Covid-19’s link to acidity

Digital marketer Rashmi Sinha had an easy recovery from Covid-19 last month. She thanks her newly-embraced alkaline diet and daily yoga for it

Digital marketer Rashmi Sinha, 28, has been living solo in Mumbai for the last five years. Not very long ago, she was drawn to the organic food-eating habit. "And just then, the pandemic happened. At a time when your immunity plays a significant role in battling the Covid-19 infection, I felt I was on the right path. I reduced chemicals in my diet, and practised yoga every day," she says.

Sinha began discussing this transition with her friends; some suggested that she take it up a notch and try the alkaline diet. "It's based on the idea that replacing acid-forming foods with alkaline eats can improve your health. It doesn't require you to spend a lot; in fact, it comes free of cost. You can use all the resources already available in your kitchen to follow this lifestyle," she shares, arguing in favour of this dietary change over other fads that require
serious spending.

Almost a year into following the regimen, Sinha tested positive for Covid-19 a few weeks ago, and was asymptomatic. "Had I not done the RT-PCR test before boarding a flight to Assam, where my home is, I wouldn't have known that I was infected. I was functioning perfectly well, and did not have any symptom, barring mild body ache. I think the fact that I had managed to alkalise my body and improve my health, helped me fight Covid-19 effectively."

Dr Eapen Koshy

The alkaline diet rocketed into mainstream conversation when British celebrity Victoria Beckham tweeted about an alkaline diet cookbook in January 2013. But Dr Eapen Koshy says it's a practice he has been following for 20 years. In the midst of the global pandemic, when the world is struggling to understand ways of survival, Dr Koshy says keeping the body alkaline is the way forward.

In his latest book, Survive Covid: By Staying Alkaline (Konark Publishers), Indian-born Dr Koshy, who practises plastic surgery in Lagos, Nigeria, says, "it is not the virus that's to blame. Pathogens and organisms have been part of the ecosystem for eons. It is our own weakened immune systems that have responded with fatal inflammatory responses".

Also Read: Covid-19: Are zoos and national parks doing enough to keep animals safe?

Dr Koshy writes in the book, "The answer to the current pandemic and all the other pandemics in the future lies in alkalinising the body. In my practice, I haven't seen people following an alkaline lifestyle getting sick in the pandemic."

He explains that an alkaline pH of 7.4 is the perfect balance that a human body should maintain to be free of all illness. A pH of 7 is neutral, 0 is most acidic and 14 is most alkaline. For sustainable life, the pH level must be at 7.4 or close to it. He writes, "The white blood cells, which are on the frontline of our immune system and protect us from illnesses, become lethargic and weakened in an acidic pH balance; and they get immediately perked up and alert when the body has an alkaline pH balance."

Unfortunately, modern medicine has gone down the chemical route instead of looking at nutritional changes that can influence good health, he feels. "For instance, if you want to bring down your cholesterol level, you are prescribed Statins. But these are the most dangerous class of drugs. We consume white sugar, one of the greatest toxins, almost every day. We want to treat diabetes, but do not want to stop eating at midnight. It's habits like these that are leading to the lowering of global immunity today," he argues.

All food items are either acid-producing or alkaline or neutral. But, how does one differentiate? Dr Koshy explains, "We need more bitter in our lives. Vegetables like cabbage, carrot, etc are alkaline. We also have herbs like ginger, turmeric and garlic that have more alkalinity in them. To move further up the alkaline ladder, you can have gooseberry, moringa leaves, avocado, berries, leafy greens, quinoa, olives, and nuts. Even spirulina, a blue green alga, and some varieties of the mushroom family are superfoods with high alkalinity."

He suggests that we restrict the consumption of animal milk and milk products. "These are acid-producing, mucus producing and cardiac unfriendly. Even a cow gets her calf to wean off her milk by the time it is six months old. Why are we drinking the milk way into adulthood then?"

Dr Koshy has bad news for you when he says viruses will keep evolving, and are "here to stay". "And so, we need to learn to be able to live around them. Fungi are another whole group of viruses. They are also transmitted easily," he explains, pointing to the recent rise in black, white and yellow fungus cases in the country. "As the world's immunity deteriorates, fungi can emerge with various lesions. The key is to build a strong immune system that remains unaffected by these."

Sweedal Trinidade, Senior Dietetics Officer (HOD) PD Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, agrees that the consumption of unprocessed foods, fruits and vegetables, contribute to good health. Besides, taking calcium and vitamin D3, naturally our kidneys perform the natural job of producing bicarbonate ion that neutralises acid in blood to regulate the body's pH.

At 60, Dr Koshy practises what he preaches. He runs 5 km every morning, drinks turmeric water and does 10 surya namaskars. "Most 20-year-olds won't be able to beat me during the runs. When the pandemic started last year, the first 300 patients that I saw were not wearing an N95 mask. I used a regular mask to treat them. Resources were yet to be dispatched from China and India, and we had to make do with whatever was there at the facility. I continue to see patients even today, and not once have I experienced COVID-19 symptoms."

The only exit strategy from the pandemic, he says, is alkalisation and upgradation of body immunity. "Vaccines and masks are mandatory now. I wish regular workout, alkaline diet, and waking up before sunrise were also made mandatory for all."

Acidic foods to avoid

Coffee: High levels of caffeine in this infusion cause the stomach to secrete more gastric acid. Therefore, after drinking coffee, acidity starts to bother you. In addition, caffeine facilitates the opening of the lower esophageal sphincter

Chocolate: It does not have much acid content (especially if it is with milk, which reduces its presence), but stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that relaxes the esophageal sphincter, leaving the door open for the acid to circulate towards the mouth

Soft drinks: These drinks, especially cola, have a lot of caffeine and produce the same effects as coffee. Soft drinks in general also increase the pressure in the stomach and the acid response

Alcohol: Alcohol is perhaps the biggest cause of heartburn. Not only does it increase acid presence in the stomach, but also contains other substances difficult to metabolise that irritate the intestinal lining

Tomato: It is the vegetable with the highest acid content, which is also why sugar is always added to tangy sauces. Unfortunately, this is not enough. If you suffer from acidity, it is better not to eat a lot of tomatoes, natural or processed

Meat: Each time you eat meat, the body needs to do a lot of work to digest it and this causes an increase in acidity levels. A large piece of red meat can cause heartburn compared to other foods. Therefore, it is preferable to choose white and lean meats, and limit your intake to two times per week

Courtesy: Dietician and nutritionist Shweta Shah