Alkaline vs. Alkalyzing

Hello, Waterbloggers,
Did the title above intrigue you? It should, because there are
more and more attempts being made to mold your thinking,
and spending, on this subject.
I would just like to whet your appetite on this subject, for now.

While it is true that the human body needs both acid and alkaline
substances for good health, it is not true that all alkaline foods
and beverages are good for you. There is a growing media and
marketing hype to get you to ingest too many alkaline things, one
of which is both expensive and dangerous - alkaline(also called
'ionized') water.

Here's the basic problem: Your stomach needs to maintain a low
pH, between pH2 and 3(7 is neutral), to break down the macro-nutrients
before they go into the alkaline environment of your intestines.
Anti-acids, both prescription and off the shelf, are designed to
neutralize this vital step in the digestion process. Overuse of these
products and many other so-called 'alkalyzing' supplements can
do immense damage over the long haul. Among the potential
problems are incomplete or ineffective digestion of proteins, fats,
and minerals. These insufficiencies can lead to osteoporosis, nerve
damage, malnutrition, and colo-rectal cancer, among others.
(I'll get into this in more detail at a later post...)

Just so you don't think I'm making this up, do a quick web-search
on "acid and alkaline" or something similar. There are thousands
of web pages that will come up, most with charts on which foods
and beverages are 'acidifying' and which are 'alkalyzing'. There is
absolute, universal agreement that citrus fruits are at the top of
the list for 'alkalyzing' foods. See what I'm getting at?

Citrus fruits not only supply plenty of vitamins and minerals
which are needed by a healthy body, but the low pH of citrus
foods allows the stomach to work without hindrance, without
requiring large, additional acid secretions. Foods eaten with
citrus can be broken down and assimilated more efficiently,
without causing the free-radical attack induced by incorrectly
prepared or combined foods.

OK, enough for now. But be aware: the anti-acid business is
a multi-billion dollar a year industry. More and more supplements
are marketed as "alkalyzing" when they are "alkaline", and not
"alkalyzing". Adding a little organic apple-cider vinegar or a little
lemon juice to your diet might just be the best thing you could
do for yourself right now at almost no cost.
More later,
Sam