What distinguishes acidic foods from alkaline foods, and how should I balance them for a healthy diet?

Acidic and alkaline foods are distinguished by the composition of the ash left behind when food is burned, not by their flavor, and balancing acidic and alkaline foods in your daily diet is beneficial to your health.

 

It’s often said that when the body becomes “acidic,” it’s easier to get sick, so it’s better to make the body “alkaline. Therefore, we are often advised to eat more alkaline foods than acidic foods. However, if you don’t have the right understanding of acidic and alkaline foods, you may end up eating the wrong foods. For example, vinegar is an alkaline food even though it tastes sour, and squid, which has a mild flavor, is an acidic food. So how can you tell the difference between acidic and alkaline foods?
First, let’s look at the concept of pH. The pH is an index of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. If a substance has a pH of 7, it’s neutral, if it’s higher than 7, it’s alkaline, and if it’s lower than 7, it’s acidic. Our bodies have a slightly alkaline pH of around 7.4, which is crucial for sustaining life. If the pH goes too far outside of this range, it becomes difficult to sustain life. Therefore, it’s important to be careful when eating a lot of acidic foods with a low pH, as they can upset the pH homeostasis. However, acidic foods aren”t necessarily unhealthy. For example, lemons are alkaline, not acidic, even though they have a sour flavor.
The distinction between acidic and alkaline foods isn’t based on the acidity of the food itself, but on what’s in the ash that’s left behind when the food is burned. Acidic foods are those that contain anions such as sulfur, phosphorus, and chlorine, while alkaline foods are those that contain cations such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Typical acidic foods include meat and ovo (protein), which are high in phosphorus and sulfur. Fruits, on the other hand, contain organic acids, which give them a sour taste, but they are oxidized in the body to carbon dioxide and water, leaving behind alkaline components. Therefore, fruits are classified as alkaline foods. Vegetables are also often considered alkalizing foods.
But are all meats acidic and all fruits and vegetables alkaline? No, they’re not. Among meats, duck is an alkaline food because it contains a variety of minerals (cations). Conversely, vegetables are also acidic. For example, green onions, which are often eaten with meat, are acidic. Many people think that they need to eat vegetables with meat, so they eat lettuce, sesame leaves, and green onions, which are acidic and need to be complemented nutritionally. However, this doesn’t mean that you should never eat green onions with meat. Rather, it’s important to get a balanced diet of different nutrients.
Despite the initial concern that eating too many acidic foods can tilt your blood toward acidity, homeostasis keeps your body’s fluids in a constant state during normal eating. Nevertheless, experts recommend that eating slightly more alkaline foods than acidic foods is beneficial to your health. In addition, it”s recommended to consume acidic and alkaline foods in a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.
In conclusion, acidic and alkaline foods are not based on the acidity of the food as we usually think of it, but on the composition of the ash that remains after burning the food. While this may not be a big deal in your daily diet, having a better understanding of acidic and alkaline foods will help you eat healthier.