> From:    William <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: acid / alkaline
>
> On Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:31:21 -0500, Paleo Phil <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> "This metabolic acidosis is caused by excess intake of metabolically
>> acid forming foods, such as protein and processed foods, and deficient
>> intake of base-forming foods such as vegetables, fruits, spices, nuts and
>> seeds. ..."
>
> It's not that simple, as the traditional Inuit diet shows.

*** Agreed. In fact, I find the idea that metabolic acidosis could be caused 
by excess intake of meat, unless we're talking about very lean meat, by 
itself. I'm no expert on human physiology, but carnivorous species that 
survive solely on animal products maintain a slightly acidic urinary pH 
between 6 and 7. It seems to me that if they had to utilize bone stores of 
calcium to buffer urine pH, we wouldn't have any carnivore species left by 
now. Granted, they are also eating some bone along with meat, fat, 
connective tissues, and organs, but bone constitutes a fairly small 
percentage of dietary intake except in those species adapted to eat a large 
amount of bone, such as hyenas. I don't know how much bone (or other 
high-calcium foods), if any, traditional Inuit eat, but I believe many Pac 
NW Indian nations ate some bone (in the form of fermented fish, among other 
things), as well as plant foods in season as well as stored.

--Carrie