“The key to preventing osteoporosis, they determined, is eating a low-acid diet. The basic idea is that a diet high in animal protein (including meat, poultry, fish, milk and dairy), grain, and high-glycemic foods (refined carbs) makes blood slightly more acidic (in part because protein is composed of amino acids). When blood is more acidic, the body tries to balance or neutralize it by adding alkaline material the only way it can–leeching some of the calcium compounds stored in bone. Eventually, osteoporosis results. It takes three servings of fruits and vegetables (which are alkaline) to neutralize the acid in just one serving of animal food (which is only the size of deck of cards), and two servings of fruits and veggies to neutralize the acid in one serving of grain. Consuming dairy foods does add back calcium, but calcium from animal sources like dairy is highly acidic, so it’s like taking one step forward and two steps back.” Excerpted from A Diet That Protects from Osteoporosis, June 2010
