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Most people with our modern lifestyles are suffering from imbalance. They are obese, tired, prematurely aging. And more importantly, the world’s top three killers (cancer, heart disease and diabetes) - all are directly linked to diet. Eating the proper foods and getting the best nutrients, in balance, will help you avoid all that - along with the misery and poor quality of life that so often precedes death, sometimes by decades. The simple secrets to finding the right combinations are what The pH Miracle is all about.
We often hear of acid and alkaline balance in the body but what does this mean or relate to?
Our body has an acid-alkaline (or acid base) ratio called the pH (potential of hydrogen). This is a balance between positively charges ions (acid forming) and negatively charged ions (alkaline forming). Our body continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised and the pH becomes too acidic, many problems can occur. These are said to include skin problems, such as acne, psoriasis and eczema, cardiovascular damage, including the constriction of blood vessels and the reduction of oxygen, weight gain, obesity and diabetes, bladder and kidney conditions, including kidney stones, immune deficiency, acceleration of free radical damage, possibly contributing to cancerous mutations, premature aging, infertility, osteoporosis, weak, brittle bones, hip fractures and bone spurs, joint pain, aching muscles and lactic acid buildup, low energy and chronic fatigue (to name a few).
A recent seven-year study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, on 9,000 women showed that those who have chronic acidosis are at greater risk for bone loss than those who have normal pH levels. The scientists who carried out this experiment believe that many of the hip fractures prevalent among middle-aged women are connected to high acidity caused by a diet rich in animal foods and low in vegetables. This is because the body borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH. This can be just as much of a problem for men, as it is for women.
pH is measured on a scale of zero to 14. The lower the pH, the more acidic the solution is; the higher the pH, the more alkaline (or base) the solution is. When a solution is neither acid nor alkaline, it has a pH of 7, which is neutral.
The concept of acid alkaline balance or imbalance in the body is not a new one. In 1933, a New York doctor named William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book called A New Health Era. In this, he states that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to acid accumulation in the body. He states:
“Now we depart from health in just the proportion to which we have allowed our alkalies to be dissipated, by introduction of acid-forming food in too great amount… It may seem strange to say that all disease is the same thing, no matter what its myriad modes of expression but it is verily so.”
More recently, Dr Theodore A Baroody wrote in his book, Alkalize or Die essentially the same thing… The countless names of illnesses do not really matter. What does matter is that they all come from the same root cause... too much tissue acid waste in the body!
It is important to remember that when we are talking about acid and alkaline, we are not talking about stomach acid or the pH of the stomach. We are talking about the pH of the body's fluids and tissues - something very different.
Most people who suffer from an unbalanced pH are too acidic, rather than too alkaline. When this acid condition happens, the body tries to correct this imbalance by drawing on its reserves of vital minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese and sodium. It uses these to buffer or neutralise the acid, so it can be safely removed from the body. If this happens regularly, the body becomes depleted of these vital minerals and many other health problems can manifest, due to this lack of minerals.
So what influences this acid-alkaline balance? All foods leave an ash residue after metabolism, which is either alkaline or acidic, depending on the mineral composition of the food and the way your body digests it. Many things, such as stress and emotional instability affect our digestion and the way our body breaks the food down. If your digestion is poor, the likelihood of having a high acid condition in the body is high. Other things that affect this balance include the foods and beverages you eat and drink your stress levels, pollution and other toxins, overwork, lack of sleep, worry and tension.
So how would you know if you had an acid or alkaline imbalance in your body? One of the easiest ways to determine if this is the case, would be to use pH test strips. You can easily purchase pH test strips, so you can test your existing pH level in the privacy of your own home. They come with a coloured guide, so you can compare your test result with the guide. pH test strips can be used to test urine and salivary pH levels. If your urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 to 6.5 in the morning and between 6.5 and 7.0 in the evening, your body is functioning within a healthy range. If your saliva stays between 6.5 and 7.5 all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. The best time to test your pH is about one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. It is suggested to test your pH levels twice a week.
Which foods are alkaline forming in the body and which are acidic? All ripe fruit, except cranberries, blueberries, plums and prunes are alkalising to different degrees. Alkalinity depends on the natural sugar and mineral content of the food, with ripe fruit and organic produce having more of these elements. All vegetables are alkalising to different degrees, except for potato without skins, which have a pH of 2.5 (moderately acid forming), compared to potato with the skins on, which have a pH of 5.5 (moderately alkaline forming). Basically, there are no animal products that are alkaline forming, although these few dairy products are slightly alkaline or neutral – fresh unsalted butter, fresh cream, raw cow’s milk, plain acidophilus yoghurt, buttermilk and whey. All meats and other products from animals are acid forming. The only grains that are alkaline forming are millet (isn’t that what we feed budgies?), quinoa, amaranth and corn, however 24 hours after picking, corn becomes acid forming. The only nuts that are alkaline are good old almonds and coconut that is fresh. Other foods that are alkaline forming include kelp and seaweed, freshly squeezed fruit juice, fresh ginger, apple cider and sweet brown rice vinegar, barley malt and brown rice syrup (sweeteners), honey, miso, sea salt, chestnuts, soft egg yolks, essene bread and sprouted grains, some soy products and yeast flakes. Pretty much, most other foods are acid forming, with artificial sweeteners, over work, anger, fear, jealousy and stress being the most acid-forming things there are.
As you can see, most of the foods you are eating are probably quite acid forming, so how on earth can you balance a high acid condition in the body without living on “rabbit food”? The key is to improve the balance of the foods you are eating, to try and include more alkaline forming foods at each meal, ideally 80 percent alkaline forming and 20 percent acid forming. To make this selection easier, I purchased an 80/20 Food Theory Chart from Pelago productions. You can order your own copy by emailing them on pelago@ihug.co.nz. They cost $18.95 plus P&P for a laminated copy. This wonderfully informative chart is all you should need to set you in the right direction. It lists most foods you can think of and whether they are acid or alkaline forming. On the back is all the info you should need to learn about this concept.
Remember you will benefit from any change, so if it all sounds too daunting, just start by including more fresh fruit and raw vegetables at meals and work up from here.
There are a few natural products available that can help to make your body more alkaline. These include barley grass in juice, powder or capsules and chlorophyll from alfalfa. Taking a supplement containing these will help to make your body more alkaline. These can be taken on a daily basis, mixed in a smoothy or taken as a capsule, however seek professional advice before self-prescribing.
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