Acidity/Alkaline/Exercise
During exercise, body fluids shift increasingly toward an acidic state. There is also evidence indicating that as we age, our blood and other body fluids become increasingly acidic. The cumulative effect is a disturbingly lowered pH (increased acidity). But regardless of age, if this acidic state following exercise is allowed to persist for some period of time, the risk of nitrogen and calcium loss is greatly increased. The reason for this is that the body attempts to reduce the acidity by releasing minerals into the blood and other body fluids that have a net alkaline-enhancing effect, thus counteracting the increased acidity. Calcium from the bones and nitrogen from the muscles meet this need.
The problem is that in neutralizing the acid this way, we give up valuable structural resources. You're essentially peeing off bone and muscle as the acidity of your blood stays high. While cannibalizing tissue is necessary from a strictly biological perspective, this is an expensive solutions from an athletic perspective. While body fluids may be chemically balanced by the process, future performance and even health may well be jeopardized as muscle and bone are compromised.
Research has shown that fruits and vegetables are the only foods that have a net alkaline-enhancing effect. So by preparing a recovery drink with fruits and juices that have a net alkaline-enhancing effect (they reduce acidity), you are doing more than merely replacing carbohydrate stores; you're also potentially sparing bone and muscle.
The foods with a plus sign (+) indicate increased acidity; the greater the plus value, the higher the acid effect. Those foods with a minus sign (-) decrease the acid of the body fluids in direct proportion to their magnitude.
Based on 100 gram portions.
Acid Foods (+)
Grains
Brown Rice.........+12.5
Rolled Oats.......+10.7
Whole Wheat Bread......+8.2
Spaghetti.............+7.3
Corn Flakes...........+6.0
White Rice............+4.6
Rye Bread...........+4.1
White Bread............+3.7
Dairy
Parmesan Cheese....+34.2
Processed Cheese.......+28.7
Hard Cheese............+19.2
Gouda Cheese..........+18.6
Cottage Cheese.........+8.7
Whole Milk.............+0.7
Legumes
Peanuts..........+8.3
Lentils............+3.5
Peas...............+1.2
Meats, Fish, Eggs
Trout........+10.8
Turkey........+9.9
Chicken.......+8.7
Eggs...........+8.1
Pork...........+7.9
Beef............+7.8
Cod............+7.1
Herring........+7.0
Alkaline Foods (-)
Fruits
Raisins..........-21.0
Black Currants........-6.5
Bananas..........-5.5
Apricots...........-4.8
Kiwifruit..........-4.1
Cherries..........-3.6
Pears............-2.9
Pineapple........-2.7
Peaches..........-2.4
Apples...........-2.2
Watermelon........-1.9
Vegetables
Spinach.....-14.0
Celery........-5.2
Carrots.........-4.9
Zucchini..........-4.6
Cauliflower........-4.0
Potatoes..........-4.0
Radishes........-3.7
Eggplant..........-3.4
Tomatoes.........-3.1
Lettuce...........-2.5
Chicory..........-2.0
Leeks...........-1.8
Onions..........-1.5
Mushrooms.........-1.4
Green Peppers.........-1.4
Broccoli.............-1.2
Cucumber...........-0.8
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"The Paleo Diet For Athletes"
-Loren Cordain, PhD and Joe Friel, MS
