Evidence reported in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that:
The health-related benefits of a high intake of potassium-rich, bicarbonate-rich foods (e.g., fruits and vegetables) on disease prevention (e.g., cancer, heart disease) have been gaining increasing attention in the literature, and there is growing belief, from a variety of observational, experimental, clinical, and intervention studies, that a positive link exists between potassium-rich, bicarbonate-rich foods and indices of bone health.
If you take a look at the mineral composition of fruits and vegetables you will find that many of these foodstuffs are high in potassium. This makes them known as alkaline foods due to the alkalizing effect they have upon our bodies. The reason that this is beneficial is that now a days, most of us do not eat enough potassium rich foods.
Foods can be divided into two groups depending on the effect they have upon the pH balance of our bodies. It is the mineral and protein composition of the foods that we eat that determines whether they are acid or alkaline. This is not directly related to the actual pH of the foods themselves. For instance, lemons which are fairly acidic are in actual fact alkaline foods. This is because they have lots of potassium and no protein.
The reason that alkaline foods help is us because when we eat acid foods, we have to somehow balance the pH internally. Alkaline foods help us to do this. Without enough fruits and vegetables, the neutralizing effect has to come from alkaline salts present in our body. In other words, from our bones. This is known as bone resorption. This literally means that we lose bone mass through eating an acidic diet. As you will realize, this can be detrimental to our health. Osteoporosis affects more than 10 million Americans and costs billions in health care costs every year. It might be worth trying to eat more fruits and vegetables to protect your own bones and lead a healthier life.