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Our bodies are full of acidity so in order to establish a balance we must take in a higher level of alkaline in the water we drink and in the food we eat. What are alkaline foods?
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A pH of 1 is the most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is the most alkaline. Everything you eat or drink affects your pH balance.
Have you ever used a pH strip to test your pH level? When I was in grade school (a long time ago) I Remember pH strips? They were handed out in my science class. Since that time, and until just recently, I have not seen or heard much of them.
Until recently I really didn't understand the great significance of something we were being introduced to over 40 years ago. I just remember watching the colors change and not comprehending how it could be such a vital key to good health.
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Susa n Lark, M.D., co-author of The Chemistry of Success:" says "Paying attention to acid-alkaline balance is one of the most crucial ways you can affect your health status. Everything you eat or drink affects pH balance, for good or for ill. Even breathing regulates pH. If you have ever been in an exercise class the first thing they teach you is how to breath while working out. As you Inhale you bring in alkaline oxygen into the system, and when you exhale you remove acidic carbon dioxide.
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The proper function of your body requires
the cells to be slightly alkaline.
Most of us, however, suffer from over acidity. Some the things that promote acid production are:
...along with the typical foods we eat everyday.
Other things such as the fatty, high-protein fast foods we eat, like burgers and fries trigger the stomach to secrete extra amounts of acidic digestive juices, not to mention that large carbonated soda that is extremely acidic.
Realizing that over acidity is associated with many degenerative diseases, from colitis to rheumatoid arthritis, you would think we would stray away from this type of food intake.
The Age Factor
Age is also a contributing factor. "Beginning in our 40s or even earlier, our systems begins to decline." According to Dr Lark, a very small percent of the population produce naturally high alkaline levels well into old age; these people have excellent digestive function and lung capacity, and are more likely to be energized and healthy as the years go by.
"What we eat can have a huge impact on pH," says Dr. Lark. Limit your intake of animal products, refined flours, and sugars, and put more alkaline vegetables on the menu.
Balanced or Unbalanced?
You can run informal tests at home by using pHydrion litmus paper, which turns color when it comes in contact with saliva. Be sure to take the test immediately upon awakening.
Tear off an inch of the paper and place it on your tongue for about 10 seconds, then check the results against the enclosed color chart. According to various nutritionists, a reading between 6.6 and 7.0 indicates acid-alkaline balance while a reading below 6.6 indicates over-acidity.
There is also plastic pH strips, that can be easier to read because the chemical reagent is affixed to the strips and tends not to bleed.
Be sure to keep in mind that readings can be affected by various factors such as foods or liquids you've consumed in addition to stress or anxiety. Because of these influences, test yourself several times on different days to get a good reading.
Identifying Over Acidity
Dr. Susan Lark, M.D., relies on personal health histories to identify over-acidity. The following yes/no questionnaire is condensed from Lark's book, The Chemistry of Success.
- After consuming fried foods, red meat, fast food, colas, or desserts, I don't feel my best.
- I eat refined foods like white flour and sugar regularly.
- I regularly take aspirin, antibiotics, or unbuffered vitamin C.
- Vigorous exercise often leaves me feeling exhausted.
- After an hour of work at my desk, I'm mentally and physically tired.
- My muscles often feel stiff and sore.
- I have a history of osteoporosis, arthritis, or gout.
- I've already had my 50th birthday.
- I frequently catch a cold or the flu.
- I am especially susceptible to sore throats, canker sores, or food allergies.
Five or more questions in the yes column indicate you are likely to be overly acid. Even one yes could be an indicator, e.g., if you frequently catch a cold or the flu.
How to Alkalize
First you need to minimize acid-promoting foods by revamping menus and tweaking dishes.
- For breakfast, instead of orange juice, coffee, and a bagel for breakfast, have a slice of melon, herbal tea or a grain-based coffee substitute, and whole-grain toast.
- At lunch, opt for bean or vegetable soup rather than tomato soup.
- Add crunch and color to your salads with celery and sweet red peppers rather than tart cucumber and tomatoes. And instead of an acidic vinaigrette, prepare a dressing using tahini : In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste), 1/4 cup water, beating together with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
- Choose fish--it's more alkalizing than red meat.
- Iced ginger tea has the pleasing bite of a cola drink without the high acidity.
- For a calcium fix, choose a small wedge of cheese (typically 5.0 to 6.1 pH) over yogurt (3.8 to 4.2). Yogurt with sugar-sweetened fruit may be even more acidic; once sugar is metabolized, it ends up as acid in your system.
- To make a less acidic fruit salad, use guava, papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, pear, banana, figs, and dates.
- Raise a glass filled with a favorite beer instead of a tart wine to make a toast.
- Avoid acidity triggers. Food sensitivities can bring about symptoms of over-acidity. Some common culprits include wheat, dairy, nuts, and seafood.
With a balance of acidity and alkalinity, your body allows essential chemical reactions to take place in cells and tissues.
Functions of Ionized Alkaline/Acidic Water
To maintain balances between 7.1 pH and 7.4 is very crucial for good health. These levels are maintained via various proteins, minerals, and kidney and lung functions.
There are many other healthy uses for
Alkaline and Acidic Ionized water.
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©pH Perfect Health, LLC 2007
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