The BENEFITS of maintaining an alkaline body is fabulous health, high energy, mental clarity, and vitality!
pH (potential of hydrogen) is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It is measured on a scale of 1-14. The lower the number the more acidic, the higher the number the more alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral – neither acid nor alkaline. Body tissues and fluid, specifically blood needs to maintain a slightly alkaline pH of 7.365 to keep you alive. If your blood goes outside this range, you will die. The body knows this and will do everything it can to maintain the correct blood pH. Resources available to do this are oxygen, water, and acid-buffering minerals. Encouraging acid wastes to be eliminated efficiently also helps keep the body alkaline.
If the body is too alkaline, it will buffer by increasing the acidity of the saliva. If there is not enough alkaline reserves and acid forming foods and drinks are continuously consumed, the body will pull alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the bones and muscles. The correct ratio of alkaline to acid foods is 4:1, so try to have 80% alkaline food with each meal.
As an interesting side note: Fresh cow’s milk has a pH between 6.5 – 6.7 which is acidic. It contains calcium however the body needs to counteract the acidity so will take the calcium straight from the milk to the blood. The idea that cow’s milk will give you strong bones is incorrect because the calcium does not go to the bones.
Signs your body may be acidic: Bloating, tiredness, aches and pains in the muscles and joints and headaches.
Signs your body may not be efficiently removing toxic wastes: Tiredness, bloating, headaches, shortness of breath, skin conditions, sinus, flatulence, irritable bowel, weight gain, muscle and joint pain.
Lifestyle habits which can affect the acid / alkaline balance
Oxygen: Oxygen alkalises the body. Poorly ventilated rooms, shallow breathing and lack of exercise can lead to low oxygen levels and increased acidity in the body. Side note: Do you think covering your nose and mouth with a fabric is good practice for increasing oxygen in your body?
Food: Alcohol, caffeine in all forms, sugar, tobacco, drugs and chemicals can affect the acidic condition of the body. How we cook our food also can determine whether it will leave an acid or alkaline residue in our body. For example, a baked potato, eaten with the skin on and chewed well, is alkaline. The same potato, eaten hurriedly and washed down with water will not be digested properly and will be acid forming.
Rest: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a good man healthy, wealthy and wise.” Good sleep will allow the body to rid itself of toxins built up during the day. A minimum of 6 hours of sleep is required every night for a healthy adult.
Water: Dehydration is one of the most prominent causes of an acidic body. Pure water is very alkalising. The average adult loses 2 -3 litres of water every day through normal function. This loss needs to be replaced. Hot days and physical activity increase the demand for water. Tap water is acidic and full of chemicals which additionally contribute to acidity in the body so drink only well filtered water.
Anxiety: A negative mental state can create metabolic acid at a rate 2 to 3 times more than eating acidic foods. Your thoughts are critical. Anger, resentment and fear are the most powerful and acidifying of all the emotions. A positive attitude, merry heart and trust that everything is okay, will help maintain an alkaline condition.
Many of today’s diseases are now considered to be lifestyle diseases brought about when the body gets out of balance and science has proven that cancer CANNOT live in an alkaline body. This is fantastic news!!! When an alkaline environment is maintained in the body, our metabolism, enzymes, immune system and repair processes function at their best.
Monitoring the pH of your urine and saliva: You can check the pH levels of your urine and saliva 1-2 times per week.
A healthy urine pH in the morning is between 6.0 and 6.5 and in the evening between 6.5 and 7.0. If your average pH is consistently below 6.5 then it is advisable to look to ways to alkalise.
A healthy saliva pH is between 6.5 and 7.5. It is best checked an hour before a meal or two hours after.
A pH consistently below 6.5 can suggest the body is overwhelmed by acids and cannot remove them adequately in the urine. A high pH may result in excess gas, constipation and overgrowth of yeast or fungus.
