Alkaline diets have blown up in popularity. The theory is that over a long time, eating more foods that act acidic in the body (not necessarily having to be acidic in its food form outside the body) will lead to a leaching of calcium from the bones to neutralize blood pH. Some foods claimed to acidify the blood are simple starches, sodas (rich in phosphoric acid) and animal products (higher in cysteine/methionine, sulphuric amino acid). The blood sits at a pH of 7.34-7.45 - this is very tightly regulated, because too high or too low a pH can alter the rates of enzymatic reactions, protein structures, etc. You wouldn't make it too long if your pH dropped out of this homeostatic range. This all sounds fine and dandy right? More acid-acting foods, more calcium removed from bone to neutralize this. I've said this before - there isn't always a simplistic logic that allows you to infer anything about health.I've always been very apprehensive to accept this theory, because...
Nutritional Sciences: Basic Science and Clinical Perspectives