Acid and alkaline

For optimum health, we need to balance acid and alkaline – but not perfectly. The body’s environment should be slightly alkaline. Herman Aihara tells how we can keep it that way.

This article formed part of a series based on macrobiotic lectures that Herman Aihara gave in Singapore in 1995. Following that, I published an entire issue of The Good Life, summarising his key teachings in Singapore.

Herman Aihara passed away on 25 February 1998 and Cornelia Aihara passed away exactly eight years later, on 25 February 2006.

The Alkaline test

For years, I could never read beyond the first few paragraphs and chemical equations of Herman Aihara’s book on acid and Alkaline.

It seems hard to understand. Because Herman marries the concept of acid and alkaline with that of yin and yang. But it is important to try and understand both concepts.

“Yin and Yang represents oriental thinking,” Herman Aihara says. “Acid and Alkaline represents Western thinking. If you understand both, you understand humanity.”

So what is acid and alkaline? To understand this, we need to first understand the difference between acid / acidic foods and acid-forming foods. And likewise, the difference between alkailine and alkaline-forming foods.

Acid vs acid-forming

Acid is formed when elements combine with hydrogen (H).

For example, hydrochloric acid (HCI) is chlorine combined with hydrogen. Sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) is sulphur and oxygen combined with hydrogen. And so on.

The elements that combine easily with hydrogen are sulphur (S), phosphorous (P), chlorine (CI) and iodine (I). Foods that are rich in these elements tend to form acids. They are said to be acid-forming foods.

Alkaline elements, in contrast, are those that do not combine with hydrogen. The main alkaline elements are sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). Foods rich in these elements are said to be alkaline-forming foods.

That, in essence, is the theory of acid and alkaline. It is simple and straight forward. Applying this theory in real life, however, can be complicated.

First, we have to deal with the confusion between acid foods and acid-forming foods.

Acid foods are foods that contain acids. They taste sour. Acid-forming foods are foods that produce acids after they are digested by the body.

The two are not the same. Take the case of fruits. Some, like lemons, are very acidic. But when the body digests fruits and vegetables, the acids in them are transformed into carbon dioxide and water.

At the same time, fruits and vegetables are rich in alkaline elements like potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium.

So fruits and vegetables are actually alkaline-forming foods. If you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, your body becomes more alkaline.

Conversely, meat, eggs and other high protein foods are not acidic. They do not taste sour. But when protein is digested, it produces uric acid. So high-protein foods are acid-forming.

What is important is the final outcome-whether a food is acid-forming or alkaline-forming.