The SAD (standard American diet) is extremely unhealthy for the general population, even more so for a hard training athlete. The overload of sugars, processed food, too high amounts of animal fats, chemicals, additives, etc., makes the body overly acidic. An athlete with an overly acidic body will recover more slowly and experience fatigue. As with any stressor, acidity will cause the cortisol levels to rise, impairing sleep and worsening the problem. A sleep-deprived athlete has high cortisol levels and produces lower amounts of the growth hormone, which causes a loss of muscle mass and increased fat tissue. This is the opposite of maximum athletic performance.
To try and correct this, the frustrated athlete starts training harder, but without proper recovery, the vicious circle begins. Additionally, metabolic acidosis causes kidney stones and loss of bone mass. Since it affects the body at a cellular level, it increases the production of free radicals and decreases cellular energy production. Many viruses and bacteria thrive in an acidic body, increasing the risk for various diseases. In contrast, in an alkaline body, not even cancer can develop.
Unfortunately, many athletes eat processed protein bars full of preservatives and other chemicals and drink sugary sports drinks with the false belief that they improve performance. These “sports supplements” are highly acid-forming and, in that sense, almost as bad as grabbing a soda, a candy bar, or a bag of chips.
Acid-forming nutrition is detrimental to anybody’s health, but especially to athletes. An overly acidic body negatively affects performance, prolongs recovery, decreases training intensity, and increases the risk of injury. Paying attention to the alkaline-acidic balance (optimizing the body’s performance at the cellular level by maintaining an alkaline environment) will dramatically increase athletic performance.
Your body and performance depend upon the health of your cells. You must maintain proper pH (potential hydrogen) levels for good cellular health. On the pH scale, seven is neutral. Any level below is acidic, and any above is alkaline.
Chemical processes are the most efficient at an ideal pH. The body functions best in a slightly alkaline state. Blood has a pH of 7.4, and dipping below 7.2 pH results in death. To avoid death, your body will do whatever it takes to neutralize acidic waste and maintain homeostasis, even if it means stealing the alkaline materials (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron) from the surrounding tissues and bones. While the body has its own intelligent buffering system (kidneys and lungs) to neutralize the acidic waste, sometimes it is not enough.
These buffering systems are taxed and depleted by diets overabundant in meats, dairy, processed grains, sports drinks, sodas, and other processed foods, most prescription drugs, artificial sweeteners and synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements, mental stress, performance anxiety, environmental toxins, and large amounts of acidic waste from frequent high-intensity training.
When the buffer reserves are all empty, in an attempt to buffer the acidic waste, the body will pull out the alkaline minerals from the bones and connective tissue, leaving them more prone to injuries such as strains, fractures, and other chronic overuse injuries.
The more energy the body spends cleaning the acidic waste and digesting processed and overly cooked foods lacking digestive enzymes and nutrients, the less energy will be left for intense training and recovery.
The paradox of the athlete is that they eat large amounts of food and usually pay attention to their protein intake, which they believe should be high. They eat commercial protein bars, powders, and shakes, which are highly acid-forming. However, to aid recovery and nourish the body, consuming highly alkalizing foods immediately after exercise is vital.
The good news and solution to this paradox is that eating whole foods and plants and choosing those with higher amounts of protein will deliver adequate amounts of protein, covering the athletic needs efficiently.
Specific Recommendations
Raw hemp protein, natural and unprocessed, contains about 50% protein (calculated per calorie, not weight) and is less acid-forming than other processed proteins such as whey or soy. Hemp has high amounts of chlorophyll, which is responsible for its alkaline characteristic and green color.
Other highly alkalizing protein sources are chlorella, which contains nearly 70% protein, spirulina with over 60% protein, and green peas with about 30% of protein. A good rule for raw, whole, and unprocessed plants is that the greener they are (more chlorophyll), the more alkalizing they are. Many of the alkalizing vegetables have surprisingly high amounts of protein.
Eating many green leafy vegetables will support the alkalization of your system even during the most intense training phases. Sprouted lentils, peas, beans, seeds, and rice are good sources of alkalizing protein. Smoothies with green leafy vegetables and hemp protein after a training session will deliver optimal nutrition for a speedy recovery.
Paying attention to the alkaline environment will improve your performance, health, and well-being. Whole foods plant-based nutrition makes maintaining the alkaline-acidic balance much easier for the following reasons:
- All animal products and dairy are acidic, and we no longer eat them.
- Most processed foods are acidic, which is why we don’t eat them anymore.
- All oils are acidic, but we don’t eat them anymore, or only very little.
- Most vegetables and fruits are alkaline, and we eat many of them.
Eating a whole foods plant-based diet makes life easier in many different aspects. Several different pH balance charts are available on the internet. They all vary slightly because of how food pH is measured. I will not list the complete charts because things are much simpler for the plant-based whole foods athlete. There are only a few acidic plants to be aware of. Make sure you are not overeating them regularly. When you eat them, always make sure that you eat many of the alkaline plants in addition to them.
This information can be found in my book: “The Athlete’s Simple Guide to a Plant-Based Lifestyle: How to improve your health, performance, and longevity easily.” You can find it on Amazon. Even non-vegans can use any of this advice to improve their health and performance. Just add more plants into your diet, naturally making you eat fewer animal products. You will be surprised how soon you will feel better.
