From a nutritional perspective, acidic foods and sour-tasting foods are two entirely different things, like horses and oxen being unrelated. In daily life, we often encounter children who are well-behaved from birth, forming regular patterns of eating, sleeping, and playing, with strong abilities to imitate and learn, achieving better academic results. This is indicative of good brain function, or in other words, being smart. Conversely, some infants frequently cry, have poor eating and sleeping habits, weak imitation abilities, and slow reactions, leading to poor academic performance, which indicates poorer brain nerve function. What is the reason for this? Medical experts believe that there are many influencing factors, but food, as the material basis for building the brain, plays a fundamental role.
What influence do foods have on brain function? How do they affect it? A Japanese nutrition professor recalled: "When I was a child, I suffered from severe neurasthenia, constipation, stiff shoulder muscles, back pain, and more. I visited large hospitals every day for treatment, but no cause was found. This made me determined from a young age to research this issue. Later, I finally discovered that the cause of my illness was my preference for acidic foods."
Nowadays, many people excessively consume acidic foods, causing serum and other body fluids to become acidic, making them prone to colds, having fragile skin, poor resistance, and susceptibility to infections. Such a constitution is called an acidic constitution, and its brain is referred to as an acidic brain. More importantly, it can directly affect the brain and nerve functions of infants and young children, manifesting as frequent crying, irritability, resulting in poor memory and thinking ability, and in severe cases, leading to autism spectrum disorders.
So, what are acidic foods? How do they differ from sour-tasted foods?
From a nutritional perspective, acidic foods and sour-tasted foods are completely different things. Acidic foods refer to those containing inorganic salts that form acids within the body (such as phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine) and other nutrients, which make the body's constitution acidic. Common examples include refined rice, refined flour, white sugar, various meats, fish, shellfish, egg yolks, and beer, all of which are considered acidic foods. Foods that contain inorganic salts forming alkalis in the body, such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium, make body fluids alkaline and are known as alkaline foods. Common vegetables, fruits, and milk are all alkaline foods. The main components of alkaline elements (calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium) are the four essential elements required for human movement and brain activity.
With improved living standards, people tend to favor refined rice, refined flour, large amounts of meat, and other acidic foods. If children consume these foods over long periods, it can affect their brain function. Should we then avoid or reduce the intake of acidic foods? Not necessarily; both should be consumed in appropriate proportions for a balanced diet.
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