a Chinese peasant.)
 
and of course, drink lots and lots of purified, mineralized water!!
 
mary anne