Obesity has become an obsession in the modern world, and there is no shortage of self-styled experts offering weight loss solutions. None of the traditional weight loss programs address the root cause of obesity, says Dr. Robert O. Young, author of The pH Miracle for Weight Loss. The culprit is not calories, fats, carbohydrates, or laziness, says Young. It is acidity. The body retains fat as a protection against the overproduction of acids caused by typical American diet, writes Young. You are not overweight, you are overacidic. Your fat is actually saving your life. Without that fat protecting the cells, tissues, and organs of your body from acids, you would be dead.

The modern diet is extremely acidic. Red meat is acidic, but low-fat white meats, such as chicken and turkey, are acidic as well. High protein alternatives, such as diary products and eggs, are also acidic. Many people who cut back on meat and dairy often turn toward grains, but grainseven whole grainsalso are extremely acidic. Fruits are considered by many to be weight-loss essentials, but they are high in acids. Many people point to evils of processed foods and fast foods. They are correct, but not for the reasons they think, says Young. The problem is not fats, or trans fats, but acids.

What we drink may be even worse than what we eat. Weight-loss staples such as coffee, tea, and diet soda are all extremely acidic. Fruit smoothies, sports drinks, and milk? Acidic, acidic, acidic. In addition to the acid baths we are giving our stomachs, the body also generates its own acids in response to its environment. Smoking increases acidity in the body, so it is not surprising that air pollution contributes to acidity as well. Stress and negativity are acid builders too.

Many experts tout moderate exercise such as walking for weight loss. When stressed, the muscles produce acids, such as lactic acid. These acids often are released along with perspiration. However, if the exercise is not intense enough to cause you to perspire, you might actually be increasing acids in your body. Some of these are voided through urination and defecation, but many remain in the system. If you do exercise, make sure you sweata lot!

Acids trapped in the body can break down other tissues. To protect itself from the toxic effect of acids, the body creates a natural buffer of fat. The fat cells trap the acids. Ask any plastic surgeon, writes Young. The fat they liposuction out of their patients is brown and black because of all the acids it contains.

The secret to weight loss, says Young, is to decrease the bodys acidity by increasing the intake of alkaline foods and ionized alkaline water. This will balance out your bodys pH, the measure of its acidity. Most alkaline foods are vegetables that must be consumed raw to retain their alkalinity. It is easier, of course, to drink alkaline water, since you consume water every day. As an added bonus, ionized water has smaller clusters of water molecules than regular water does.

This micro-clustered water is more easily absorbed by the cells. It is also extremely efficient at flushing acids out of the cells. Once the fat cells are no longer needed to trap the fats, the body will dispose of them. Your body can and will let go of the excess fat, writes Dr. Young. If your food and drink are alkaline (meaning, in basic chemistry, the opposite of acid), all that acid-binding fat will just melt right off. There will be no need for the body to hold on to it anymore.