Acidosis is an abnormality that reflects an acid pH in the tissues. The naturopathic theory behind a proper dietary acid/alkaline balance is that because our body’s blood pH is slightly alkaline, with a normal range of 7.36-7.44, our diet should reflect this preference and tend more towards alkaline foods. An imbalanced, acidic diet high in animal protein, sugar, caffeine and processed foods tends to disrupt this pH balance. This deprives the body of alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium and leaves us prone to chronic and degenerative diseases.
Metabolic and respiratory acidosis, as viewed by the medical community, are a more extreme form of pH imbalance resulting from a variety of more serious disorders.