BUST THAT MYTH...

‘Acidic diets cause cancer’

Scientifically speaking, there’s no such thing as an acidic diet, it’s a con. The body can easily neutralise any food which is acidic or alkaline in a few minutes without strain.

However, some myths about cancer persist, one being that overly “acidic” diets cause your blood to become “too acidic” (rubbish!), which can increase your risk of cancer.

The “cure” is to increase your intake of healthier “alkaline” foods (rubbish!) like green vegetables and fruits (including, paradoxically, lemons). This is biological nonsense. True, cancer cells can’t live in an overly alkaline environment, but neither can any of the other cells! Blood is usually slightly alkaline. This is tightly regulated by the kidneys and any extra acid or alkali is simply peed out in urine. Your urine can and does change pH, depending on what you’ve eaten. This can be seen by testing urine pH (acidity) after eating different foods and is the basis of the mistaken belief that diet can “make the body alkaline”. While eating lots of green veg is certainly healthy, it’s nothing to do with how acid or alkaline your body is.