Barbecue and beer is such a nice combination, but if a stomach can digest meat, what keeps it from digesting itself? The human stomach uses hydrochloric acid and enzymes such as pepsin to break down and digest proteins that have entered the stomach. Gastric mucus, besides providing lubrication, lines the stomach wall and protects it from being digested by the stomach's own gastric juices. The pH in our stomachs is usually around 2. If this pH is too low (strongly acidic), the stomach wall does become vulnerable. The health of our stomachs depends on pH.
There is a saying in England, home of thoroughbreds, "Horses run on grass," meaning high-quality grass is required in raising good thoroughbreds.
The soil in Japan has acidity of pH 4.2-5.5, with a much lower content of calcium, phosphates and magnesium than that in England, where soil pH runs up to 6.5 or 7. So, wild grass in Japan is not conducive to raising horse with strong bones. Efforts have been continuously made to weaken the acidity of the soil by adding magnesium oxide lime and calcium carbonate.
A thoroughbred born and raised in Japan may win a derby championship in England yet.
People are becoming more health-conscious. Healthy foods are very popular these days. By the way, many people misunderstand "acid food, alkaline food." This word does not refer to the pH of the food itself but to the pH of the food when absorbed by the body. For example, let's talk about lemons. The lemon itself is is quite acidic. However, it is called an alkaline food. Human bodies are most healthy when mildly alkaline.
Therefore, we should eat not only acid foods such as meat and fish but also alkaline foods: FRUITS AND VEGETABLES !
Have you ever experienced eye discomfort or holes in your pantyhose when it rained? You have acid rain to thank. Or, more accurately, its cause: SO2 and NOx belched out by factories and motor vehicles combine with water to form the sulfuric and nitric acid in acid rain. The pH of rain falling on the countryside with clean air will be around 6--mild acidity.
However, in big cities, the pH of rain, especially when it first starts to fall, can run as high as 4.
As you know, the hydrangea is a flower of striking color variety--white, blue or pink. Did you know this color variation was related to the pH of the soil ? It is said that acid soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5 yields bright blue hydrangeas, but the color becomes close to red as the acidity becomes weak. Colorwise, this is just the opposite of litmus paper. You might call hydrangeas nature's litmus paper. And they're a lot nicer to look at than store-bought litmus paper !
