Two common components of the Western diet, meat and dairy, may be behind bone loss, according to a Los Angles Times article.
Proponents of a low-acid diet (also called the alkaline-acid diet) suggest that, because blood is slightly alkaline (with a pH of 7), if a diet consists of too many acids, the body will try to balance alkalinity by disposing of minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium in the urine. Thus, the minerals, so essential for bone health, leave the body before they are optimized. Because meat and dairy contain a lot of amino acids, a diet high in those food groups is considered acidic.