Acid-Base

[Squall]

What's your take on balancing acidic and basic foods? Necessary, unnecessary, pseudo-science?

[Satya]

Basic chemistry: acid + base -> a salt + H₂O

[Squall]

Ah ... thanks for the chemistry lesson, satya. 

Ok, now how about a value judgement from an RPD perspective? Something like, 'it's necessary' or 'its bunk'. I don't see much talk about it here, but I know Price talked about it and the Primal guys take acidity and alkalinity of their foods into consideration, too.

[TylerDurden]

Well, the zero-carbers view it as bunk. One thing I can safely state is that the whole acid/alkali theory is based around the idea of a cooked-food diet consisting of acidifying cooked animal food and alkalinising plant-food. It's a fact that cooked-meats are much more acidic than raw meats, with processed meats being even worse. So, even if the acid/alkali theory is correct(IMO, unlikely), the expected proportion of acidifying foods like meats/eggs etc. would be OK at a much higher level/percentage than it would be on a cooked-diet.

[Raw Kyle]

Basic chemistry: acid + base -> a salt + H₂O

That's only true of Bronstead Lowry acids/bases, not for Lewis. Or maybe it's the other way around, but the acids/bases that are determined by their electron pair situation don't follow (unless the electron pairs are connected to protons or hydroxide ions) that formula.

[Satya]

Whole Health Source blog addresses acid base theory of foods:

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/10/acid-base-balance.html

[TylerDurden]

One problem with the acid-alkali theory is that our blood is rigidly controlled by our bodies to remain within a very narrow PH-range(otherwise we die). Same goes for our other organs. About the only major difference, is that our urine can be particularly acid or alkaline, but this has nothing to do with our body's acid/alkali status , as a whole.

[avalon]

I love this stuff! I haven't thought alkaline/acid in a while. Sends me off on a Google Frenzy!

Anyone alkalineize their water with Baking Soda or Lemon Juice on a regular basis? I might try doing that for a while, just because.

Wishing everyone a GREAT day!

[TylerDurden]

I was forced to drink water with lemons squeezed into it beforehand, in Kenya. This is presumably an anti-insect technique(?) The stuff tasted foul, so I'd never do it again.

[Nicola]

I have an alkaline water ionizer - this is a sight that tells me why I should not believe in the alkaline/acidic ionizers...

http://www.chem1.com/CQ/ionbunk.html

Pure water can never be alkaline or acidic, nor can it be made so by electrolysis. Alkaline water must contain metallic ions of some kind — most commonly, sodium, calcium or magnesium.
The idea that one must consume alkaline water to neutralize the effects of acidic foods is ridiculous; we get rid of excess acid by exhaling carbon dioxide.
If you do drink alkaline water, its alkalinity is quickly removed by the highly acidic gastric fluid in the stomach.
Uptake of water occurs mainly in the intestine, not in the stomach. But when stomach contents enter the intestine, they are neutralized and made alkaline by the pancreatic secretions — so all the water you drink eventually becomes alkaline anyway.
The claims about the health benefits of drinking alkaline water are not supported by credible scientific evidence.
There is nothing wrong with drinking slightly acidic waters such as rainwater. "Body pH" is a meaningless concept; different parts of the body (and even of individual cells) can have widely different pH values. The pH of drinking water has zero effect on that of the blood or of the body's cells.
If you really want to de-acidify your stomach (at the possible cost of interfering with protein digestion), why spend hundreds of dollars for an electrolysis device when you can take calcium-magnesium pills, Alka-Seltzer or Milk of Magnesia?
Electrolysis devices are generally worthless for treating water for health enhancement, removal of common impurities, disinfection, and scale control. Claims that "ionized" waters are antioxidants are untrue; hypochlorites (present in most such waters) are in fact oxidizing agents