It is a well established general rule that an acidic body will be an unhealthy body. If your body becomes acidic, it leads to the creation of an unwanted, thriving environment for bacteria, yeast and illness. If your body becomes excessively acidic, it will start taking minerals from your bones and vital organs in order to neutralize this acid and eliminate it out of the body. This causes the mineral reserve in your body, comprising of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, to become dangerously low. It can result in a damage that continues for years, and then reaches a highly unhealthy stage. Eventually, your body will have acidosis.

Most people regularly take foods which form enough acid. Sugar, meats, dairy and grains must be regular part of your diet, but they all form acid. This means your body will be regularly producing acidic waste products due to metabolism. Therefore, it is essential to remove neutralize or remove these waste products. That’s why you should provide more alkaline foods to your body apart from making excessive use of the alkaline water filter machine at your home.

Mild acidosis involves poor pH balance in the body. These are the health problems which can be caused by mild acidosis:

  1. Inflamed sensitive cavities and gums
  2. Sciatica, stiff neck and lumbago
  3. Immune deficiency
  4. Respiratory problems, coughing, and shortness of breath
  5. Chronic fatigue and low energy
  6. Heart problems, increased heart rate, and arrhythmias
  7. Yeast fungal overgrowth
  8. Infections of kidney and bladder
  9. Cardiovascular damage that includes oxygen reduction and constriction of blood vessels
  10. Vomiting, nausea and diarrhea
  11. Obesity, diabetes and weight gain
  12. Headaches, sleepiness, and confusion
  13. Premature aging
  14. Osteoporosis, hip fractures, weak brittle bones, and bone spurs
  15. Accelerated free radical damage
  16. Acne and allergies
  17. Joint pain, lactic acid buildup and aching muscles

Body’s Own pH Adjusting Function

Our body has its own pH adjusting function, but that can be damaging to it. Most of our body fluids and tissues are alkaline except the stomach. Then there is blood, which can have its pH level change across a wide range. But it is important for the blood pH level to be maintained in the range 7.35-7.45. It also has a pH adjusting role.

So if your system becomes excessively acidic, your blood starts taking alkaline forming elements from your digestive enzyme system from within the small intestine. However, you shouldn’t allow this stage to form because it can affect the environment for digestion.

The point is that your body does have the ability to adjust its pH level by itself, but you shouldn’t allow it to do so. It can cause various health problems.

What is Your pH Level?

You should get a pH test so that you know what your body’s acidification level is. 6.75-7.25 is the healthy pH range of your body. Then there is the optimal pH reading, which comes to 7.36.

Taste is not a factor to tell you the acidic or alkaline level of food

Most of us believe that lemon is acidic because it has an acidic taste. It is also classified to be an acidic fruit. But it is an alkaline-forming food. It forms alkalinity during digestion. The acids get oxidized during digestion to form water and carbon dioxide. This means no acid condition is created in your system.

You should eat foods rich in the following minerals, because they are alkalizing minerals:

  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Iron
  • Potassium
  • Sodium

They are alkaline-forming foods.

Almost all foods have alkaline and acid minerals, and the foods with more acidic mineral concentration are acidic.

Your Body’s Limits

When it comes to acid imbalance, there is a limit to how much your body is capable of compensating. This is why your food intake has a big impact in the maintenance of acid-alkaline balance. So many general malaise and diseases are caused because your body tries rebalancing the internal environment.

If you take a diet having excess amount of acid-forming foods, your body is going to become more acidic. So you don’t want to be eating too much of sugars, diary, meats and grains. At the same time, eating excess of alkaline-forming foods like fruits, greens, and sea vegetables can make your body excessively alkaline. It’s important to maintain balance.

Impact of Different Foods on Your Body

Your body’s constitutional type is going to determine your body’s response to different foods. Those who have oxidative body type, consuming fruits and veggies will increase your body’s acidic levels. However, consuming proteins will increase alkalinity. If your body’s dominant type of autonomic system or ANS, proteins will make it more acidic, while fruits and veggies will make it more alkaline.

Improving Your Alkalinity

Follow these steps to increase your alkalinity:

  1. Start by checking your pH level regularly
  2. Start removing acidic foods from your diet
  3. Drink lots of water (drink alkaline water whenever you can)
  4. Enjoy a large green salad in place of a traditional lunch
  5. Avoid processed foods as much as you can
  6. Consume almond/coconut milk in place of dairy milk
  7. Collard greens and lettuce leaves can be used as wraps
  8. Include more green smoothies and juices into your diet
  9. Avoid sugar, coffee and soda. You could enjoy green drinks, herbal tea and herbal coffee in their place.

Your Food is Important for Your pH Levels

You may have to give a little more thought to improve your body’s pH levels. However, you will certainly be amazed by the results you get for that extra effort. You will start feeling more energetic and your health will improve at all levels.

Whatever you eat is going to directly impact your overall health. In the words of Ann Wigmore (who founded the well known Hippocrates Health Institute), whatever food you take could be the slowest type of poison or the most powerful and safest type of medicine.

Source: The Hearty Soul