Protein: Good and Acid
Proteins are the most complex of all known biological substances. They can be anything from single albumin to DNA strands in genetic coding. Enzymes and hormones are primarily protein, so one can see that protein is very necessary in vital functions of the body.
There is a critical balance of protein, and the standard American diet contains far too much protein. Too much protein is the single most dangerous stimulant to the body!
Most of our protein consumption comes from meat — red meat, chicken, fish, pork, etc. All flesh that comes from animals is acid. Most grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are also acid protein sources.
The body gets rid of this excess acid first by a buffering process using bicarbonate ions from the body’s reserve of available organic sodium. (This is not to be confused with sodium chloride from table salt. Organic sodium comes from fruits and vegetables).
When you run out of sodium reserve the body will dump acid in the urine creating a weak acid, producing an acid salt. The more protein you eat, the more sodium you lose from the body’s alkaline reserve.
If all the sodium is used up, the body goes to the bones for calcium as the next best mineral with which to neutralize acid, until you have osteoporosis and/or arthritis.
When all the alkaline reserve (sodium, calcium, magnesium) is used up, the body goes into survival mode and gets rid of excess protein (acid) by eliminating it directly as ammonia and protein in the urine. So, when you smell ammonia in the urine, at any age, stop all flesh protein, eat only fruits and vegetables, and drink lots of filtered water.
Researchers have found that cancer cells proliferate in an acid medium. So the bottom line is to consume less acid foods.
Only about 25% of our diet should be acid (meats, grains, seeds, nuts, coffee, soft drinks) and 75% should be alkaline (fruits and vegetables). Foods that are high in organic sodium are celery, zucchini and cucumbers.
Eat to live, don’t live to eat.
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