Acidity or Alkalinity?
Most of us never consider the acid/alkaline balance of our blood, but a proper pH is a crucial aspect of overall health. Many doctors stress the importance of reducing acidity and increasing alkalinity with an alkaline diet because a balanced pH helps protect us from the inside out. Disease and disorder, they say, cannot take root in a body whose pH is in balance.
What is the meaning of “pH balance”?
Do you know if your pH levels are off? Well, pH balance refers to a proper balance in the body between acidity and alkalinity. Your body does a great job of keeping its pH balanced in most cases, but by eating an alkaline diet may help prevent unhealthy microbes and organisms from flourishing, tissues and organs from becoming damaged, minerals from being depleted, and your immune system from being compromised. Why? You’ll have to read on to find out!
It is generally accepted that humans today have a diet poor in magnesium and potassium as well as fiber, and rich in saturated fat, simple sugars, sodium, and chloride as compared to the pre-agricultural period. This results in a diet that may induce metabolic acidosis which is mismatched to our genetically determined nutritional requirements.
The most effective way to support a balanced pH is to eat a lot of nutrient-dense, alkalizing plant foods and to limit your intake of processed foods. Because so many different factors — gut health, stress, sleep, medications and medical history — also affect how hard your body has to work to maintain its appropriate pH level, other lifestyle habits can also be helpful for restoring balance.
What Is pH Balance? And Why Is It Key for Good Health?
What we call “pH” is short for the “potential of hydrogen,” or the measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution. pH is also a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of our body’s fluids and tissues. It is measured on a pH scale that ranges from 0 to 14. The more acidic a solution is, the lower its pH value. The more alkaline it is, the higher the pH number is. The acidity or alkalinity of different solutions, including human blood but also many others found outside the body (such as the ocean), are indicated on the pH scale.
What should the body’s pH level be ideally? A pH of 7 is considered neutral and “neutral” means it is equally acidic as alkaline.
Blood (serum) pH, as well as the pH in the majority of bodily tissues, should stay around 7.365,
while the stomach is at a pH of around 2 in order to break down foods properly.
Saliva and urine are typically on the acidic side, between 6.4-6.8 in a healthy individual.
What causes pH imbalance?
The Merck Manual’s definition of acidosis is “An overproduction of acid in the blood or an excessive loss of bicarbonate from the blood (metabolic acidosis) or a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood that results from poor lung function or depressed breathing (respiratory acidosis).”
What can cause your pH level to shift towards a more acidic state, thereby causing imbalance?
In truth, your body almost always does an excellent job at keeping your pH levels balanced. Unfortunately, you hold the key in determining how hard your body must work to achieve this.
An increase in acid overwhelms the body’s acid-base control systems, causing the blood to tend toward acidity.
Normally, the kidneys maintain the proper balance of pH and electrolyte levels, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. But when we are exposed to acidic substances, these electrolytes are used to combat acidity.
The kidneys start to excrete more minerals out of the body via the urine. High degrees of acidity from diet or medical conditions force our bodies to rob minerals from our bones, cells, organs, and tissues. Cells end up lacking enough minerals to properly dispose of waste or oxygenate the body completely. Vitamin absorption is then compromised by the mineral loss. Toxins and pathogens can start to accumulate in the body, and this can suppress the immune system.
Basically, you force your body to work in overtime to keep your blood at a neutral pH while destroying the nutrient levels your body innately needs to accomplish the task.
Types of Acidosis
There are three basic types of what doctors refer to as “metabolic acidosis,” meaning that the body has a poor pH balance or is working too hard to maintain proper pH.
How Can You Best Support Proper pH balance?
First and foremost, you can reduce your risk for falling out of pH balance by taking a look at how your overall lifestyle and habits might be affecting your nutrient levels, gut, and immune system.
Below are the primary factors that contribute to acidity (acidosis) in your body:
How do you help your body achieve a neutral pH level?
Below are steps you can take to help aid the best pH balance:
#2. Eat an Alkaline Diet
If there’s such thing as a pH balanced diet, it’s one that includes lots of green plants and other alkalizing foods. It’s also smart to purchase as much organic food as possible since crops that are grown in organic, mineral-dense soil tend to be more alkalizing and have higher vitamin and mineral content. Here are foods that are included in a well-rounded alkaline diet:
Leafy green vegetables — kale, chard, beet greens, dandelion, spinach, wheat grass, alfalfa grass, etc. Other non-starchy veggies — mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, radishes, cucumber, jicama, broccoli, oregano, garlic, ginger, green beans, endive, cabbage, celery, zucchini and asparagus Raw foods — Uncooked fruits and vegetables are said to be biogenic or “life-giving.” Cooking foods can deplete alkalinizing minerals. Increase your intake of raw foods, and try juicing or lightly steaming fruits and vegetables. Superfoods — maca root, spirulina, sea veggies, bone broth and green powder mixes that contain chlorophyll Healthy fats — coconut oil, MCT oil or virgin olive oil (fats found in wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, cage-free eggs, nuts, seeds and organic grass-fed butter are also good additions to your diet, even if they aren’t necessarily alkalizing) Starchy plants — sweet potato, turnips, and beets. Plant proteins — almonds, navy beans, lima beans and most other beans Most fruits — Strangely enough, acidic fruits such as grapefruit and tomatoes don’t create acidity in the body. They do just the opposite and contribute to an alkaline environment. Citrus fruits, dates, and raisins are all very alkalizing and may help prevent acidosis. Green drinks (vegetable juices) — Drinks made from green vegetables and grasses in powder form are loaded with alkaline foods and chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is structurally similar to our own blood and alkalizes the blood. Apple cider vinegar — ACV tastes acidic but actually may help restore pH balance. Depending on your current state of health and your goals, you might have even better success with reversing acidity by adhering to an alkalizing, very low-carb ketogenic diet. The keto diet and its foods are also supportive of pH balance include healthy fats and oils, all types of leafy greens, powdered greens/drink mixes and superfoods.
Most high protein foods are acid forming, so if you’re eating lots of meat and animal foods, it’s important to balance these with alkalizing plant foods.
3. Drink Alkaline Water
When water has a pH level of less than 6.5, it may be considered “acidic, soft, and corrosive.” This means it may potentially leach metal ions such as iron, manganese, copper, lead, and zinc from aquifers, plumbing fixtures, and piping, plus contain certain toxic metals and have a sour taste. The best way to treat the problem of acidic (low pH) water is to use a neutralizer that raises the pH.
Alkaline water is just what it sounds like: water that is highly alkaline, with a pH of between 9 to 11. Adding pH drops or baking soda to your water also boosts alkalinity. Distilled water is neutral, with a pH of 7.
Water filtered using a reverse osmosis filter is slightly acidic, with a pH level slightly lower than 7. Distilled water and filtered water may not be too alkaline, but as far as pH balance is concerned they are still a better option than tap water or purified bottled water that are more acidic.
4. Reduce Exposure to Drugs, Toxins & Chemicals
Many different drugs, chemicals, pollutants, and toxins can disturb pH balance and contribute to acidity — such as alcohol, products containing caffeine, acetazolamide, opioids, sedatives, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and aspirin.
It’s important to address any underlying health conditions that might be causing you to rely on these drugs regularly.
Testing Your pH Level
Here is how to test your own pH level:
You can test your pH by purchasing strips at your local health foods store or pharmacy. You can measure your pH with saliva or urine. Your second urination of the morning will give you the best results. You compare the colors on your test strip to a pH scale chart that comes with your test strip kit. During the day, the best time to test your pH is one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. If you test with your saliva, you want to try to ideally stay between a pH of 6.8 and 7.3 (remember that optimal pH is about 7.365).
Precautions Regarding pH Balance & the Alkaline Diet
As mentioned above, certain foods on the acidic list — like eggs, meat and walnuts — might not be alkalizing, but don’t let that scare you away from eating them. They contain a host of health benefits like antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
A healthy balance is what we are shooting for where dietary pH is concerned. Eating a variety of foods, focusing on quality, and addressing other lifestyle concerns are all important for maintaining homeostasis (balance).
Disclaimer:Please take a doctor's opinion before starting your dose!
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Your Well-wisher,
Dr.Insiya
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