Acid-forming foods
Your daily diet should predominantly contain alkalinity providing and neutral foods. Only approx. 20 % of acid-forming foods should be contained.
Acid generating foods contain very few alkaline constituents. If our nutrition is primarily acid-forming our organism is forced to mobilise vital substances from its reserves to digest the overacidic foodstuffs.
Heartburn – a problem of overacidification
The parietal cells of the stomach produce acid (gastric acid) as well as base (sodium bicarbonate). Both substances are indispensable for the digestion. The gastric acid is needed directly in the stomach for the digestion of e. g. proteins and the sodium bicarbonate transitions into the blood for the buffering of acids. From there it is transported for example into the liver and the pancreas so that these organs can produce alkaline digestion juices.
If these organs need more bases for digestion due to a heavily acid-generating nutrition the stomach has to produce more bicarbonate. Coincidentally an overproduction of gastric acid is developed. This overproduction of hydrochloric acid makes itself perceivable as heartburn.
The current symptomatic therapy for heartburn unfortunately results in the drying out of the production of bases of the parietal cells due to the employment of antiacids. This often has fatal consequences for the digestion and the entire acid alkaline balance. The underlying problem is not treated by this therapy.
For the treatment of acute symptoms a buffering of acids with healing earth or sodium bicarbonate is recommended. For a long-ranging treatment it is necessary to eliminate the underlying reasons. To this treatment belong a dietary change with renunciation of alcohol, coffee, nicotine and the like, a reduction of table salt consumption, stress relief and a purposeful elimination of acids over the skin with alkaline baths.
Meat, lunchmeat and sausages
In the last years the consumption of meat and meat products has slightly decreased. But a German citizen still eats an average of 61.6 kg per year.
The abundant consumption of animal products has an acidifying impact on the organism due to the high amounts of sulphurous amino acids and purines and increases the cholesterol and uric acid levels. Thus civilisation diseases like osteoporosis and gout develop. The most acidic meat is pork. When metabolising pork the human organism generates not only uric acid but also aggressive sulphuric acid. The consumption of animal protein contributes significantly to the intake of the unwanted saturated fatty acids.
Particularly the abundant consumption of red meat like e. g. pork, beef, lamb and veal has an increasing effect on the risk of development of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The risk of colon cancer rises for approx. 50 % per 100 g additional meat consumption.
The specific recommendation of the World Cancer Research Fund is to consume not more than 500 g meat per week, thereof not more than 300 g red meat. The wholefood diet goes even one step further. It does not categorically reject a moderate consumption of 150 g meat per week but it does not recommend it either.
Compose your meals in a way that they include a large portion of vegetables, a side dish of potatoes, millets or the like and only a small serving of meat or fish. Meat is a real treat once a week, just like the Sunday roast of former times.
Nitrites
Many manufactured meat products like e. g. corned beef or salted meat contain harmful nitrites like potassium nitrate. These substances have a preserving effect on meat due to their ability to kill bacteria. But how do they affect the bacteria in our intestine?
Nitrites are said to cause cancer in the digestive tract. When buying meat products you should carefully read the ingredient list and avoid products where nitrites have been added.
You should categorically make sure to eat only meat and sausage products of a high quality and from animal-friendly husbandry. The supply of more and more and ever cheaper meat that can even contain antibiotics and growth hormones is neither healthy for the consumer nor for the animals and the agriculture.
Did you already know…
…that plants are valuable protein sources, too?
In the minds of people the idea is enshrined that you have to eat animal products on a daily basis to supply the need for protein. The gorilla for example, role model for many sportspeople, is a vegetarian! The elephant, one of the strongest animals of the world, feeds on plants only, too.
Plant-based foods are outstanding suppliers of valuable protein. These plants include nuts, sweet almonds, amaranth, millets, quinoa, buckwheat, green cabbage and Brussels sprouts or dried algae and legumes like peas, beans and lentils.
Fish
Fish ranks among the foods that are heavily acid generating. Nevertheless from a nutritional point of view fish is a valuable foodstuff if eaten not more than once per week. Fish can contribute to the supply with iodine and provides high-quality protein as well as the important Omega-3 fatty acids. Alternatively or additionally vegetable foods like linseed, hemp, walnut and wheat germ oil are valuable suppliers of Omega-3 fatty acids.
But due to the overfishing of our seas the excessive consumption of fish can not be recommended. But all seafood lovers can make a contribution to sustainable fishery by conscious shopping. Fisheries with the environment seal MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certify themselves regarding various environment criteria and for example only catch mature fish that had the ability to reproduce and avoid catching juveniles. The seal is found on the products in the depiction of a small blue fish. In Germany approx. 10 % of fish stem from MSC-certified fisheries.
Eggs
Eggs are highly acid generating foods. An average German eats approx. 220 eggs per year. Next to large quantities of sulphuric acid eggs contain a high amount of cholesterol.
If eggs are consumed you should pay attention to their origin. Organic eggs have a lot of advantages, especially as they are laid by free-range hens.
Milk and dairy products
Dairy products are neutral or acid-forming according to the amount of protein they contain. Cream and yoghurt are only slightly acid generating but curd is highly acidic, likewise hard cheese. The only dairy product that is alkalinity providing is whey.
Cow’s milk is attuned to the ideal development of the calf. Thus cow’s milk contains a lot of protein and calcium to allow the calf to double its birth weight in only 47 days. But cow’s milk also contains a comparatively high amount of saturated fatty acids which is not desirable for our nutrition.
Mother’s milk is ideal for the development of the nurseling. Human infants double their birth weight in 180 days. Thus mother’s milk does not contain as much protein and calcium. The priority for the human infant is the development of its brain. For this reason mother’s milk contains a high amount of valuable milk sugar besides important antibodies, enzymes and certain vitamins.
Milk – industrial processing on the rise
Today the fewest consumers buy their milk fresh from the farmer but in the supermarket next door. Before the white liquid is put into milk cartons it passes through a whole series of processing stages. The degree of processing varies greatly as there are different milk types like raw, fresh, ultra-high temperature processed milk (UHT-milk) and extended shelf-life milk (ESL-milk) lately.
The nowadays rarely known raw milk comes directly from the udder into the milk churn. Due to its very limited durability it has almost vanished from the market.
Fresh milk from the supermarket’s cooling shelf is heated up half a minute to 75 ºC. This so-called pasteurisation kills off most microorganisms like e. g. mildew. Additionally fresh milk is homogenised, i. e. the milk is forced at high pressure through a nozzle with small holes. Thus the milk fat globules of differing sizes are sputtered into equally sized globules. These globules are then distributed evenly in the milk and a homogenous liquid develops. Unopened fresh milk has a durability of approx. ten days in the refrigerator.
ESL-milk which is labelled ‘extended-shelf life’ or the like can be found in the cooling shelf. ESL-Milk is heated up to 120 ºC or filtered extra accurately. Thus it has reached a higher stage of procession and is durable for up to three weeks.
UHT-milk is heated up to 150 ºC for the prolongation of its durability and is additionally homogenised. It has a durability of up to three months without refrigeration.
A very important criterion for the buyer is long durability, unfortunately with negative consequences for the quality of the product. Studies have revealed that a calf nourished with the pasteurised milk of its mother will die.
Milk and osteoporosis
Oftentimes milk is recommended for the supply with calcium when suffering from mineral supplement deficiency diseases like osteoporosis. But by now it is known that the reason for this disease is not an insufficient intake of calcium and much less an insufficient consumption of milk but rather a highly overacidic nutrition and lifestyle. This robs the organism of minerals and harms the bones.
If milk was as indispensable for the health of our bones as oftentimes considered the countries with the lowest consumption of milk like e. g. countries in Asia and Africa, should have the highest rates of osteoporosis. This is not the case. Indigenous people who consume no milk at all have an outstanding bone density.
The large quantities of milk protein that are consumed nowadays are problematic for our organism. The exogenous lactoprotein is reabsorbed by the intestine into the blood but not incorporated into the cells. Thus the blood gets overloaded with milk protein. This condition can be made visible on blood pictures with the dark-field microscope. Furthermore our cleansing system, the lymph is being constipated and congested.
Milk and intolerance
In the field of adverse reactions to food you differentiate between allergies and intolerances or non-allergic hypersensitivities. If a person suffers from an allergy against a special type of food the immune system of that person answers towards the food or a special constituent with an antigen- and antibody-specific reaction. Symptoms appear only after multiple contacts with the allergen.
One special food allergy is the allergy against cow’s milk protein. The sources are allergenic proteins like e. g. casein or whey proteins. Symptoms of an allergy against cow’s milk protein are diarrhoea and vomiting but also skin and airway problems like e. g. asthma. These symptoms are not related to the quantity of allergen that was taken in. People suffering from this allergy have to avoid contact with the respective allergens, i. e. the relevant dairy products by all means.
If suffering from an intolerance or hypersensitivity the reaction is triggered directly by the constituents of the food. There is no antigen- and antibody-specific reaction. When the enzyme lactase looses its ability and activity to
segregate milk sugar the undigested lactose finds its way into the lower parts of the intestine. Among others, this process can lead to flatulence, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The symptoms often appear several hours after first contact with the respective substance. One example for these intolerances is lactose intolerance.
Roughly 15 % of Germans develop this intolerance against lactose at some point of their lives. Among other population groups in e. g. Africa or Asia lactose intolerance is even more common.
Usually fermented milk products like yoghurt, kefir and buttermilk are tolerated by people with lactose intolerance at least in small quantities. This is because during the preparation of yoghurt special lactic acid bacteria are mixed into the milk that prepare the way by transforming the lactose into lactic acid.
During infancy and toddler age cow’s milk and dairy products are considered to be the most common triggers for intolerances. Symptoms can for example be diarrhoea and infantile eczema or even atopic dermatitis. Particularly for atopic dermatitis it is recommended to abandon the consumption of milk and dairy products. Oftentimes the condition quickly improves. Toddlers should take in dairy products not until after 12 months.
Alternatives to cow’s milk
Cow’s milk can be replaced by oat, almond or rice milk or a mixture of cream and water.
Soy milk is only contingently recommendable. The estrogens it contains are disputed. Soy comprises large quantities of purines that are metabolised into uric acid. Additionally many people react allergic towards soy.
Green vegetables, berries, nuts and dried fruit are counted among the good vegetable suppliers of calcium. Amaranth and millets are also very rich in calcium. Many researchers have the opinion that calcium is taken in well or even better from vegetables than from milk. The calcium absorption rates when consuming milk are only at about 30 %. The absorption rates of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage and other leafy greens are between 40 to 64 %.
If you do not want to abandon milk and dairy products it is recommendable to use those originating from organic farming – but in moderation, please!
At best you can prepare your own yoghurt from fresh organic milk. For this purpose you can find various yoghurt makers. The readily prepared yoghurt can be refined with fresh fruit.
Cheese
Next to meat cheese contains many sulphurous amino acids and thus is very acid generating. Because of this even vegetarians should eat cheese in moderation. Particularly hard cheeses like Edam, Gouda, Emmentaler, Parmesan and processed or soft cheeses contain a lot of table salt and are very acid-forming.
You should prefer cheese types made from raw milk, especially goat and sheep’s cheeses that are sold in pieces in organic and health food stores. As an alternative to cheese we recommend spreads of vegetable origin that are available in a wide range of delicious varieties. They can also be used to refine sauces or as a dip for potatoes.
Cereal products
Cereals are counted among the slightly overacidic foods. Whole-grain flour is less acidic than white flour due to its high content of vital substances.
Give whole grain the preference
The mineral supplements in whole grain function as acid buffers. The outer layers and the germ of the grain that are not used for white flour contain particularly much dietary fibres, minerals, vitamins and valuable proteins. Superfine flour contains 88 % less vitamins and 99 % less minerals than wholemeal flour.
Always favour wholemeal when buying cereals. This recommendation applies for pasta, rice and baked goods as well.
Declared wholemeal breads or rolls have to contain at least 90 % whole-grain flour. Oftentimes pungent looking rolls and dark bread are rather mixed baking goods made with ordinary flour containing few or no quantities of whole-grain flour. These baked goods are often darkened with caramel colouring and sprinkled with whole grains to suggest healthiness. Always remember when buying bread: It’s only wholemeal if it’s declared as wholemeal!
When baking cakes you should also prefer wholemeal flour and natural sweeteners like apple, pear or agave syrup, maple syrup or honey.
Besides pasta and bread you can very well eat cereal-like plants or potatoes as a satiating side-dish.
Blood sugar level
During consumption of white flour products like cake and rolls with jam or chocolate spread the blood sugar level soars upward due to the large proportions of sugar and simple carbohydrates as well as the absence of dietary fibres. This is a strong stimulus for the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin level increases abruptly causing sugar and fat to be channelled into the cells. Consequently the blood sugar level undergoes a drastic decline after only a short amount of time. The brain which is dependant on sugar as a supplier of energy signals an extreme sensation of hunger. This process can recur over and over again if sugar and white flour are repeatedly consumed. Thus the blood sugar level, the pancreas and the insulin level experience a constant roller coaster ride.
Thus it comes as no surprise that the occurrence of diabetes mellitus and obesity is becoming more frequent even among children. And could it really come unexpected that with a nutrition like this school children are easily distracted, fidgety and hyperactive during phases of high blood sugar and lethargic and tired during phases of low blood sugar levels?
Wheat allergy
The cereal type most important for nutrition in our country is one of the most common allergic agents. In Germany this is wheat that has also been entirely overbred for commercial reasons. More and more people suffer from abnormal reactions against various proteins of the wheat grain and have to renounce eating it.
Celiac disease
Nowadays the quantities of gluten-containing cereal that are consumed are by far larger than those our ancestors would have eaten. During the middle ages and the beginning of the modern era people ate hardly any cereals but rather gluten-free millet pulp and barley porridge containing low amounts of gluten.
According to Dr. med. Axel Bolland one of 200 Germans suffers from celiac disease by now. Celiac disease is an extreme incompatibility towards gluten. Gluten is contained in many species of grains like wheat, rye, barley, spelt and unripe spelt.
Celiac disease is recognised in school medicine as the most extreme form of intolerance against gluten. Studies show that people suffer from inflammatory reactions and the destruction of the villi in the small intestine in case of celiac disease. Therefore nutrients can only be incorporated poorly and remain undigested in the intestine.
Some of the possible symptoms are weight loss, diarrhoea, vomiting, lack of appetite and fatigue. People who suffer from celiac disease have to abandon foods containing gluten for their entire lifetime.
Lighter forms of intolerance
Dr. Bolland assumes that many people suffer from a lighter form of celiac disease with individual limits of tolerance and inconsistent disease patterns. Reactions towards the gluten that was taken in can come up hours or even days later. If the intolerance is not identified oftentimes the affected people feel bad and exhausted for months or years and do not know why. Dr. Bolland recommends 80 % of Germans to keep their hands off wheat and co.
Gluten-induced high blood pressure
It is also discussed if gluten plays a role in the development of a special type of high blood pressure. Physicians report of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases that the vessels regained their permeability after a change towards a gluten-free diet. This was determined by cardiac catherisation.
You should frequently try to exchange gluten-containing cereal against other plants. Alternatives are the gluten-free plants similar to cereal like e. g. millets, buckwheat, amaranth or quinoa (see neutral foods).
Gluten-free breakfast
Many people feel bad day by day without knowing that they have begun the day with a breakfast that is indigestible for them. There are four types of breakfast that burden digestion and metabolism of the ‘modern’ human day by day.
1. Milk breakfast
The daily milk breakfast congests our lymphatic system with phlegm due to its high amount of protein. The enzyme catalase that is contained in milk interferes with the intake of oxygen into our organism. In the consequence diverse deficiency diseases can be developed. Oxygen is the most important receptor of our organism that transports substances taken in, oxidises and reabsorbs them.
2. Salt-protein-fat breakfast
Lunchmeat and cheese, served with fried bacon and sausages. Together with the daily intake of salt this breakfast stresses our kidneys. Therefore and because of its high amount of undesired saturated fatty acids it leads to overweight and problems of the intestine in the long run.
3. Sugar breakfast
The sugar breakfast includes jams, chocolate-nut spreads, cocoa or other sweets containing billions of calories. It can lead to abdominal pain and fermentation in the intestine and result in sharp fluctuations of the insulin level in the long run. Additionally the alcoholic fermentations that are caused by the sugar can lead to the development of liver-injuring toxic alcohols in the small intestine.
4. The already described gluten-containing breakfast that consists of bread, rolls and cereal is indigestible for many people.
A valuable alternative to these types of breakfast is the gluten-free millet-buckwheat porridge MorgenStund’. It is easily digestible for everyone, even for infants or older people. The porridge can be refined according to taste and individual tolerance with nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, cinnamon or fruits and the like.
The digestion and metabolism, even the regeneration of the organism come to life with millet-buckwheat porridge for breakfast, preferably with one or two tablespoons WurzelKraft for the supply with vital substances. This breakfast provides a strengthening of mental and physical performance.
Cereal-similar plants
Gluten-free plants are classified as ‘neutral’ or ‘less acid generating than cereal’ by many experts because of their high content of vital substances. Gluten-free cereal-similar plants are e. g. quinoa, millets, buckwheat, amaranth, rice and corn.
Millet seeds are known for their high content of natural fluoride and silicon.
The grains of buckwheat contain well usable protein and valuable carbohydrates. Buckwheat also contains a particularly high amount of rutin. Rutin is an active agent that has a positive impact on the blood vessels.
Quinoa seeds contain especially much valuable protein and an above-average amount of calcium, phosphor and iron.
The seeds of Amaranth are easily digestible and contain valuable amino acids as well as many mineral supplements, notably calcium, magnesium and iron. For this reason amaranth is very popular among vegetarians, vegans and sportspeople.
Cereal-similar plants contain larger quantities of vital substances than grains like wheat or rye. Another advantage is the superior biological value of the protein of gluten-free seeds in comparison to grains. Most notable is the protein of amaranth that is easier to utilise for the human than the protein of an animal product like cow’s milk. Seeds of cereal-similar plants contain no negative attendant substances like cholesterol, acids or the like. Thus they should be a consistent component of a natural and balanced vegetarian diet.
These power seeds should be rinsed in hot water before cooking. They can be prepared as pulp, casserole, as a side dish alongside vegetables, soups or salads. Popped amaranth is often used for porridge, sweet desserts, bread and the like.
The cereal-similar plants are a good example to show that a surplus of acids or bases is not the only reason to classify a food as healthy or unhealthy. Even if they are categorised as neutral or slightly overacidic these plants are counted as very valuable foods with high amounts of mineral supplements, vitamins, secondary plant substances and other health-promoting contents.
Semiluxury food and tobacco
Semiluxury foods like sweets, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and tobacco are extremely acid generating. You should always consume them modestly.
Coke beverages
Next to large quantities of sugar that damages our teeth coke beverages contain carbonic and phosphoric acid. These sour the lemonades and provide them with a longer durability. Phosphoric acid harms our bones. It reduces the incorporation of calcium into our bones, similar to osteoporosis. Studies show that drinking coke is connected to a considerably lower bone density in the hips. The risk of bone fractures is five times higher for intensely exercising young girls if they regularly drink coke. Though the light variant of coke with artificial sweeteners is lower in calories it is not healthier. Energy drinks contain even more acid and are even unhealthier than soft drinks and therefore should be avoided completely.
Coffee
Coffee is oftentimes judged as very overacidic. This seems to be not quite correct. It might be that the high excretion of acids after the consumption of coffee is to be traced back to the increased production of gastric acid.
Simultaneously with the gastric acid our organism also produces the alkaline bicarbonate. The bicarbonate gets into the blood and helps with the removal of acids. Thus the sour urine after the consumption of coffee can also be a sign for a well-functioning acid elimination.
However coffee promotes the development of heart burn because of its effect on the pylorus and the contained melanoidins, substances that are produced during the roasting of the coffee beans. Thus it is always advisable to consume coffee in moderation especially in combination with sugar.
If you do not want to abandon real coffee completely at least drink it in the morning. Try to substitute grain coffee for real coffee in whole or in part.
Sugar
If sugar alone is metabolised it does not generate acid unless the oxygen for the combustion of the sugar is missing.
But that’s not to say you can consume a lot of sugar without consequences. Sugar is and will remain very unhealthy and should only be eaten moderately. Usually sugar is not digested on its own. If it gets into the intestine together with other foods fermentation similar to alcoholic fermentation takes place. In combination with very common pathological alterations of the gut flora toxic alcohols that damage the liver can develop. The toxic alcohols burden the organism considerably with their acid.
Moreover many important vital substances are consumed during the metabolising of sugar. Thus sugar is a notorious robber of mineral supplements because it only consumes but does not deliver vital substances.
Additionally microorganisms in the oral cavity use sugar for the production of acid and thus sugar has a high cariogenic potential.
Sugar and coffee are best examples to show that a surplus of acids can not be the only criterion for the judgement of a foodstuff. Acid-providing or not, the abundant consumption of sugar and coffee is never recommendable.
As an alternative to sugar you can use natural sweeteners like honey or fruit syrups. They deliver valuable vital substances in addition to their sweetness.
Low-calorie products = poor pleasure products
More than two thirds of the German population buy the light variants of cream, hard cheese and yoghurt. They believe that these products are healthy and low-fat.
A product may be declared as ‘light’ when it contains at least 30 % less fat or sugar than the original product. Thus the declaration that a food is light does not actually state it is poor in fat, considering for example light herbed butter or light salami.
Light products can contain substantial quantities of fat. To improve the taste of light products oftentimes carbohydrates and emulsifiers are added. It is possible that a light product contains less fat but more sugar than the original product.
Beside protein and dietary fibres fat adds to the feeling of satiety. Thus the opinion is becoming more frequent that light foods invalidate the natural experience of satiation. Additionally light products betray people into eating more than necessary.
Ready-to-serve meals and additives
Ready-to-serve meals are dishes that are heated shortly before eating. On the average ready-to-serve meals like frozen pizza, lasagne or French fries contain more fat than freshly prepared dishes. Thus they promote the development of overweight if consumed regularly.
Not only the quantity but also the quality of the added fat is decisive. Particularly deep-fried meals contain unhealthy trans fatty acids. The abundant consumption of those meals promotes the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Declaration of additives
In the ingredient list of a foodstuff all additives have to be listed. Usually they are printed at the very end of the list. Their identification begins with the classification that gives the purpose of the additive. It is succeeded by the chemical identifier or an number like e. g. ‘colorant carotene’ or ‘colorant 160a’. The numbers are between 100 and 1520.
Additives
The more processed a ready-to-eat meal is and the longer its durability lasts the more additives it contains. Additives are substances that are intentionally added to foods to generate a certain technological effect like e. g.
conservation or colouring. According to the legislature these additives are not hazardous for the health. But some of them repeatedly come under suspicion to be not so harmless at all.
Preservatives
Preservatives have been developed to kill off microorganisms. When you regularly consume ready-to-serve meals and thus take in these substances the question comes up whether they damage the intestinal bacteria of the gut flora.
The additive glutamate
The flavour enhancer glutamate that is contained in nearly every ready-to-serve meal is suspected of having a toxic effect on nerve and brain cells. Some people react towards glutamate with hypersensitivity and various other medical conditions up to vomiting.
Are artificial sweeteners fattening?
Instead of helping with the reduction of weight artificial sweeteners can cause the exact opposite. Livestock breeders use sweeteners as an appetite-inducing agent. The number of overweight people has not remotely declined since the beginning of the diet-era.
One of the acid-generators among the artificial sweeteners is for example aspartame. During the breakdown of aspartame methanol is developed and afterwards reduced to formic acid.
Industrially manufactured artificial products like light foods, additives and the like can be no part of a natural diet. They contribute to the overacidification of the body and should be avoided.
Everyday acidic traps:
Meat, lunchmeat and sausages -> sulphuric and uric acid
Cheese -> sulphuric acid
Eggs -> sulphuric acid
Coke, soft and processed cheese, fish and eggs -> phosphoric acid
Artificial sweetener -> formic acid
Aspirin -> acetylsalicylic acid
(Sulphuric acid is also used as an additive for dried fruits, wine and potato products.)