With all the ‘noise’ about being careful about what you eat, how does food really affect your health? Experts advise that a good understanding of this could help you live a healthier, well-nourished life.

pH                  1      2      3      4      5      6      7      8      9      10      11      12    13      14

                      Acidic pH                       Neutral pH                                                Alkaline pH

It is important to note that food has a direct effect on the properties of your blood, with pH being one of the properties directly affected by the food you eat. pH is a measure of how acidic or how alkaline a substance is. It is expressed on a scale of 1-14, with a pH of 1 meaning highly acidic, a pH of 7 meaning neither acidic nor alkaline (neutral) and a pH of 14 meaning highly alkaline.

The pH of human blood is slightly alkaline (7.35 – 7.45). Any pH above or below this range would cause symptoms and diseases.

In a condition where the pH of the blood is a little acidic (slightly below 7.35), the body balances the blood pH by using alkaline minerals in your body such as calcium, potassium and magnesium which are obtained from the food eaten. If the diet does not contain enough alkaline minerals to compensate for the imbalance, there will be an accumulation of acid in the body which could result in symptoms and consequently life-threatening diseases. Some of these conditions include decrease in energy production, becoming more susceptible to tiredness and illness. Accumulation of acid in the body could even encourage the growth of tumour cells. On the other side, when the pH of the blood is above 7.45 (more alkaline), it could lead to hypersensitivity of the nerves in the body, convulsion and even death.

When food is consumed, it either has an acidic effect or alkalizing effect on the body after digestion.  This is as a result of how the body reacts to the foods. For instance, lemons are acidic in nature, but have an alkalizing effect on the body while milk is alkaline outside the body but has an acidic effect on the body upon digestion.

Research has shown that foods that form alkaline improve the health of humans whereas eating a lot of acid-forming foods could increase emotional stress and cause faster deterioration of the body. Nonetheless, it is necessary to eat a balance of alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods to keep blood pH within its normal range and consequently to maintain good health. It is advised that food eaten should contain 60-80% alkaline-forming foods and 20-40% acid-forming foods. This will help keep the blood pH in its normalcy. It's also very important to eat a variety of the various acid-forming and alkaline-forming foods to ensure your body gets all the needed vitamins and minerals as they vary in availability and quantity in the various foods.

Above listed are some of the alkaline-forming and acid-forming foods. Remember to eat a variety of the foods in adequate amounts to be able to provide your body with all the necessary nutrients as you balance them to maintain a normal blood pH. Hippocrates, the father of medicine once said, “let your food be your medicine”. Choose your diet carefully  to ensure you eat well to live long.

By Bezalel Adainoo

Food Scientist

adainoo@gmail.com