So why is pH so important? The main reason is the simple fact that our blood needs to maintain a nearly constant pH of around 7.35-7.45. If our blood strays just a bit from this, the result will be serous damage to our body and even death. But never fear, our bodies are wonderful creations equipped with systems to maintain our blood's pH even while having bad eating habits.
A healthy body is able to maintain our blood's pH through the systems of elimination of acidic residues and toxins or by adding buffers to adjust it. The elimination of acidic residues and toxins is done through our urinary tract, our skin and through respiration. If we are not able to eliminate all the excess acid residues and toxins in this manner, our body will move them to our extremities or put them in fat cells (and even create more fat cells) to protect vital organs such as our heart and lungs from becoming too acidic. At the same time, a healthy body is also able to produce its own buffers to adjust blood pH. If our bodies are too acidic and no longer able to keep up then blood pH is adjusted through the removal of calcium and magnesium from our bones and muscles. The result of either system being overly taxed results in an overly acidic body eventually causing health conditions such as bone and muscle loss, muscle fatigue, bone spurs and bone pain, inflammation, arthritis, chronic skin conditions and fungus or even cancer - all pretty scary stuff.
If you want to test your body's pH, you can get a pretty good idea by simply using pH test strips that you
can buy at most drug stores or health food stores.
You can either test your saliva or your urine. Of course, test your saliva between meals and before drinking any liquids. It is good to test yourself two or three times a day over a period of several days to get an idea of whether or not you are overly acidic. Also, it's a good idea to take note of your diet during these times as well to see how different foods may be affecting your body's pH. A healthy pH reading for saliva would be 6.5-7.5 and 6.0-7.0 for urine.
Now comes the challenge of what to eat. Many health experts are recommending that we adopt an alkaline diet, rich in foods that help make our bodies more alkaline. A good place to start would be a diet with 50 to 75% alkalizing foods. Such foods include most fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and avocados.
Also, fruits like lemons and limes are very good "alkalizers" as well (I know this is counter intuitive, but many acidic foods become alkaline in the body due to the minerals left in the body after digestion). And we should also limit foods that are acid forming. Unfortunately, these foods are probably the ones that we include in most of our daily meals. A short list would be most grains and grain products such as pasta or bread, meats, eggs, nuts, sweets, coffee, black tea, carbonated beverages, dairy and any processed foods including most canned foods. Also, most medications and supplements are acidifying as well.
Where to start? Don't go crazy and try to change everything all at once. I suggest adopting one or two things from this list and see how it affects your pH. Keep adding until your pH is where you want it to be.
.
If you want to test your body's pH, you can get a pretty good idea by simply using pH test strips that you
can buy at most drug stores or health food stores.
You can either test your saliva or your urine. Of course, test your saliva between meals and before drinking any liquids. It is good to test yourself two or three times a day over a period of several days to get an idea of whether or not you are overly acidic. Also, it's a good idea to take note of your diet during these times as well to see how different foods may be affecting your body's pH. A healthy pH reading for saliva would be 6.5-7.5 and 6.0-7.0 for urine.
Now comes the challenge of what to eat. Many health experts are recommending that we adopt an alkaline diet, rich in foods that help make our bodies more alkaline. A good place to start would be a diet with 50 to 75% alkalizing foods. Such foods include most fruits and vegetables, especially dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and avocados.
Also, fruits like lemons and limes are very good "alkalizers" as well (I know this is counter intuitive, but many acidic foods become alkaline in the body due to the minerals left in the body after digestion). And we should also limit foods that are acid forming. Unfortunately, these foods are probably the ones that we include in most of our daily meals. A short list would be most grains and grain products such as pasta or bread, meats, eggs, nuts, sweets, coffee, black tea, carbonated beverages, dairy and any processed foods including most canned foods. Also, most medications and supplements are acidifying as well.
Where to start? Don't go crazy and try to change everything all at once. I suggest adopting one or two things from this list and see how it affects your pH. Keep adding until your pH is where you want it to be.
- Green Smoothies - Green smoothies are a great way to change a typical acidic breakfast of eggs, toast or cereal with a super alkalizing drink.
- Limit Acidic Beverages - I know we have to have our coffee or carbonated beverage, but try keep it to a minimum and switch to alkalizing drinks such as herbal teas or fresh lemon or lime juice in water. Also, if you have to add sweeteners, use stevia which is alkalizing. Substitute milk with unsweetened almond milk.
- Raw Apple Cider Vinegar - Mix a teaspoon or two of raw apple cider vinegar in a glass of water 3 times a day between meals will help you become more alkaline..
- Juice- Juicing fruits and vegetables can be a great way to alkalize. Limit sweet fruits and stick with mostly vegetables for best results. Also, wheat grass works wonders for me.
- Adopt a New Grain - Experiment with grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and teff. They are all gluten free and much healthier choices than grains such as wheat and rice. Also, sprouted sprouted grain bread is much better than traditional bread. Sprouting makes grains more like vegetables and unlocks many nutrients. Ezekiel bread is a good choice but I really like Dave's sprouted wheat bread.
- Snack Better - Try carrying a bag of dried dates or figs or raw nuts such as almonds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds with you for when you want something to get you by until the next meal. Or an apple or some veggie sticks work too.
- Eat a Salad - No, not that little one that's iceberg lettuce and mostly croutons and ranch, but one that fills your plate with dark, leafy greens, peppers, tomatoes, avocados and sprouts (sprouts are super good for you!). Include some raw nuts or dried fruit if you'd like and top with your favorite "healthy" dressing. Remember to eat the rainbow!
- Find some Alternatives - Instead of eating that big "gut bomb burger", check the menu and have a veggie burger instead if available. Also, sweet potato fries are a healthier choice than traditional fries. You might be surprised at how good they are. Or make your own veggie burgers at home. Try meatless tacos with seasoned quinoa, potatoes or spaghetti squash. Also, nut cheese can be a tasty alternative to other cheeses. For condiments, choose Vegenaise instead of mayo and try Bragg's line of products. Finally, use Himalayan or Celtic sea salt instead of processed salt. Both have alkalizing minerals in them.
.
If you are like me, I'm sure you most likely need to work on your diet and add some healthier choices. Try some of the suggestions from above. Best wishes and get alkalized!
No comments:
Post a Comment