In a chemical sense, the word relates to the properties of acidity and alkalinity. Thus, when a metal ion is with a hydroxyl ion, we have a base. When a hydrogen ion is with a negative ion such as a chloride or sulfate and so forth, we have an acid. Acids and bases are chemical opposites, so to speak. Nature, of course has never read our dictionaries, so, it is safe to say that acids and bases are sexual opposites, i.e. male and female.
Acid is the male and alkaline is the female counterpart.
The salt is the offspring left over from the mating. Foods that are basic in the laboratory may not be in a person's stomach, nor will they respond the same in the digestive tracts of different. That which neutralizes acidity in one stomach may not do so in another. The most alkaline food element is sodium . This is why we include it in this comprehensive chart for the reader's guidance.