Optimize your health by knowing what your body pH balance is. How important are alkaline foods. Monitor your pH daily with pH test strips.

 

What is pH balance? | Know your pH | pH balance, why is it important?
What causes acid pH? | How can you correct an acid pH? | Acidic/Alkaline Foods Chart

 

 

What is pH balance?

 

The term pH stands for potential hydrogen. It is the degree of concentration of hydrogen ions in a substance such as water, blood and food. PH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14. The lower the pH reading the more acidic a substance and the higher the pH reading the more alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral.

 

pH balance is the balance of acid and alkaline in all fluids and cells throughout your body. Our bodies are alkaline by design and acid by function. This means that our bodies are alkaline and function more efficiently when slightly alkaline, but bodily functions, such as digestion, are acid producing. The human body's metabolic process is naturally acid producing. However, this waste needs to be neutralized or "balanced" so it can be safely eliminated from the body without damaging tissues and organs that are responsible for detoxifying the body. Alkalinity is needed to neutralize and balance acidity. The presence of alkalinity in the body's acid producing environment is counteractive to the onset of illness and disease and also prevents decomposition.

 

"Acidosis " refers to an acid pH. It is an imbalanced acidic condition of all bodily fluids. Almost all cellular functions in the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH falls too far to the acidic side the cells become poisoned in their own toxic wastes and will die. All chemical processes have an ideal pH. The body functions best with a slightly alkaline pH (7.0 to 8.0). True health lives in an alkaline state.

Your blood should have a pH of 7.35 - 7.45. Many studies show that people with a correct blood pH enjoy good health, whereas people with a low, or acidic, pH are more likely to be ill.

 

pH of various body tissues	PH
Skeletal	6.9 - 7.2
Heart	7.0 - 7.4
Liver	7.2
Brain	7.1
Blood	7.35 - 7.45
Saliva	6.0 - 7.4
Urine	4.5 - 8.0

Know your pH (back to top)

 

To test your pH level you will need pH test strips with a range from 4.5 to 7.5. Also known as litmus paper and “Hydrion brand name test strips. You can test either your saliva or your urine for pH levels.
 

Saliva pH test

 

Simply wet a piece of pH test strip with your saliva first thing in the morning. This is the best time since your body has been on a mini-fast overnight and will give a more accurate reading. You can also test throughout the day but should wait 2 hours after eating or drinking. This will prevent false readings from residues of acid or alkaline of the foods or liquids that you have consumed. After wetting the pH test strip wait 12 seconds. The pH test strip will change color. Simply match the color of the pH test strip to the pH color chart. (Most pH test strips come with a pH color chart) You want to maintain a pH of about 7.4, which is the pH of a healthy body.

Urine pH test

 

Test first thing in the morning and perhaps a few times throughout the day. Wet a piece of pH test strip with a small amount of urine. Wait 12 seconds. The pH test strip will change color. Now match the color of the pH test strip with the pH color chart. By taking urine samples, we can have a fairly accurate picture of our body's chemistry. The urine is by nature slightly acidic. The ideal range for a urine pH is 5.8 to 6.8

 

Continue daily monitoring of your pH levels.

 

 

pH balance, why is it important? (back to top)

 

For the body to function properly it is necessary to maintain the balance of acid to alkaline in our cells and our body fluids. When the body is alkaline, colds, flu and mucus cannot survive. We now also know that many other diseases cannot live in alkalinity. When the body has a balanced pH you avoid disease and illness, have more energy, sleep better, maintain proper body weight and metabolism and just generally feel better. Your digestion improves and you assimilate vitamins and nutrients more efficiently.

 

A low (or acidic) pH is in itself harmful. Most notably by impairing the cardiovascular system. Nothing does well in an acidic environment, except illness and disease. If left unchecked it will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain. An acid pH interferes with life itself. An acidic body is more prone to illness. In an acidic environment, the red blood cells cannot repel each other and will stick together forming stacks. This formation limits the amount of area for the blood cells to carry oxygen. Reduced oxygen leads to fatigue, lack of energy and weakness. Cancer cells thrive in an oxygen-deprived environment much better than a rich in oxygen one.

 

An acidic balance will decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals, vitamins and other nutrients, decrease energy production in the cells, decrease the body's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease the ability to detoxify heavy metals and enables tumor cells to grow.

Symptoms of mild cases of acidosis include headache, lack of energy, sleepiness, fast and shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and loss of appetite. Acidosis can result in rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus, tuberculosis, osteoporoses, high blood pressure and most cancers. The two main factors leading to cancer are an acid pH and lack of oxygen. Cancer, heart disease and most diseases in the western world are associated with acid, rather than alkaline, and dysfunctional digestive systems.

 

The pH balance of blood is critical. The slightest imbalance can cause serious illness and disease. The body will do whatever it needs to maintain the blood pH balance, and will continually steal acid-neutralizing minerals from wherever necessary, such as calcium from bones and teeth. The blood will dump the acid into other body organs in an effort to detoxify itself. The organs then dump the acid back into the blood, creating a vicious cycle of trying to rid itself of acidity. This cycle can be ended with a properly balance pH.

 

Since most of the body is water-based, the pH level has a profound effect on body chemistry, health and disease. The entire metabolic process depends on a balanced pH.

 

 

 

What causes acid pH? (back to top)

 

Diet appears to be a major influence in maintaining proper pH levels throughout our bodies. When food is broken down, it leaves chemical and metallic residues called ash, which when combined with our body fluids, either yield acid or alkaline potentials of pH. Certain foods are acid-forming while others are alkaline-forming.

 

Metabolic acidosis occurs when the body has more acidity then alkalinity in it. Most Grenadian eat a high-protein diet. High-protein diets create excessive acid levels in the body. Eating a diet of meats, grains and breads, dairy products, sugar, overcooked, refined and processed foods and fast foods, leads to an extremely acidic pH balance. Typical Grenadians consistently indulge in the over-consumption of acid-forming foods. The constant consumption of all these excess acids eventually drains the body's reserve of electrolyte minerals, leaving it unable to compensate. Unfortunately, a steady diet of acid-forming foods takes it toll over time.

 

Before the body can use any food, it must neutralize the acids in it. The body does this first by taking sodium, combining it with bicarbonate and then using it to raise the pH of the food to 6.1. The acids can then be removed safely from the body. Unfortunately, sodium chloride (table salt) is not the type of sodium the body requires. It is toxic and actually creates acidity. The body requires an organic form of sodium found only in plants.

When the body becomes depleted of organic sodium, it responds by going within itself and retrieves sodium from various fluids or tissues. When sodium is removed from a fluid, such as bile, the fluid becomes acidic. When sodium is removed from a cell, the cell dies. The body is then degenerating into a diseased state.

 

The first area that the body may retrieve sodium from is the bile. The liver produces bile at a pH of 8.3 to 8.6 and stores it in the gallbladder until it is needed. When sodium is extracted from the bile, the bile pH drops. When the bile pH drops to a certain level, gallstones are formed and digestion cannot proceed in a healthy manner.

 

Most of the time the body becomes acidic due to a diet rich in acids, toxic overload from pollutants and chemicals, emotional stress and negative thinking. Even excessive exercising (past the point of exhaustion) causes acidity. Other factors are stressful living, overeating animal proteins, consumption of sugar products, eating factory processed and fast foods, failure to eat sufficient amounts of raw vegetables and fruits every day and failing to drink large amounts of pure fresh water between meals.

 

 

How can you correct an acid pH? (back to top)
 

The acid- alkaline balance is an important factor of the health and functions in the body. Diet influences the acid-alkaline balance through the nutrient content that affects our metabolism.

 

Watching your diet can help. Increase the amounts of vegetables and fruit (alkaline foods) that you eat while decreasing the amount of acid-forming foods, such as meats (some good sources of non-animal proteins are soy beans, soy flour and all sorts of non-roasted raw nuts), dairy products, pasta and breads. Refer to the Acid/Alkaline Foods Chart for more in-depth information on acid and alkaline forming foods.

 

A diet high is (75% to 80%) alkaline foods is recommended by many nutritionists. Most Grenadians fall way short of this recommended alkaline diet. This change isn't as hard as you might think. Almost all fresh raw vegetables and fruits are alkaline foods. Add a fresh salad to one of your meals. Have steamed vegetables instead of fried Have a piece of fresh fruit instead of a cookie or chips for a snack. It is important to remember that the method of cooking will also have either an acidic or alkaline reaction. For example, a potato that is baked or boiled in its jacket is alkaline food, whereas a fried potato is acid forming. If carbohydrates are deficient in your diet, the fats that you consume cannot be completely burned and will produce detrimental acids.

 

The body goes to great lengths to neutralize and detoxify acids before they start acting as poisons. Water helps to flush acids out and re-hydrates the body. The body is 70% water and the blood is 90% water. Under normal conditions a person requires 1.5 to 3 quarts of good water per day. Regular tap water falls short of being good for you. Distilled water, water treated by reverse-osmosis or alkaline waters are best. Most people drink something with their meals. This thins out the digestive fluids. It is best to drink fifteen or twenty minutes before meals or wait an hour or so afterwards.

 

Different enzymes are responsible for the digestion of your foods. Some foods need an alkaline environment while others need an acid environment. Your body automatically creates this environment for digestion. When you consume foods that need alkaline with foods that need acid, you send your body mixed signals and it becomes confused. Your body cannot produce both alkaline and acid environments at the same time and therefore cannot digest all of the food. Combine your foods for better digestion. One simple rule is that you should not combine foods high in protein (meat, milk, tofu) together with carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, pasta, breads). It is recommended to eat fresh fruit as a snack at least 30 minutes before a meal or 3 hours after a meal.

 

 

Joy helps to alkalize the body. Take time to relax, have fun and laugh! Exercise will tend to make the body more alkaline, but exercising excessively will become acid forming. Do not continue exercising beyond what is comfortable. Sleep more than 7 hours per night. During your sleep your body recharges itself. Studies show that most people need at least 8 hours of sleep per night. If you don't give your body time for recharging, your health will suffer sooner or later.

 

Royal jelly, chlorella, spirulina, alfalfa, barley and wheat grass and lecithin are super foods. Super foods are all packed with nutrients that neutralize toxins and strengthen our immune systems. They are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, fiber and essential amino acids, which reputedly add alkalinity to our system, balance us and increase our energy. They also help to sharpen our mental activity, improve stamina and deodorize and cleanse the cells and colon.

 

We can remain healthy by consuming a diet high in alkaline foods and low in acid-forming foods, supplement with alkalizing super foods, drink plenty of fresh pure water, de-stress your life as much as possible and take time to relax and have fun. Regaining and maintaining your health is an ongoing process, stick to it and enjoy a longer, healthier happier life.

 

Acidic/Alkaline Foods Chart (back to top)

Just because a fruit or vegetable may be acid, that doesn't mean it will be acid when it is digested. When foods are digested, they turn into "ash". This ash is what determines if a food is acid or alkaline.

Everyone is different, but for the most part, an alkaline diet of 75% to 80% alkalizing and 20% to 25% acidifying foods, by volume, is ideal. Each food is assigned a number which represents its approximate relative potential of acidity (-) or alkalinity (+) present in one ounce of food. The higher the number, the better it is for you to eat.

 

Healthy Alkaline Foods - Eat lots of them!

 

Vegetables	Root Vegetables
Alfalfa Grass +29.3	Beet +11.3
Asparagus +1.3	Carrot +9.5
Barley Grass +28.1	Horseradish +6.8
Brussels Sprouts +0.5	Kohlrabi +5.1
Cabbage Lettuce, Fresh +14.1	Potatoes +2.0
Cauliflower +3.1	Red Radish +16.7
Cayenne Pepper +18.8	Rutabaga +3.1
Celery +13.3	Summer Black Radish +39.4
Chives +8.3	Turnip +8.0
Comfrey +1.5	White Radish (Spring) +3.1
Cucumber, Fresh +31.5
Dandelion +22.7	Fruits
Dog Grass +22.6	Avocado (Protein) +15.6
Endive, Fresh +14.5	Fresh Lemon +9.9
French Cut Green Beans +11.2	Limes +8.2
Garlic +13.2	Tomato +13.6
Green Cabbage December Harvest +4.0
Green Cabbage, March Harvest +2.0	Non-Stored Organic Grains And Legumes
Kamut Grass +27.6	Buckwheat Groats +0.5
Lamb's Lettuce +4.8	Granulated Soy (Cooked Ground Soy Beans) +12.8
Leeks (Bulbs) +7.2	Lentils +0.6
Lettuce +2.2	Lima Beans +12.0
Onion +3.0	Soy Flour +2.5
Peas, Fresh +5.1	Soy Lecithin (Pure) +38.0
Peas, Ripe +0.5	Soy Nuts (soaked Soy Beans, Then Air Dried) +26.5
Red Cabbage +6.3	Soybeans, Fresh +12.0
Rhubarb Stalks +6.3	Spelt +0.5
Savoy Cabbage +4.5	Tofu +3.2
Shave Grass +21.7	White Beans (Navy Beans) +12.1
Sorrel +11.5
Soy Sprouts +29.5	Nuts
Spinach (Other Than March) +13.1	Almonds +3.6
Spinach, March Harvest +8.0	Brazil Nuts +0.5
Sprouted Chia Seeds +28.5
Sprouted Radish Seeds +28.4	Fats (Fresh, Cold-Pressed Oils)
Straw Grass +21.4	Borage Oil +3.2
Wheat Grass +33.8	Evening Primrose Oil +4.1
White Cabbage +3.3	Flax Seed Oil +3.5
Zucchini +5.7	Marine Lipids +4.7
	Olive Oil +1.0
Seeds
Caraway Seeds +2.3
Cumin Seeds +1.1
Fennel Seeds +1.3
Flax Seeds +1.3
Pumpkin Seeds +5.6
Sesame Seeds +0.5
Sunflower Seeds +5.4
Wheat Kernel +11.4

 

 

Foods you should only consume moderately
 

Fruits	Nuts
(In Season, For Cleansing Only Or With Moderation)	Hazelnuts -2.0
Apricot -9.5	Macadamia Nuts -3.2
Banana, Ripe -10.1	Walnuts -8.0
Banana, Unripe +4.8
Black Currant -6.1	Fish
Blueberry -5.3	Fresh Water Fish -11.8
Cantaloupe -2.5
Cherry, Sour +3.5	Fats
Cherry, Sweet -3.6	Coconut Milk -1.5
Coconut, Fresh +0.5	Sunflower Oil -6.7
Cranberry -7.0
Currant -8.2
Date -4.7
Fig Juice Powder -2.4
Gooseberry, Ripe -7.7
Grape, Ripe -7.6
Grapefruit -1.7
Italian Plum -4.9
Mandarin Orange -11.5
Mango -8.7
Orange -9.2
Papaya -9.4
Peach -9.7
Pear -9.9
Pineapple -12.6
Raspberry -5.1
Red Currant -2.4
Rose Hips -15.5
Strawberry -5.4
Tangerine -8.5
Watermelon -1.0
Yellow Plum -4.9
Non-Stored Grains
Brown Rice -12.5
Wheat -10.1

 

 

Unhealthy Acidic Foods - Try to avoid them!

 

Meat, Poultry, And Fish	Brown Rice Syrup -8.7
Beef -34.5	Chocolate -24.6
Chicken (to -22) -18.0	Dr. Bronner's Barley
Eggs (to -22)	Dried Sugar Cane Juice -18.0
Liver -3.0	Fructose -9.5
Ocean Fish -20.0	Honey -7.6
Organ Meats -3.0	Malt Sweetener -9.8
Oysters -5.0	Milk Sugar -9.4
Pork -38.0	Molasses -14.6
Veal -35.0	Turbinado Sugar -9.5
	White Sugar -17.6
Milk And Milk Products
Buttermilk +1.3	Condiments
Cream -3.9	Ketchup -12.4
Hard Cheese -18.1	Mayonnaise -12.5
Homogenized Milk -1.0	Mustard -19.2
Quark -17.3	Soy Sauce -36.2
	Vinegar -39.4
Bread, Biscuits (Stored Grains/Risen Dough)	Beverages
Rye Bread -2.5	Beer -26.8
White Biscuit -6.5	Coffee -25.1
White Bread -10.0	Fruit Juice Sweetened With Fruit Juice, Packaged, Natural -8.7
Whole-Grain Bread -4.5	Liquor -38.7
Whole-Meal Bread -6.5	Tea (Black) -27.1
	White Sugar -33.6
	Wine -16.4
Nuts
Cashews -9.3	Miscellaneous
Peanuts -12.8	Canned Foods
Pistachios -16.6	Microwave Foods
	Processed Foods
Fats
Butter -3.9
Corn Oil -6.5
Margarine -7.5
Sweets
Artificial Sweeteners -26.5
Barley Malt Syrup -9.3
Beet Sugar -15.1

 

 

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