Alkaline Foods and Your Digestive System

Due the the excessive processing of foods in Western society the environment of the digestive tract can get excessively acidic. I use the word "excessively" because some parts of the digestive tract have to be acidic. The problem is when there is excess acidity.

Covered in this Section

• pH and the Digestive System
  • The Stomach
  • Small Intestine
  • Colon
• Effect of on the Digestive Systems
• Solutions
• Questions?

pH and the Digestive System

For all the systems in the body there is an optimal pH balance for its optimal performance. The problem today is excess acidity in this part of the body and this prevents natural weight loss. This can cause demineralization which causes the digestive system to work harder and use more energy. Also, excess acidity, through demineralization will cause a drop in nutrient content, assimilation and absorption.

In the digestive tract there are three distinct sections with their own pH balance. Either way, alkaline foods assist all the systems maintain and reach their optimum.

The Stomach

The inside of our stomach is very acidic. The stomach pH value is maintained at around a pH of 4. When we eat food and drink water, especially alkaline foods, the pH value inside the stomach increases (meaning it gets more alkaline). When this happens, the stomach wall to secretes more hydrochloric acid into the stomach to bring the pH value back to 4. So the stomach becomes acidic again. The acid level is needed to activate the enzymes that digest proteins in the stomach. When we eat and drink more alkaline food, more hydrochloric acid is secreted to maintain the stomach pH value.

There is no hydrochloric acid pouch in our body. If there were, it would burn a hole in our body. The cells in our stomach wall must produce it on an instantly-as-needed basis. The ingredients in the stomach cell that make hydrochloric acid (HCl) are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl).

NaCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + NaHCO3, or
KCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + KHCO3

As we can see, the byproduct of making hydrochloric acid is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), which goes into blood stream.

These bicarbonates are the alkaline buffers that neutralize excess acids in the blood. They dissolve solid acid wastes into liquid form. As they neutralize the solid acidic wastes, extra carbon dioxide is released, which is discharged through the lungs.

By looking at the pH value of the stomach alone, it seems that alkaline foods never reached the body. But when you look at the whole body, there is a net gain of alkalinity as we drink alkaline water. Our body cells thrive in a slightly alkaline environment. When the cells are happy you are happy and you lose weight and you lose fat.

When the stomach pH value gets higher than 4, the stomach knows what to do to lower it.

However, if the pH value goes below 4, for any reason, the stomach does not have a recourse! That's why we take Alka-Seltzer, which is alkaline, to relieve acidic stomach gas pain. In this case, hydrochloric acid is not produced by the stomach wall, therefore, no alkaline buffer is being added to the blood stream."^[1]

Small Intestine

Well, the beginning of the small intestine is the duodenum which provides critical pH balancing to activate digestive enzymes. The liver secretes bile into the duodenum to neutralize the acidic conditions from the stomach. Also the pancreatic duct empties into the duodenum, adding bicarbonate to neutralize the acidic chyme (chyme is the digested food), thus creating a neutral environment. The mucosal tissue of the small intestines is alkaline, creating a pH of about 8.5, thus enabling absorption in a mild alkaline in the environment.

Digestion continues in the small intestine by the action of enzymes secreted by the pancreas, gallbladder, and intestinal wall. But a fundamental difference exists here. Whereas the initial stages of digestion in the stomach required a highly acidic medium, the latter stages require an alkaline environment. This is because 90% of all absorption takes place in the small intestine, and absorptive tissue is extremely sensitive.

This rapid and dramatic change in pH to alkaline is accomplished by the pancreas, which secretes the necessary quantity of bicarbonate. In fact, the pancreas may secrete, on a daily basis, the equivalent of 6 Alka-Seltzer tablets, or half a roll of Tums. Digestion is thus a complex and delicate process, involving feedback mechanisms between stomach and pancreas, to maintain optimal acid/alkaline levels.

Excessive use of any medicine which alters this balance is potentially harmful. I am not only speaking about the multitude of antacids that are literally a household item in America, but also the variety of hydrochloric acid products found in health food stores. These supplements throw the pH balance and the digestive systems ability to correct it.^[2][3][4] This causes a chain reaction of malnutrition all of which indirectly relate to weight gain simply by reducing the ability of the metabolism and the cells to perform their functions

Colon

The natural state of the colon is mildly acidic to neutral. The large intestine, or colon, is mainly responsible for storing waste, reclaiming water, maintaining the water balance, and absorbing some vitamins, such as vitamin K.

By the time the chyme has reached this tube, almost all nutrients and 90% of the water have been absorbed by the body.

At this point some electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and chloride are left as well as indigestible carbohydrates known as dietary fiber. As the chyme moves through the large intestine, most of the remaining water is removed, while the chyme is mixed with mucus and bacteria known as gut flora, and becomes feces.

The bacteria break down some of the fiber for their own nourishment and create acetate, propionate, and butyrate as waste products, which in turn are used by the cell lining of the colon for nourishment. This is an example of a symbiotic relationship and provides about one hundred calories a day to the body. The large intestine produces no digestive enzymes — chemical digestion is completed in the small intestine before the chyme reaches the large intestine.

The pH in the colon varies between 5.5 and 7 (slightly acidic to neutral). Here is the the catch. That "gut flora", the good bacteria in the colon that is needed for optimum health and therefore your natural weight loss, thrive with oxygen. They do not thrive when oxygen is not present. In fact, as I talk about in "Oxygenation and the Digestive System" the harmful bacteria thrive when there is no oxygen.

When the environment is acid, oxygen gets used up and the environment becomes anaerobic. This contributes to a colon that slows the digestive system. This creates acidity, toxicity and fat gain.

Effect of Alkaline Foods on the Digestive Systems

I'm not trying to give the idea that "alkalinity" is the solution for everything. The solution is the optimal pH balance for the body and its various parts. In the digestive tract, the different necessary functions of each part can only function when they are in a specific range of pH. Pectin, the enzyme necessary for the stomach to break proteins down can only be secreted when the stomach is acid. Necessary enzymes in the small intestine will only be secreted in an alkaline environment. There are no enzymes secreted in the colon. BUT the necessary functions in the colon occur in a neutral to slightly acidic pH.

The problem is that most people have very acidic digestive systems. The stomach which needs to be acid is still too acid. When it is too acidic pectin WON'T be secreted! So neither proteins NOR carbohydrates are digested to the degree they need to be. This leads to fermentation, putrefaction, toxicity, acidity throughout the body, weight gain and creation of fat to leech out the acids and toxins.

Alkaline foods are generally, moisture rich, raw, high fiber foods, and also tend to be pre-digested. Refer to the "Alkaline Foods List" to see what I am talking about. You will also see that the most alkaline foods in the Alkaline Foods List are also items on the High Fiber Foods List. Hmm. Hint, hint.

Cancer, harmful bacteria, weak tissue do not exist in an alkaline environment. The rate of colon cancer, ulcers, diverticulosis, constipation all have risen parallel to the rise of acid forming foods in the popular mainstream diet.

Coffee, soft drinks, processed foods, fast food, emotional stress, no fiber, dead microwaved foods, etc are the norm. And a lot of these are packaged in wrappers that loudly proclaim, "Low calorie", "low fat", "low carb", etc. The only thing low about these foods is low nutrient! Low life force! Low energy! Low health! Low digestion! Low moisture! Low enzymes! Low mineral!

Ok, I got a little carried away. So the solutions ...

Alkaline Foods Solutions

Improve your digestion by eating alkaline foods all the tools and advice in the digestion section. Alkaline foods improve digestion because alkaline foods are mainly pre-digested. Alkaline foods are mostly raw and thus are rich in metabolism boosting enzymes. Alkaline foods are dense in minerals. Alkaline foods are also high fiber foods. They give life.