If you have been experiencing troublesome health issues, pH balance could be the underlying cause. Not many people know about pH balance, you may have heard it mentioned in an anti-perspirant commercial, but other than that it is mostly overlooked. This is a great faux paux, because pH is super important in regard to diseases and parasites, which thrive in acidic conditions. Most diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment, that’s why it is so crucial to be mindful of our body’s pH levels. Understanding alkaline vs. acidity is the first step to getting it in balance, simply by choosing the best foods for our body.
Let’s begin by gaining an understanding of what pH actually is. The letters pH stand for “potential of hydrogen” and it is used to measure the acidity of cells and other elements. Over 90% of Americans have a pH balance that is acidic due to diet, stress, dehydration, and other factors. The body’s acidity is measured on a scale from 0 to 14; optimally you want to land right in the center of that range.
Some of the symptoms of imbalanced pH are lethargy, weight issues, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, heartburn, bloating, acne, cold sores, muscular pain, food allergies, insomnia, irregular heartbeats, lack of concentration, and more. As acid levels increase, our vital organs, adrenal glands and liver cannot function as they should, which creates greater health issues. When our body becomes too acidic, oxygen levels drop and cellular metabolism slows. In order to compensate, the body draws on alkaline minerals within the tissues, bones and muscle to neutralize the pH balance.
Measuring the pH with saliva is a good indicator of the tissue pH, and the cells require a slightly alkaline environment of 7.0 to 7.5. Seventy percent of the body is made up of water and the fluid in each cell or organ tissue needs to be at a healthy pH level. Which brings us to the main reason it is imperative to consume alkaline water.
Alkaline water can be found at your local grocer, and usually has a pH level of 8 or higher. Drinking alkaline water helps the water molecules bond to your cells, providing optimal hydration. It also helps the body to naturally detox and balance the acidity levels. We tend to eat processed foods, and take in toxins in different forms, this causes our bodies to be acidic and toxic, which in turn will cause our cells to decompose at an accelerated rate.
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Other methods for balancing your pH include, adjusting your diet to include more fresh fruit, vegetables and water while reducing processed and packaged food. This helps the tissues, organs and cells to stay in alkaline balance.
A good guide is the 80/20 rule. You should aim for 80% of your diet to consist of whole foods such as nuts, soy products and non-starchy vegetables, lean meats, beans and whole grains. The remaining 20% should be acid-forming foods such as processed pasta, fast food, crackers, cookies, sugary sweets and cereals and many frozen commercially processed meals.
A thorough colon cleanse is a good start to balancing pH as it will eliminate toxins, parasites and acidic waste.
