At 77 years of age, Gabe Mirkin still manages to bike 3 to 6 hours every day. This level of stamina is not only extremely unusual, he ascribes it to his unique diet. Rather than foods high in fat, protein, or carbs, as is all too often the case with his younger competitors, his diet is rich in fruits and vegetables and other natural foods. He avoids red meats of all types and tries to stick to lean or vegetable proteins. This is not the only person who has taken up this diet based upon good science that underlies it, there’s been a huge push from physicians in recent years to go to a more natural diet, one that will help offset much of the risk of cancer, heart disease or other problems that are oftne caused by these foods.
This plant-based diet has had a lot of support from dietitians and physicians over the years, including the notable Kris Carr. After 9 years he is still going strong, showing some of the healthiest biological chemistries of anyone. Acidic and processed foods, those such as grains and red meat, do far more harm than good to most people’s bodies. Carr has tried to explain why it’s important to switch to an alkaline diet (a more basic diet) to avoid many of these problems. It helps shift your metabolism into a much more active state as well as helps increase your energy and decrease your risk of disease.
Though many people have suggested that this diet helps to balance your body’s “pH” and therefore helps fix innate problems you may have, many physicians think this line is bogus. The more alkaline foods that are part of this diet help for different reasons its claimed. The pH balance argument is still pervasive, but Dr. Mirkin thinks it’s something totally different. Your body naturally has good pH control, without needing your help oftentimes. Beyond that, just because pH is important for your body’s chemical processes, this doesn’t mean that alkaline foods improve function. Our bodies actually are really good at filtering out the excess acid from our diet, at least unless we develop a kidney disease later in life.
So the Secret is Just Good Foods?
There’s been so many studies over the years that have linked eating red meat to cancers of all types, as well as heart disease. Chicken and fish are also considered to be acidic, however, though they have not shown this correlation in research to these illnesses. What does that mean for our future health on this diet? Well we certainly should consider adding in these better protein sources in order to ensure we are living in a healthy manner. According to the spokeswoman for the National Academy of Nutrition, she agrees with this assessment of the situation. It’s more about getting healthy foods, vitamins and minerals into the body, she states. The bottom-line is just to cut out the high-fat proteins and eat fruits and vegetables. This is a very sustainable idea she indicates.
This diet is bringing on some great lifestyle changes, even if some of the claims about pH are unsupported by scientific evidence. Many people will do great on the diet, and staying healthy on this diet will result in significant reductions in risk of long term illnesses as well as cancer.
Cutting Cancer Risk Through Natural Foods
Yeah, it’s not shocking at all that eating healthier foods cuts your cancer risk. Antioxidant rich foods have been studied for decades and proven to help combat obesity and decrease risk of chronic illnesses such as cancer. However, a diet based upon healthy fruits and vegetables? It’s hardly surprising that the Alkaline diet can offer a lot of benefits for cancer risk. Though the jury is still out on research, as the studies are just beginning for this diet, cancer has been shown in dozens of trials to be significantly reduced if a person eats fruits and vegetables regularly.
Looking at the root cause of a disease and prevention at that stage is important, states Jones, a noted medical researcher in the US. A highly acidic diet and chronic disease has been getting notice from physicians all over. Dr. Robert Young has been writing about the subject extensively recently. Young indicates that cells need to be in a healthy environment in order to thrive. Acid-alkaline balance is important for this, he states.