The importance of Acid-Alkaline balance!
Why is this important? The acid-alkaline balance of the body is crucial to our overall health. Our bodies are constantly working hard to maintain an ideal pH level to balance our systems.
With our modern lifestyle being so busy and stressful, we are likely to eat too much fast food, not drink enough quality water, struggle to get the 8 hours’ sleep that we all need every night & not eat enough healthy fresh vegetables & quality organic animal products like we used to on a daily basis. Overeating and living a typical acidic lifestyle where we are consuming unhealthy food such as white bread, sugar, table salt, take-away, soft drinks, alcohol, tea and coffee is the main reason that we become over-acidic.
pH simply means the ‘potential of hydrogen’. It is the acid to alkaline ratio in gram equivalents per litre and is therefore a measure of your acid-alkaline balance.
In a natural, healthy state, our bodies are slightly alkaline. This alkaline state is necessary for survival, and the body has developed complex mechanisms to ensure that this balance is maintained. Children are naturally alkaline, and are often able to cope well with eating an imbalanced diet. As we progress into our mature years, stressful lifestyles and poor eating habits mean that we become acidic and our bodies struggle to buffer our acidic lifestyles, leading to chronic acidity.
Excess acidity, caused by unhealthy lifestyle & incorrect eating is neutralised by alkaline minerals. If there is a deficiency in these minerals, the acids must be eliminated by the kidneys which can caused kidney damage in the long term. keep in mind that cells produce acids as part of their function & lactic acid is produced during exercise. These acids are normally taken care of without any problem unless one is on a highly acid-forming diet, then even the natural acids produced by the body can accumulate.
The nucleus of a cell is acidic. The fluid surrounding the nucleus is alkaline. These two opposite poles create an electrical potential at the cellular level. When the blood & fluid around the cells becomes acidic the nucleus can also & the energy of the cell is reduced. Not surprisingly our energy is reduced leading to that tired-all-the-time feeling. Our health depends on the health of our cells.
An imbalanced body pH can be at the root of many common symptoms such as constipation, poor digestion, aches and pains, heartburn, headaches, frequent colds, fatigue, and sleeplessness, to mention just a few.
Benefits of balanced pH
A balanced pH can benefit you in the following ways:
• Promotes healthy body weight
• May aid in prevention and treatment of diabetes
• Promotes proper electrolyte activity and efficient heart function
• May reduce risk of hypertension
• Protects against premature ageing
• Promotes energy, physical vitality and stamina
• Promotes bone health, digestive health and healthy immunity
• Promotes enhanced mental clarity and acuity
• Promotes faster recovery from illness, injury and exertion
• May reduce the risk of gout
• May also reduce the risk of cancer
How to balance your pH & control your weight
* Drink quality clean filtered water & lots of it, clean water has around a neutral pH: tap water is generally slightly acidic due to the chemical content.
* Limit stimulants like coffee, tea, soda & energy drinks. These are all very acidic it can take up to 332 cups of water to neutralise the acid-forming effect of one cup of coffee.
* Avoid preservatives, additives & food colourings can often be stored in the body, if you hydrate well elimination is possible or your body will do whatever it can to buffer the acids & chemicals with alkaline minerals like calcium. Guess what? In this situation it would be leached out of your bones, too much of this can lead to osteoporosis.
* Avoid artificial sweeteners, they are TOXIC! Even those derived from proteins & sugar are treated by the body as toxic. If something is derived it means highly processed & highly processed food is acid-forming! Also many reputable studies have shown that these substances can cause nervous system damage & neurological problems.
* Have vegetables (ORGANIC) ready to eat… LOTS OF THEM.
* Food Combining. Even eating high quality food can still push you acidic if the ratios of protein, carbohydrate & fats is out for your own particular needs for each meal.(everyone is a little different) I use a strategy called Metabolic typing with my clients gain at least a starting point for these ratios with an in-depth questionnaire. From there we play with the ratios a little until good energy & satisfaction is felt after each meal.
Acid-Alkaline habits
We have all heard that worry makes you sick. It does! In their book Tired of Being Tired. Jesse Lynn Hanley & Nancy Deville list alkaline & acid forming habits;
Acid-forming habits
* Anger & rage
* Complaining
* Envy & obsessive jealousy
* Fear & Anxiety
* Hateful emotions
* Shallow breathing
* Worry & obsessing
* Lack of sleep
* Lack of exercise
* Overworking
* Pessimism
Alkaline-forming habits
* Optimism
* Sleep, naps, rest, fun & play.
* Anything relaxing that slows the mind down
* Fresh air
* Loving & being loved
* Contentment & happiness
* Exercise
* Laughter
* Joyful emotions & expressions of joy
* Breathing slowly & deeply
Acid-Alkaline Balanced eating
There are different opinions from the experts as to the acid-forming / alkaline-forming classifications of many foods. There is no getting past the fact that on all charts that most fresh fruit & vegetables are alkaline forming.
Your diet & lifestyle should be 75-80% alkaline-forming, with the balance coming from the acid-forming food groups. Do not exclude the acid forming foods altogether because many of the natural healthy ones are necessary for your overall health. Stick to the 80-20 balance & your body & mind will love you for it.
Cooking changes most vegetables to a more acid-forming state, so be sure to balance raw & cooked vegetables in your diet. A large raw salad with most meals does the trick!
“Healthy food choices can & will make you feel great” food we eat is like fuel you put in a car. It gives our bodies the energy that it needs to function well. If you don’t make sure that the fuel you pump into your body is of the right quality & quantity you just won’t feel as healthy as you could. We all have up to 100 trillion cells in our bodies & each one demanding a constant supply of daily nutrients in order to function optimally. Food affects all those cells 7 by extension every aspect of our being: mood, energy levels, food cravings, thinking capacity, sex drive, sleeping habits & general health. In short, healthy eating is one of the main players to wellbeing.
You can have a Dr check your pH levels by saliva or urine sample but because it fluctuates so often throughout the day i often test myself with a home kit after certain training sessions or meals to give myself an idea on how i can better balance my own pH out. You can get the home kits for under $20 @ www.easyph.com.au
I ALSO HAVE A “FREE GUIDE TO FAT LOSS” THAT CAN BE DOWNLOADED ON THE HOME PAGE
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