pH Body Balance

pH, in chemistry, is a logarithmic scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. It is approximately the negative of the base 10 logarithm of the molar concentration, measured in units of moles per liter, of hydrogen ions.

pH is a scale of acidity from 0 to 14. It tells how acidic or alkaline a substance is. More acidic solutions have lower pH. More alkaline solutions have higher pH. Substances that aren’t acidic or alkaline (that is, neutral solutions) usually have a pH of 7.

There is a level of acidity or alkalinity, measured by pH, in a substance at any given time. And there’s an acidic/alkaline balance that has to exist for certain metabolic processes to take place, especially in our own bodies.

Is your body acidic? Many diseases thrive in an acidic body!

Your body’s blood pH should be between 7.365 and 7.45 (i.e. slightly alkaline, with 7 being neutral). That balance changes given a diet based too heavily in predominantly acidic or predominantly alkaline foods. It also changes due to stress, immune reactions, and any other process that deprives cells of oxygen. Including poor breathing and excessive excersize.

In short, pure water has a pH of 7. Foods above 7 are alkaline, and foods below 7 are acidic.

Acidic foods include refined sugar, chocolate, peanuts, refined flour including wheat and white flour, all meats, shell fish, cheese and dairy, processed foods, beer, and soft drinks. Basically the majority of the typical modern Western diet!

When we consume a predominantly acidic diet, the body becomes too acidic and as a result is forced to utilize its own alkaline mineral resources to maintain livable pH levels.

These minerals include sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Your body is literally stripping itself of these minerals just to establish balance, neutralize the over-abundance of acid, and safely remove it from the body! With this we run the risk of Acidosis, which results in a build-up of acid in the cells, which then decreases energy production in those cells.

A decreased in energy production leads to an inability of the body to repair damaged cells and detoxify heavy metals, and you become more susceptible to both chronic fatigue as well as an increased incidence of disease (cancer tumors thrive in an acidic environment).

Body Repair

An acidic body leaches essential minerals out of your body dehydrating it in the process. Simply, if you drink one can of carbonated cold drink it takes 32 standard glasses of water to neutralize it. So just imagine what happens if you don’t drink enough water! Now your body has to neutralize the acidic mineral drink. So, since calcium is high in pH, it pulls the mineral from your bones if you aren’t eating enough mineral rich food. This may lead to decreased bone density, and arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.

Reducing or correcting the acidic levels in your body requires no more than the increase in consumption of alkaline foods and lifestyle. Some alkaline forming fruits are lemons, oranges, cherries, dates, figs, nectarines, pears, watermelon, apples, bananas, and avocados.

Examples of Alkaline pH

Some examples of alkaline forming vegetables are kale, sweet potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, beetroot, eggplant, cucumber, lettuces, mushrooms, squashes (including pumpkin), greens, and most herbs and spices.

An alkaline forming lifestyle includes a stress free environment, sleep, exercize, fun and laughter. Try earthing, being outdoors, and embracing nature.

Instead of heavy condiments and sauces (which are high in acidity), use alkaline options such as ginger in your cooking!

Instead of frozen vegetables (which are more acidic), visit the fresh food isles. Your local farmers market deserve a visit for fresh organic options! Eliminate anything out of a can or a box, including most of the options in the freezer aisle. Do that, and you’ll be eliminating a lot of acidic forming foods from your diet.