 |
|
Your internal pH balance is very important, but few medical practitioners in Western medicine are even aware of how it plays a major role in causing almost all disease. So let's begin with some very basic information on the subject of pH.
Is A Balanced pH important?
Extremely important! Since most of the body is water-based, the pH level (acid-alkaline level) has profound effects on body chemistry, health and disease. Extended pH imbalances of any kind are not well tolerated by the body. Indeed, the entire metabolic process depends on a pH balance. The management of the pH factor is so important that the body has developed strict accounting procedures to monitor acid-alkaline pH balances in every cell and biosystem. Fundamentally, all regulatory mechanisms (including breathing, circulation, digestion, hormonal production, etc.) serve the purpose of pH balance, removing the normally metabolized developed acids and toxins from body tissues/systems without damage to living cells.
Otherwise, an acid pH will develop. The body needs balance to allow it to maintain health. Our temperature is balanced at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. We can be several degrees out of balance before becoming seriously ill. However, pH balance is far more critical. The slightest imbalance will cause serious illness and disease. The body will do whatever necessary to maintain this balance, and it continually steals acid-neutralizing minerals (such as calcium) in its attempt to maintain a healthy pH balance. Understanding this makes you realize why most elderly people experience osteoporosis after a lifetime of consuming acid-producing nutrients. Only fresh fruits and vegetables are alkaline producing to help your body maintain a healthy pH balance
What's An Acid pH?
An acid pH, or "acidosis," is the term used to describe the imbalanced acidic condition of all our body fluids. Virtually all cellular functions of the body are sensitive to the pH of their fluids. If the pH deviates too far to the acid side, cells become poisoned in their own toxic acidic wastes and die.
Is An Acid pH Really That Dangerous?
Yes, it is! Nothing does well in an acid pH medium. For instance, "acid rain" destroys the natural environment, killing plants and trees, poisoning the life in all lakes and rivers. An acid pH is even more dangerous for your body, continuously corroding all body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of our veins, arteries and capillaries like acid eating into marble. If left unchecked, it will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain... An acid pH interferes with all life itself!
What Causes An Acid pH?
Diet appears to be the major influence in maintaining appropriate pH levels throughout the body. Research demonstrates that when food is metabolized and broken down, it leaves certain chemical and metallic residues, a noncombustible "ash" which, combined with our body fluids, yields either acid or alkaline potentials of pH. Certain foods are "acid-forming" in nature, whereas others are known to be "alkaline-forming."
Which Foods Are Acid-Forming? And Which Ones Are Alkaline-Forming?
Most high protein foods (such as meat, fish, poultry and eggs), nearly all carbohydrates (including grains, breads, pastas) and fats are acid-forming. And most fruits and vegetables are alkaline forming. Although citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, contain organic acids and may have an acid taste, they are not acid forming when metabolized and leave an alkaline residue.
How Do I Know If I Have An Acid pH?
By testing your pH! You can determine quickly and easily, in the privacy of your own home, what your pH is. Test Strips can determine your urinary pH, which is generally a good indicator of how acid or alkaline your total body pH is. When urinary pH is continuously between 7.0 and 7.5 (depending upon the time of day), you're functioning in a healthy range.
Is An Acid pH Common?
Yes, very common, but not at all healthy! The bulk of our western diet is made up of acid-forming foods. Most of us habitually consuming a diet high in protein, high in carbohydrate, high in fat and very little, if not completely inadequate amounts of fruits and vegetables. That means that most of us will experience a continual acid pH. And the older we are, the more "acid" we tend to become.
Can I Get Rid Of An Acid-pH?
YES! Watching your diet can help, especially by increasing the number of fruits and vegetables you eat while decreasing the amounts of acid-forming foods consumed. If you're like me, that means changing your entire diet and your way of life. But there are other easier ways to get back your pH balance. I have changed my eating habits very little. With the help of redily available products I have a perfect pH balance and still enjoy almost all of my favorite foods. I have tried many products and technologies at one time or another and I can tell you from experience that most of them work very well. I am continually experimenting with new discoveries as I find them. I guess I feel like having many choices available is a good thing. (It's like ice cream -- I love the choices of 31 flavors!)
pH Balance with True Essentials
Acidic and Alkaline Foods
People have been asking questions about what foods are acidic and what foods are alkaline. Below are foods listed under their appropriate category: “Try to eat 80% (or more) alkalizing foods and 20% (or less) acidifying foods Note: * "Acid but Alkalizing" foods are weak acid foods that contain weak acids. While their pH is acidic, these foods have an alkalizing effect in your body. This is because the weak acids (ie. citric acid) convert to water and carbon dioxide in your body. The carbon dioxide is expelled through your breath.”
VEGETABLES Very Alkalizing *
avocado, beet greens, broccoli, carrots, celery stalks, chives, corn, cucumber, edible gourds, fennel, garlic, grasses (ie wheatgrass), green beans, green cabbage, leeks, peppers, potato, radish, red beets, red cabbage, rhubarb, salad greens, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, watercress, yellow beans, Zucchini,
Acid but Alkalizing
Sour Pickles, Tomato
Slightly Alkalizing
artichokes, brusselsprouts, cauliflower, lettuce, peas, onion
BEANS & LEGUMES
Alkalizing Slightly
navy beans, soy beans, soy nuts, soy sprouts, white beans
Alkalizing
tofu, dried peas, lentils,kidney beans, mung beans
Slightly Acidifying
chickpeas (garbanzo beans), red beans
FRESH FRUITS
Slightly Alkalizing *
* bananas - the riper they get,the more acidifying they become, coconut, sour cherries, watermelon
Acid but Alkalizing
grapefruit, lemons, limes
Slightly Acidifying
apples, apricots, blueberries, cantaloupe, cranberries, dates,figs, gooseberries, grapes,kiwis, mangos,melons, mulberries, nectarines, oranges,papayas, peaches,pears, pineapples, plums,raspberries, red currant, strawberries sweet cherries, tangerines
DRIED FRUITS Slightly Alkalizing
apricots, bananas, dates, raisins
Slightly Acidifying
apples, figs, mangos, peaches, pears, pineapple, prunes
CEREAL GRAINS & BREADS
Alkalizing
buckwheat
Slightly Acidifying
barley, brown rice, dark bread, granola, millet, oatmeal, oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, whole grain crackers, whole grain pasta, whole-grain bread (without yeast), whole-grain cereals
Acidifying
cakes, commercial cereals, cookies, couscous, crackers - white flour, millet, pasta from white flour, pies, semolina, sweetened granola, wheat, white bread, white rice, yeast bread
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Note: Some refute the fact that dairy products can be alkalizing. This is because they contain lactic acid, which is a weak acid. While it is considered weak, it does contribute to a low oxygen environment and fatigue. The lactic acid in dairy products is produced by bacteria that feed on the sugar (lactose) in it. However, milk contains large amounts of alkaline minerals including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It also contains phosphorous, which is necessary for calcium utilization. When one of these alkaline minerals, like calcium for example, binds with lactic acid, a neutral salt called calcium lactate is produced. Thus, while milk contains lactic acid, it also contains the minerals required to buffer it… and then some. The fresher the product is, the less amount of lactic acid it will contain, and the more alkalizing it will be.
Alkalizing
acidophilus milk, banana smoothie, fresh butter, fresh buttermilk, fresh cheese, fresh whey, raw whole milk
Slightly Alkalizing
brie, drained cheese, fresh yogurt, fruit smoothie, pasteurized milk, provolone, slightly aged whey, Swiss cheese, yogurt drinks without sugars
Acidifying
aged brie, aged buttermilk, aged cheeses, aged whey, aged yogurt, chocolate milk, cooked butter, cream,dextrogyre yogurt,kefir, parmesan cheese, sweetened yogurt with, fruit,ultra pasteurized milk
MEAT AND FISH
Slightly Acidifying
Bass, Floundeer, liver, oysters, pike, salmon, sole, trout, walleye
Acidifying
Chicken, catfish, egg yoke, halibut, mahi mahi, mussels, organ meats, tuna, turkey
Very Acidifying
Beef, carp, cold cuts, crab, herring, lamb, lobster, mackerel, pork, shrimp, veal, whole eggs
MISCELLANEOUS FOODS
Alkalizing
* apple cider vinegar, cold pressed vegetable oils, green herbs, sea salt, Stevia, table salt, * apple cider vinegar is alkalizing because the acetic acid in it is a weak acid, and easily exhausted.
Slightly Acidifying
Brown rice syrup, fructose, heat pressed vegetable oils, honey, maple syrup, pickels, raw cane sugar, vinegar
Acidifying
Brown sugar, canned and processed foods, capers, heated oils, hydrogenated oils, ketchup, lard
BEVERAGES
Alkalizing
Almond milk, fresh lemonade, fresh vegetable juice, fresh whey, green juices, linden tea, soy milk, tomatoe juice, water with pH of 7+
Slightly Acidifying
filtered water, green tea, tap water
Acidifying
Beer, cocoa, carbonated water, coffee, commercial juices, commercial lemonade, hot chocolate, liquor, wine
If pregnant, nursing or using prescription drugs, consult with your physician
Home
Contact
Policies
FAQ
Health Products
Weight Control
Beauty
Fitness
Affiliates
Articles
Become A Dealer
Build A Site
All Products
