April 18, 2012
Feeling Tired and Achy? Balance Your pH for Well-Being and Better Health!
What if you could increase your energy level, decrease joint stiffness and pain, and have fewer allergy problems just by knowing how to measure and improve the pH balance in your body? You probably already know that the human body is over 60% water. The water solution in your body is designed to be balanced, just as a swimming pool’s pH must be measured and balanced before you get in to swim. pH can also be referred to as your acid/alkaline balance. If the body’s pH deviates too far to the acidic or too far to the alkaline side, cells can become poisoned by their own toxic waste and die. Unfortunately, the standard American diet (SAD) tends to tilt our bodies to the acidic side, which causes numerous health issues.
An Acid/Alkaline IMBALANCE can be a factor in:
Cardiovascular problems
Osteoporosis (bone loss)
Excess mucous
Aches and pains, inflammation
Premature aging
Irritability, anxiety and depression
Formation of stones – kidney, bladder, gallbladder
Many chronic diseases are accompanied by an acidic body condition, and can be improved or totally reversed if the body is brought back to the ideal pH balance.
What is the ideal pH balance, and how do we test it?
The human body operates optimally at a pH that varies from 7.0 to 7.5, depending on the time of day. When the body’s pH is within the normal parameters, your cells can utilize nutrients and eliminate waste more efficiently. Here is a great definition from Health Freedom Resources:
“The cells of the body in health are alkaline, but in disease states the cell pH is below 7.0. The more acid the cells become, the sicker we are and feel. The cells won’t die until their pH gets to about 3.5. Our bodies produce acid as a by-product of normal metabolism. This is a result of our bodies burning or using alkaline to remain alive. Since our bodies do not manufacture alkaline, we must supply the alkaline from an outside source to keep us from becoming acid and dying.
We can remain healthy by consuming a diet that is 70-80% alkaline and 20-30% acid. The more alkaline, the better. If we become too alkaline by eating a majority of alkaline foods, we will lose our appetite and automatically want to fast, during which time the normal acid metabolic by-products will return the body’s pH back to normal.”
You can easily measure your pH with strips purchased from most health food stores or on-line. Both Whole Foods and Sprouts carry them in the personal health/supplement section. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. You can measure your pH with urine (most effective) or saliva. If measuring with urine, test with your first morning urination. This will give you an idea of how the acids in your body are accumulating overnight. You can also repeat the reading before your noon meal and compare and complete the picture.
If you test using saliva, do not do this first thing in the morning. The oral bacteria in the mouth can skew your reading to acidic. Wait until you’ve brushed your teeth and rinsed your mouth well with water. Hold the strip against your tongue well moistened with saliva.
How to get your body in balance
If you find that you are overly acidic, it’s probably because you are eating too many acidic foods and not enough alkalizing foods. Foods that create an acidic state in your body include: most meats and proteins, processed grains (breads, pasta), eggs, coffee and tea, soft drinks, alcohol, refined rice and chocolate. Artificial sweeteners and carbonated soft drinks are two of the worst acid forming foods available.
Foods that are neutral include dairy, potatoes, onions and most oils (except olive which is slightly alkaline).
Both lemon and watermelon are two of the most alkaline foods known, while other fruits and vegetables (especially raw) and most seeds and nuts are alkaline as well. A complete listing of alkaline and acidic foods can be found HERE.
If you find that you are highly acidic, or suspect you might be due to your diet and the way you feel, start incorporating as many alkaline foods in your diet as possible. Make salad dressings with lemon or raw apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s) and some organic olive oil. Apple cider vinegar (raw and unfiltered) is considered by some people one of the best tonics around to help improve health and pH balance. Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar has a “healthy tonic” recipe on the bottle that includes raw honey and filtered water. Baking soda, mixed with a little filtered water is also very alkalizing. Follow the directions on the box for a quick, alkalizing drink that can also help with stomach upset.
Below is an Alkaline Breakfast Muesli Recipe that you can try to get your day off to a good start.
Sources:
http://www.healthfree.com
http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm
http://vitaminlady.com/articles/pH_factor.htm
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