Knowledge Base > Dr. Scott Stoll - Ask A Doctor
Dr. Scott Stoll - Ask A Doctor
This event was on
Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Bring your best food and nutrition questions for Dr. Scott Stoll as he joins us for an hour of Ask a Doctor! Read More.
Question:
I heard that beans are acidic and therefore we should not eat too many if we are worried about calcium absorption. what is your response to this?
— Elon Mangelson
Answer:
You know the acid-base balance, you know that we often talk about in health and that we want to be more alkaline for health, you know, if we look at the comprehensive Acid versus alkaline load of a diet we can begin to see that it's a whole food plant-based diet is predominantly alkaline and even the small acid load because of the amino acids in in the beans and lentils is really going to contribute very little into the total acid load of your body. So You know eating a cup of beans or lentils every day will not shift you into a more acidic physiology what you're going to be stripping calcium out of your bones. The high acid really comes from, you know, oils saturated fats and the and a heavy meat based diet. So beans and lentils, even though they're mildly acidic are not going to change your system and and strip calcium out of your your bones or you or cause mineral loss. In fact beans have a wonderful or a wonderful resource minerals and calcium and so You're actually gaining some calcium when you're eating beans and lentils every day.