The following is a reply I posted to Margaret in another thread today.
Margaret, here's some info from Drsears.com (the A's are Barry Sears' replies):
Alkaline versus acidic - Relevance: 1007
Q: I have been doing a lot of research on the alkaline versus acidic effect of fruits and vegetables. I have found many sites with conflicting information, such as whether or not lemon or lime is alkalizing to the body. Is there a research source of the alkalizing versus acid effect of food that you can recommend? (I have severe gout and my initial PH tests were off the charts on the acid side, and I need to compensate by adding more alkaline sources until I can restore the balance, but I can't seem to find two sources of information in agreement. A: Fruits and vegetables tend to increase pH (i.e. alkaline), whereas grains, starches and protein tend to decrease pH (i.e. acid). You need a balance. The Zone Diet provides such a balance. I would recommend removing all grains and starches from your diet and adding more vegetables.
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http://drsears.com/SearchIndexer/ta...fault.aspx - 10/24/2007 1:12:22 PM
2 Zone Diet and pH - Relevance: 1006
Dear Dr. Sears, Q: I'm an Italian personal trainer, and I believe really very much in your Zone Diet. Also I unfortunately come from the pasta country. What do you think about new studies on a pH diet? I personally believe if you could realize a Zone pH Diet, it will be the revolution of your life. A: The pH diet is based on the principle that you want to maintain your blood in a slightly alkaline state. Since taking blood is painful, people often use urine to determine if their diet is alkaline or acidic. Unfortunately, it is an unreliable marker of the blood pH. Fruits and vegetables are foods that give rise to a greater pH in the blood. Meats and grains generate acidity in the blood. The Zone Diet can be viewed as a pH diet since you restrict grains and balance moderate protein intake with high levels of fruits and vegetables. The end result is you keep the blood slightly alkaline.
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http://drsears.com/SearchIndexer/ta...fault.aspx - 5/28/2009 11:46:15 AM
3 pH balance and disease - Relevance: 1002
Q: I've been hearing more and more about pH balance pertaining to cancer, heart disease, pain, etc., and how the more "acidic" the body, the more likely cancer and other diseases will develop and thrive. What are your thoughts on this? Linda A: Dear Linda, The body takes great efforts to maintain the pH of the blood, which is meant to be relatively constant. However, the diet can either help or hinder those efforts. Foods that are acidic are protein and grains and starches. On the other hand, fruits and vegetables are alkaline. The more acid in the diet, the more calcium that must be extracted from the bones to maintain a constant pH in the blood. Therefore, your best dietary approach to maintain a balanced pH in the blood is to eat a moderate protein diet with large quantities of vegetables and fruits. This is the Zone Diet. Relative to the role of pH in cancer, heart disease, and pain, it is more a consequence of not controlling silent inflammation than having anything to do with the pH of the blood or the urine.
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http://drsears.com/SearchIndexer/ta...fault.aspx - 8/24/2007 11:32:37 AM
You can find more here:
http://drsears.com/SearchResults/ta...h+alkaline