The pH level of your body refers to the hydrogen-ion concentration in your blood and ranges between 0 and 14. A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral, with lower pH numbers indicating a more acidic and oxygen deprived state and higher pH numbers indicating a more alkaline and oxygen rich state. The Ideal body pH level is slightly alkaline at 7.4, with healthy blood levels ranging between 7.35 and 7.45. Your body works hard to maintain its acid-alkaline balance, and pH values outside of this range indicate unhealthy and disease-prone conditions. Cells will stop functioning altogether and lead to death at a pH levels below 6.8 or higher than 7.8.
Yes! Research shows that keeping your body at a slightly alkaline level is very important to your health since most diseases won’t survive in non-acidic environments. Having an acidic pH level will likely lead to many health problems such as heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, muscle loss, weight gain, diabetes, kidney diseases, acceleration of free radical damage, tumors, and chronic fatigue. Not only that, when your body is in an acidic state, it cannot properly assimilate vitamins, minerals, and food supplements. This means that your body will not be able to properly heal itself, and it will only be able to do so if and when proper pH balance is restored. Until then, any other type of treatment cannot really be considered truly effective, as it would only be treating the symptom.
Of course, much research on the pH levels of our body and effects on our health are still ongoing. Strong proof exists to show that keeping alkaline levels has its benefits, but many symptoms associated with pH imbalances can take years to develop. This can make it somewhat questionable as to the direct link between specific pH levels and certain health problems. But if anything, following a diet aimed to keep your body alkaline will lead to major health improvements simply due to the fact that it requires following a well-balanced diet consisting of more naturals foods, fruits and vegetables, and less fatty, processed food.
In the past, well-balanced diets generally kept our pH levels in check and it wasn’t a major topic of concern. However, the current trends and diet preferences have really changed to the point where many people are avoiding certain food groups altogether, and the effects can be detrimental. For example, the 10:1 ratio of potassium to sodium used to provide a natural buffer against acidic pH levels. In many diets today though, that ratio has decreased to 3:1. This can be attributed to the lower intake of potassium rich foods like fruits and vegetables, along with the rise of processed foods that are extremely high in sodium. The same trend can be seen with a decrease in consumption of foods containing potassium bicarbonate and an increase of added chloride (coming mostly from table salt). In addition to eating fewer fruits and vegetables and more processed foods, diets that contain large amount of animal proteins also have a highly acidic effect on the body.
As a general rule to achieve slightly alkaline pH levels, you should consume about 35 percent of your total calories as fruits and vegetables. For a better sense of your body’s variable pH status, you can use pH test strips to test your saliva or urine. They are available at many health-food stores and can be used over short periods of time to see if your current eating habits are getting your body in the ideal pH range. If your pH level is not as low as 7.35, simply making a few diet improvements can help you achieve better balance. Not only will this help keep your pH level on better track, but you will feel better and notice the difference in your everyday activities
Do your body a favor and help it maintain the proper alkaline value for you. It goes to great lengths to do so, but eating a little better can make it easier. The majority of food that Americans eat are acidic like meat, dairy, fish, eggs, sugar, soda, and alcohol. Replacing some of these choices with those that are plant-based and all-natural, such as Ground-Based Nutrition’s plant-based protein, is a great way to start. Refer to the list below to see how various food choices might affect your body’s acid-alkaline balance .
Very Acid Yielding
bacon, beef, corn syrup, cheese, lunch meats, sugar, white flour
Acid Yielding
chicken, eggs, milk, pasta, pork, tuna, rice, whole-wheat flour, yogurt
Very Alkaline Yielding
almonds, asparagus, celery, collard greens, figs, kiwi, lemon, molasses, melon, onions, pineapple, spinach, strawberries, sweet potatoes
Alkaline Yielding
apples, apricots, bananas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cherries, cucumbers, green beans, green peppers, lettuce, lentils, oranges, peaches, pears, squash
Charles Weller
Author