Acid or Alkaline - Understanding ph

n Are you acid or alkaline? Not exactly water cooler speak, but a very important gauge to your potential future health. nn The road to good health or poor health leaves clues along the way and ph is one such clue. It stands for potential [of] hydrogen and is one of the most fundamental and important concepts to understand as you find ways to build your health because ph factors into diseases like cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease amongst others. You also have a considerable amount of control over it because your body’s ph is directly related to what you eat. Testing your ph levels is easily done at home and will help guide you in making better food choices. nn Ph refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the body, with the ph scale running from 0 to 14 with ‘0’ being the most acid and ‘14’ being the most alkaline. Your stomach acids, for example are 1.1 on this scale while water is 7 and is considered neutral. A healthy range in the body is between 6.0-7.5. If the body is either too acid or too alkaline, it creates an environment where many disease states can thrive. It’s much easier for us to become acidic because the Standard American Diet, or S.A.D. for short, is loaded with foods that create just such a state. nn Foods are classified as either acid-forming or alkalizing. Things like meat, fat, breads, and sweets create an acid residue because of their high levels of sulphur, phosphate, or chloride, and in this acid-rich state, there is a natural corresponding reduction in oxygen. To create an alkaline rich environment you need foods like vegetables and fruits that contain more sodium (not table salt), potassium or calcium with greater amounts of oxygen as a byproduct. nn Oxygen, of course, is needed by every cell in the body for optimal health. One of the things we know about cancer, for example, is that it flourishes in a lower oxygen/higher acid environment. An acid environment is also preferred by a whole host of bacteria, yeasts and other undesirable organisms. So keeping the ph of our bodies balanced is critical for good health. nn An acid environment is also linked to osteoporosis, which literally means porous bones. While its causes are varied, there is a direct link to a diet high in acid forming foods and excessive amounts of animal protein. While I am not advocating a vegetarian diet, it’s worth considering that the average American consumes roughly 1 ½ - 2 times the RDA of protein and often much more. Calcium is an excellent buffer for an acid environment and the body will naturally pull calcium from the bones to help balance ph. According to the American Council of Orthopedic Surgeons, 28 million people in America are affected by osteoporosis. nn What can you do to help balance your ph? While everyone is different, 65-80% of your foods should be alkalizing with the other 20-35% being acid forming. It might take some work to figure out what and how you should be eating, but the consequences of not doing it may well not be to your liking. nn In general, most vegetables and fruits are alkaline producing, so increase these. Some combination of LIGHTLY COOKED and raw vegetables is good. Don’t even bother with canned. Fruit should always be fresh. Jams and the like are very acid forming. nn Acid forming foods are most meats, beans (lentils are highly alkalizing, however), dairy, breads (white especially), grains (some less so), sugars and artificial sweeteners, so moderate these. Sodas, particularly the cola type, are very acid forming and because of the high phosphorus levels almost suck calcium out of your bones. For heavy soda drinkers, the writing is on the wall. nn The best thing you can do is to purchase some ph strips, available on the internet, and start doing saliva and urine tests at home. It is very simple. A quick internet search will show you when to test, how to test and list which foods are acid forming or alkalizing. It will not only be extremely enlightening, but also empowering because you are beginning to take greater control over the state of your health. n n Remember, if you don’t know where you are going you will still end up somewhere, just not necessarily where you want to be. I always say that there are many things in life we have no control over, but our health is not one of them. Start taking charge of your health and turn your back on those disease statistics. Education and prevention are key.n