The acid-base balance in our body must constantly be kept in balance...

The Effect of Cheese on Acidity

It is popularly believed that cheese is very important for calcium, and doctors often recommend eating plenty of cheese against osteoporosis. It is even claimed that eating a lot of cheese will increase the calcium level in the bones.

In fact, when meat and cheese are eaten, a large amount of acid forms during the metabolic processes that take place in the cells, and to excrete this acid, an excessive amount of calcium and alkaline minerals are needed. As a result, calcium is excreted from the body along with the acid. In other words, calcium is taken in with the cheese, but far more of it is excreted due to the acidification caused by the cheese. Believing that a calcium deficiency will be remedied by consuming cheese means accepting, from the very start, this vicious cycle that will form.

The acid-base balance in our body must constantly be kept in balance. An excessive rise in acid means that a person can enter a coma that can end in death. One of the mechanisms activated to prevent this is our brain slowing down oxygen intake. A decrease in oxygen means problems such as fatigue, weakness and lack of strength emerge.

Numerous studies conducted particularly in Switzerland and Germany have found high levels of acid and calcium in the urine of those who consume animal-based foods. This shows that far more calcium is excreted in the urine than is taken in through animal-based foods. The most logical approach to breaking this vicious cycle should be to reduce the consumption of animal-based food.

The cause of osteoporosis, which is very common today, is not so much a diet poor in calcium, but rather the calcium the body loses. For this reason, it is meaningless to load these patients with calcium from external animal-based foods. While high levels of acid and calcium have been found in the urine of those who consume animal-based food, less calcium loss has been observed in those who consume vegetables and fruit. In short, it has now been understood that osteoporosis is not due to a lack of externally sourced animal calcium, but due to calcium loss. Thus, the claim that "eating cheese strengthens your bones" has become invalid. Since an excessive amount of oxygen is spent neutralizing acid, the oxygenation of organs is impaired, and, as a result, organ function decreases; these individuals experience symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, listlessness, sluggishness and drowsiness.

The second major danger that cheese and meat products create in the body is that they make chronic infections much easier to develop. This is because the blood and tissue acidification caused by meat and cheese weakens the immune system. There are many published scientific articles on this subject. The result of a weakened immune system is that organs and cells cannot receive enough oxygen, and consequently, bacteria, viruses and fungi begin to multiply more rapidly in poorly nourished tissues. These foods weaken the immune system, allowing infections to take hold in the body more easily.

In people who eat this way, fatigue is not relieved by sleep. Even if they sleep for as long as 10 hours a day, they still feel tired. This is because it takes a long time for the acid produced by meat and cheese to be neutralized and for the acid-base balance to return to normal. Since the body uses the oxygen it takes in to neutralize the acid that has formed, fatigue, weakness and listlessness result.

If meat and cheese are eaten in the evening in particular, it will take you a long time to recover from fatigue the next day. Of course, a second factor that worsens this situation is our biological rhythm, because food consumed late at night is harder to digest.

Sleep is not merely a resting process, but an active process during which the body renews itself. Consuming foods that are hard to digest and that promote acidification during this time causes chronic fatigue to worsen even further.

For this reason, meat and meat products should be consumed at most two days a week, and cheese should not be eaten in excess for the reasons listed above.

The Effect of Meat on Acidity

The real cause of high blood pressure is "homocysteine," which arises when the amino acid "methionine" — produced in the intestines as a result of excessive consumption of animal-based foods, particularly meat and meat products — cannot be eliminated by vitamins B6 and B12. Today, the effects of homocysteine on human health and cholesterol formation are only just beginning to be understood. This subject is also one of the most important steps in anti-aging treatment. Homocysteine causes oxidized LDL cholesterol to be perceived as a foreign substance by macrophage cells in the blood. Macrophages try to eliminate LDL cholesterol by absorbing it into the cell. The toxic substances released in this process accumulate on the inner surface of the blood vessels, causing arteriosclerosis.

Arteriosclerosis causes various diseases, primarily cerebral hemorrhage, heart attack, and colon cancer. A detoxification program is very important for these patients to be able to remain healthy. It should be particularly noted that the detoxification program should be carried out by a physician qualified in detoxification, because both the vitamin supplements to be given and the nutrition program to be applied should be individualized.

The Effect of White Flour on Acidity

Foods made from refined flour are also harmful to health. By foods made from refined flour, we mean not fibrous foods (vegetables and fruit), but starchy foods, particularly those made from refined flour. The real problem here is starch. Since starch is a polysaccharide, it is first converted into a disaccharide in the intestines and then converted into glucose in the blood.

Bread, pasta, sugar, sweets and various grain products contain quite a lot of starch. Excess glucose in the blood that cannot be burned right away is converted into fat and stored in the body for later use. This is counted among the important causes of obesity. The starch we are referring to here is the starch found in refined carbohydrates. However, there is no such danger in complex carbohydrates — that is, vegetables, fruit, and rice and grain products that have not had their natural structure altered. For this reason, weight problems are also seen in people who do not consume animal-based foods like meat, cheese and eggs, and these people can even become heavier. This is because animal-based foods also contain protein, whereas starchy foods contain almost no protein at all.

The real cause of high blood pressure is the excessive consumption of animal-based foods (meat, cheese and eggs) and dough-based foods (white flour products), combined with a lack of physical activity. White flour contains no vitamins or minerals.

Whole grain bread, on the other hand, contains vitamins B1, B2, B3, β-carotene (provitamin A) and E, as well as copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphate, iron and zinc. Fibrous foods (whole wheat flour, flaxseed, oatmeal, fruit and vegetables) bind bile acid, which is then excreted with the stool. To replace the depleted bile, cholesterol in the blood is transported to the liver and used in the production of bile acid. This lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood. Fibrous foods are broken down into short-chain fatty acids by bacteria in the large intestine. These short-chain fatty acids prevent the formation of cholesterol. This in turn lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood. As fat in the blood decreases and hardening is prevented, the necessary nutrients are delivered to the cells, which in turn increases a person's energy and restores their health.

The Effect of Refined (Processed) Sugar on Acidity

The consumption of sugar and sugary foods has become very widespread today. Natural sugar is not harmful, since it also contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Years ago, honey and molasses were used as sweeteners. While sugar obtained from sugar beets was originally natural in structure, with the continuous development of new methods, the white sugar consumed today has come to contain no vitamins, minerals, enzymes or amino acids whatsoever. Moreover, the most valuable part of the sugar beet is used in animal feed production. White sugar suddenly raises blood sugar levels because, since it contains no vitamins, minerals, enzymes or amino acids, it passes into the blood quickly.

While blood sugar levels rise on one hand, the inability of insulin — which is supposed to carry that sugar into the cells — to be secreted sufficiently on the other hand eventually leads to diabetes. For this reason, the use of white sugar should be avoided.

Many diseases are linked to eating quickly and eating too much, and to excessive consumption of animal-based food. This disrupts the gut flora. Due to this disrupted balance, beneficial bacteria decrease, harmful bacteria, dangerous fungi and viruses take over, and unexpected diseases emerge. Animal-based foods, particularly meat and meat products, should be consumed at most twice a week.

The Effect of Beverages on Acidity

When we think of nutrition, food is usually the first thing that comes to mind, but beverages are just as important, because they can upend our entire digestive system. For example, black tea, if drunk for a long time and in excessive amounts, dries out the intestines and disrupts digestive function. The diuretic property of black tea is now well known. Yet people already don't drink enough water. Adding extra tea on top of this causes the loss of not only water, which is very important for organs, but also many minerals. Like tea, coffee consumed constantly and in excess also leads to many health issues, gastritis foremost among them. However, drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day doesn't cause a problem. It is better to drink Turkish coffee rather than instant or filter coffee.

Among the leading acidic beverages are sugary lemonade, cola, and ready-made fruit juices. These drinks disrupt the acid-base balance of the blood and tissues, causing acidosis. Drinking a sufficient amount of water during a detox program is one of the basic principles for neutralizing and eliminating acidic toxins that have accumulated in tissue and blood. This principle actually applies to a healthy life in general as well.

To summarize, in a healthy body, most of the blood and bodily fluids should be slightly alkaline, and the tissues and cells should be well oxygenated. An alkaline pH and adequate oxygenation of tissues are the conditions for having a healthy and strong immune system. The two conditions necessary for pathogens to survive in the human body are high acid levels and insufficient oxygen.

For a long and healthy life, eating an alkaline diet, drinking enough water, and setting aside a few days once or twice a year for detox will definitely be worth the time and effort you put in.

Dr. Hüseyin NAZLIKUL
President of IFMANT = International Federation of Neural Therapy Associations
President of the Scientific Neural Therapy Regulation Association