If you are aiming to lose weight, you need to place lots of emphasis on your body’s acid-alkaline balance. Your body’s pH balance ensures the optimal functioning of your body metabolism, immune system, body organs and for promoting strong and healthy bones.
It is thus essential that you maintain a normal pH balance between 6 to 8 to lose weight. A highly acidic diet promotes fat gain as the body has to produce excess fat to metabolize the acids and neutralize its effects. While some fat cells do get flushed out of the system, some cells remain in the body to induce weight gain.
It is because of this alkalinity that nutritionists recommend eating more of salad greens, fibrous fruits and vegetables as they help create the best alkalizing effect on your body. Examples of foods acidic in nature include soft drinks, meats, grains, refined flours, etc.
Examples of alkaline foods are lemons, olive oil, vegetables, melons, apples, grapefruit, etc. Many people who have followed an alkaline diet for weight loss have reported that it resulted in a boost of energy levels, induced weight loss and improved skin texture.
Scientific studies and proof
It was Ivan Pavlov who first proved through scientific studies that the digestive enzymes released and the amount of acid secreted depended on the type of food ingested. His rat experiments proved that starches took 2 hours to digest, proteins about 4 hours and a protein-starch mixture required 13 hours to digest. He also proved that food eaten before the completion of digestion lead to fermentation, which happens if you eat fruit after your meals.
All this occurred because digestion enzymes only functioned at specific pH levels where proteins and carbohydrate enzymes needed opposite pH levels. This is why it’s difficult to properly digest either if mixed together.
Dr. Howard Hay developed high blood pressure, a dilated heart and Brights disease after practicing medicine for 16 years. Without any available treatment, he decided to find his own cure.
He examined his food intake and digestive process, the essential enzymes for all this and if the food created an acidic or alkaline effect on the body. Accordingly, he combined foods and reduced acidifying foods from the diet. He thus felt a complete remission of symptoms within 3 months of changing his diet and also lost 20kg.
Eat in moderation
According to all these studies, it looks like obesity is indeed an acid problem. This however does not imply that you need to eat only alkaline foods and stop eating acidic foods like red meats which do contain good nutrients. The key is to eat everything in moderation, including moderation!
While you enjoy your meats, do include lots of alkaline foods not only for health reasons but also to induce weight loss. The best alkaline foods are nature’s super greens; barley, wheat grass and spirulina powders. Just mix half a teaspoon of them in alkaline water to reap more nutrients than a basket of vegetables.
Just follow a nutritionally balanced and sensible combination diet of natural whole foods with lots of alkaline mineral water and you will pretty soon see your weight taking care of itself.