The pH of our bodies is an indicator of our toxicity levels and is highly affected by the food that we eat and the mental/emotional patterns that we hold. In order for the body to function properly, its pH needs to be within a specific range. The pH level of the body has to do with how acidic or how alkaline the body is. According to Anderson in his book Cleanse & Purify Thyself (1988), “Following breathing, and the heart beating, the next most important physiological function our bodies perform is the maintaining of a balanced pH.” (24) Every food has a pH, which is categorized as being either acidic or alkaline. Anderson defines pH in Cleanse & Purify Thyself (1988): “pH is the symbol for ‘potential hydrogen’ and is used with a number to indicate levels of acidity or alkalinity. The greater the amount of hydrogen atoms, the stronger the acid, and the lower the pH number. Anything from 0-7, indicates acidity. The more diminished the amount of hydrogen atoms, the more increased the alkalinity and, the higher the number.” (24)

The only part of the body that needs to be acidic is the stomach. It is in the stomach that hydrochloric acid, which has an extremely acidic pH of 0.5, is produced in order to break down food. The low pH stimulates pepsinogen enzymes that help in the digestion process of proteins. Food is mixed with acid and enzymes in the stomach and then enters the duodenum, which is part of the intestines. An alkaline pH is necessary in the intestines because the intestinal enzymes can only function well in a pH above 7. When people ingest large quantities of acidic foods, their bodies buffer the acid by assimilating it with the electrolyte organic sodium and bicarbonate. The pH of the body rises when organic sodium is absorbed in order for the body to be able to safely release the acids. Every time the body uses an electrolyte to buffer acidic food, the electrolyte supply of the body is slightly depleted.

Food naturally contains all the enzymes it needs to break itself down in the body; however, the process of cooking food kills the enzymes and the body then needs to use enzymes from the body’s limited enzyme supply. Each body has a fixed amount of enzymes that are catalysts for chemical reactions, including the processes of rejuvenating and healing the cells of the body. If someone eats all acidic food, her/his body will use all of its electrolytes for buffering the acids. This person will become electrolyte deficient, and her/his health will decline. If this depletion were to continue, it would result in death. In the book Cleanse & Purify Thyself (1998), Richard Anderson states, “A key to good health is to eat enough food that has a greater amount of electrolytes than acids—alkaline-forming food. For when we eat too much acid-forming food, we drain our bank account of electrolytes” (25).

When the body uses organic sodium to buffer acidic foods, it first pulls the organic sodium from the bile. The body can take sodium from its bile without any immediate harmful effects, but the chain of reactions that this begins is devastating to the body. The pH of the bile becomes more acidic each time organic sodium is taken from it. If the bile’s pH becomes too low, gallstones will form, which can have life-threatening effects on the body. Acidic bile also hurts the intestinal walls and can even burn holes through them. Anderson states, “Bile irritation is associated with development of polyps, bowel tumors, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), leaky gut syndrome, and various other bowel ‘dis-eases.’” (28) In order for the body to protect itself against acidic bile, it secretes mucin in the intestines. Mucin is the main part of mucoid plaque that covers the intestinal wall, preventing effective absorption of nutrients and causing many types of diseases.

The second place from which the body takes organic sodium to buffer acids is the stomach. The stomach produces hydrochloric acid (HCI), which is necessary for digestion. In order for the stomach to do this, it needs organic sodium to buffer the HCI. If the stomach becomes depleted of organic sodium, it can no longer produce hydrochloric acid and proteins can’t be effectively digested. Anderson states, “When HCI is unavailable, due to sodium deficiency, we become more vulnerable to disease, digestion becomes inefficient, and then even good food can become toxic. This is a typical scenario affecting the lives of approximately 80% or more of the population of the Western World.” (29) In order to find out whether individuals fit into this group, pH papers can be used to test the body’s pH level. PH paper is used by testing the saliva on the tongue.

According to Richard Anderson, the main difference in how acidic and alkaline foods affect one’s body is that acidic foods deplete the electrolyte reserve, whereas alkaline food builds up the reserve. There are benefits to eating both types of foods in one’s normal diet, for alkaline foods are cleansing, while acidic foods are building. It is the overall pH of the body that should be alkaline for good health. Acidic foods include all processed foods, baked bread, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, dairy products, eggs, drugs, legumes, meat, soft drinks, soy, black tea, nuts, and seeds. Alkaline foods include all raw and fresh vegetables, fruits, and sprouts, raw juice, and apple cider vinegar. Food is not the only source of alkaline and acidic states in the body. Emotions and thoughts can have alkaline or acidic affects on the pH of the body as well. Stress, anger, complaining, and lack of exercise are acidic to the body, whereas appreciation, joy, and fun are highly alkaline.

Mental and emotional cleansing can affect one’s health in very positive ways. In Healing With Whole Foods (2002), Paul Pitchford notes that the exact ratio of alkaline to acidic food is hard to determine “since the balance is altered by chewing, food preparation, exercise and lifestyle, and even our level of positive thinking.” (275-276) Pitchford says that soaking mildly acidic foods, such as legumes and whole grains, can make them more alkaline. Soaking some foods begins the process of sprouting, which is very alkalizing. Thoroughly chewing one’s food can also make it more alkaline because one’s saliva is alkaline and is full of enzymes.

In a society in which acidic food is consumed in such high quantities, it is important to note that a gradual change from acidic to alkaline foods is safest for the body. If an individual eats highly acidic foods with very little or no alkaline foods, a change to a 100% alkaline diet can be dangerous for the body without doing a digestive tract cleanse first, such as the Arise And Shine Cleanse or the Ejuva Cleanse. Cleanses for the intestinal tract release large amounts of acids, while building up one’s electrolyte supply as well. Anderson notes, “It is ironic that because of cleansing reactions it sometimes appears that eating fresh, raw food makes a person sick, while eating cooked or junk foods makes a person feel temporarily better. All that has really happened in this scenario, however, is that the eating of junk foods has stopped the cleansing process” (186).

Knowledge of these properties of alkaline and acidic foods can be a helpful tool for one’s normal diet. If an individual feels like cleansing more, alkaline foods can be eaten, and if it becomes too much, an increase of acidic foods can be reintroduced to the diet. In Healing With Whole Foods (2002), Paul Pitchford notes, “While it is best to alternate cleansing and building, in most cases people eat far more building foods than cleansing ones.” (274) Pitchford advocates the presence of both of these cycles in one’s diet. During the wintertime, Pitchford suggests eating more building foods, whereas in the summer, he says eating more cleansing foods is best. There are ways to keep a balance between acidic and alkaline foods in one’s lifestyle. Since many people are very much out of balance, however, a cleanse can help them to release the many toxins stored in their bodies from a heavily acidic lifestyle. After such a cleansing process, new diet changes can more easily occur and a balance can more likely be kept.

Alkaline vs. Acidic Foods

(This chart is based on entries in Richard Anderson’s book Cleanse & Purify Thyself pg. 236-237)

Alkaline Foods:

Raw fruits, vegetables, and sprouts, including those listed here
watercress, alfalfa sprouts, apple cider vinegar, barley
apples, apricots, avocados, bananas
beets and greens, berries, blackberries, broccoli
brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots
cauliflower, celery, cherries, collard greens
cucumbers, dates, dulse figs
fresh corn, fresh raw juice, goat whey, grapefruits
grapes, green beans, green lima beans, green peas
green soy beans, herbal teas, raw honey, kale
kelp, leaf lettuce, leeche nuts, lemons
limes, mangoes, maple syrup, melons (all)
millet, molasses, mushrooms, mustard greens
okra, onions, oranges, parsley
parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers
pineapple, plums and prunes, potatoes, quinoa
radishes, raisins, yams, raw cold-pressed olive oil
raw cold-pressed flax oil, rhubarb, rutabagas, sauerkraut
spinach, squash, turnip greens, ripe tomatoes


Acidic Foods:

all cooked grains (except millet and quinoa)
Alcohol, all processed foods, baked bread, cake
canned fruits & vegetables, all cereals, chickpeas, cooked chocolate
cigarettes, coffee, wheat (all forms), corn (dried)
cornstarch, dairy products, drugs eggs
foods cooked with oils, fruits (glazed or sulfured), ketchup, legumes
lentils, all meats, mustard, (prepared) nuts
seeds, beans, oatmeal, pasta
pepper (black), popcorn, salt, soda crackers
soft drinks, soy products, sugar (white & processed), sweeteners (artificial)
tea (black), vegetables (overcooked), vinegar (distilled), Vitamin C