We have all heard the phrase: ’You are what you eat’, But what springs to mind when you hear the word acidic? Is it citrus, lemons, refined sugar? What about, disease and infection? It should be.
Feeling run down? Getting tired for no reason? Perhaps just finding it hard to catch your breath? All are indications of being too acidic. Headaches, joint pain, acne, even your seasonal allergies that seem to be acting up worse than ever are also indications. Which becomes problematic when a acidic body means a vulnerability to infections and diseases.
Most adults today, at least in the western world have an all too acidic body, their Ph level is poor and as a result their general health suffers. Infections and disease do far more damage to a body that is too acidic, in-fact much research suggests it is the only environment in which disease can thrive, including cancers.
However, if you are naturally too acidic from a poor diet, this makes the bodies job of neutralising these acids even harder. The human body can and will take from bones or vital tissues (our natural state is alkaline) This can be exceptionally dangerous and bad for your overall health. Indeed, every last organ and gland in our body is directly influenced by your Ph level.
It is all about balancing the body's natural Ph level. What is Ph? Ph is essentially a scale running from 0 to 14, with 0 being absolute acid and 14 absolute alkaline. The healthy human body should have an alkaline of around 7 to 7.4, however studies in the US have shown most adults to have a slightly acidic diet. Everything living or was once living (meat, vegetables) has a Ph level, this is either acidic, or alkaline, the only thing that is truly neutral is spring/purified water. With just a few notable exceptions in nature such as vegetable oil having no Ph.
Ph testing strips are very affordable, you can find a tube of 100 testing strips for the price of a pint of lager. They also include everything you need to also test for a range of other issues like urinary tract infections and glucose levels (helping to determine possible diabetes) and more.
The health benefits of maintaining a slightly alkaline Ph level (as opposed to it being acidic) are impressively high. From helping the digestive system do its job more effectively, to increasing energy levels and making pre-existing pain more bearable. You can also increase your immune system's strength and a better Ph balanced body protects muscle mass and bone density. As mentioned pain in general and inflammation is reduced when switching to a slightly alkaline diet. It also helps your body absorb more vitamins and nutrients, giving you an extra boost.
In terms of human body Ph level, anything below 7 is considered to be acidic, anything 7 or above is neutral/alkaline. It is advisable to keep a slightly alkaline Ph of just above 7 at around 7.4. For people looking for ways to better look after themselves during or after health issues, for people conscious of avoiding health issues to begin with and for those just wondering if changing their diet up may make them feel better in general, we strongly suggest maintaining a slightly alkaline Ph for a few weeks and seeing the benefits for yourselves. (7 - 7.4 seems to be ideal) proper Ph level of the body is critical for good health and avoiding disease.
Even foods that would seem to be acidic such as lemons, limes, citrus fruits are actually alkaline once the body digests them. The foods we tend to associate with being questionable for our health, such as refined sugar, processed meats and cereals and artificial ingredients are the highest acidic forming foods.
Highest Alkaline foods: Green leafy vegetables such as spinach and cabbage
Avocados
Almonds
Green tea
Tomatoes
Most fruits (not blueberries or cranberries)
Highest Acidic foods: Processed sugar
All dairy products (sorry cheese lovers!)
Red meat (fish is better, but still slightly acidic) Processed foods, grains and cereals
Anything “artificial”
One easy and very cheap alternative to completely switching up your diet, is to pick up some bicarbonate of soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) from your local supermarket, the exact same stuff used for baking and DIY cleaning techniques around the house is also very high alkaline level, meaning just a half teaspoon stirred into a glass of water and then drunk immediately, can completely alkalize the body! Another trick is to add slices of fresh lemon to your drinking water, as mentioned earlier lemons are often confused to be acidic, whereas it is true that at the source a lemon has a very low Ph level of 2 or 3, once digested by the body it becomes alkaline.
It would be easy to dismiss alkalization of the body as ‘new age’ or even homeopathy but it is important to understand that this is not just some diet or health trend, rather it is factual knowledge about the human body and how to better treat it. Especially now. When it is getting passed around more than ever.
