Ask Ade Rai: Blood alkaline, gout and slimming centers

Hi Pak Ade,I am confused by all of these current blood alkaline/acid trends. Can you shed some light on what alkaline or acidic blood means to us? And how do we achieve a favorable result? I’ve also heard it has something to do with gout. How is it related?
Thank you for taking time to answer.
Bob – Pasar Baru, Jakarta

Hi Pak Bob,
Thank you for a fine question. I do have to admit that widespread discussion of blood acid-alkaline is relatively new in the nutritional world. It is quite a phenomenon, although there is little scientific evidence to support the theory that alkaline blood is better than acidic blood.

However, most scientists and nutritionists seem to collectively agree that acidic blood is one of the main triggers and/or facilitators of many diseases and problems, such as premature aging, stroke, gout, a poor immune system, excessive lethargy and cancer. Besides, it was also found that blood alkalinity can be enhanced by natural food sources that we have known all along to be healthy, such as fruits and vegetables. So it is pretty much conclusive that alkalized blood is a better and healthier blood status.

Acid/alkaline levels can be measured by pH numbers that range from 1 (the most acidic) to 14 (the most alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Human blood is naturally neutral, with slight alkalinity at a pH level of 7.40. However, because many of us embrace fast food and processed foods in our adult life, we lose our blood alkalinity and start heading towards more acidic blood.

It is believed that alkaline blood contains more hydroxyl ions, which allows our red blood cells to carry more oxygen and white blood cells to be stronger in combating unknown microorganisms that attack our body.

On the other end, acidic blood contains more hydrogen ions, which causes our red blood cells to clump, lowering their ability to carry oxygen and making our white blood cells weaker.

Alkalized blood means less acidic blood, which brings us to your next question about gout. Gout is caused by high level of uric acid in our blood.

Simple logic tells us that alkalized blood will prevent high levels of uric acid. The normal range of uric acid is between 3.0-7.0 milligram/deciliters of blood. It is safer to have a lower score than one near the upper limit of what is considered normal, because uric acid deposits tend to build up in our joints, causing pain and immobility.

I highly recommend that everyone should start living toward achieving more alkalized blood. The following is a checklist for improving the alkalinity of our blood:

A diet rich in vegetables and fruits:

Recommendations include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, carrots, green leafy vegetables, capsicum, shallots, onions, garlic, tomato, yam, lemon, lime, grapefruit, pear, orange, melon, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, apple, strawberry, dates, honey, and many more!

Exercise:

A combination of resistance training and aerobic training is best. Resistance training improves metabolism, increases strength, mobility and balance, and also lowers body fat. Aerobic training improves cardiovascular (heart and lungs) functions.

Adequate rest:

A balance of quality and quantity should be achieved here. A general guide is 7-8 hours of night time sleep in a clean, quiet, well-circulated and dark environment.

Laughter and relaxation:

Famous life-coach Anthony Robbins once said, “Why do angels fly? Because they take themselves lightly!” Take life a little lighter and easier, don’t sweat the small stuff, and let more love and kind intentions dominate our lives.

The following is a list of things, habits, or foods that cause blood acid build-up: alcohol, smoking, stress, a high sugar diet including soft drinks and floury foods, a high fat diet (butter, oil, margarine, coconut milk, whipped cream), and drugs or medicine.

Proteins are considered acidic, but they provide important building blocks for body tissue repair, cell regeneration, hormonal balance and immune functions. I have some guideline on how we should choose our protein intake. Combine protein sources that come mainly from fish, soy, tofu, chicken and turkey. Other protein sources come from nuts, lean red meat or other seafood.

Slimming center
Hi Ade Rai,I have been to many slimming centers as part of my efforts to maintain a healthy weight and size. However, every time I stop the program, my weight goes back to the way it was. I am starting to wonder if they are an absolute necessity or whether there is another way to maintain healthy weight and size? By the way, do you provide slimming services too?
Endah – Jakarta
Hi Endah,Thank you for your question. Slimming centers do provide tangible services with many technological devices.

In reaching or maintaining health and fat-loss, I believe in getting help from the right expert and expecting responsible effort to determine results. From my point of view, losing fat and keeping it off permanently is the best way to go, which is why I have started a new slimming service called Lean Science.

It provides customized training and nutritional programs, complete with unlimited online consultation and complete physical assessments. The slimming center will want you to see and feel improvements demonstrated by 28 health indicators. If you’d like to know more, please email us at
rai_institute@yahoo.com.