Understanding your Body’s pH
Understanding your blood’s acid/alkaline balance or pH (potential for hydrogen) is crucial to health since it can protect us from inside out as disease cannot take root in our body with a balanced pH. An imbalance allows unhealthy organisms to flourish, damages tissues and organs and compromises the immune system. Your pH level influences every biochemical process in your body including weight loss and body fat! It could also explain why you may lack energy, stamina and just don’t feel good.
What is pH?
pH is the measurement of the oxygen to hydrogen ratio in a liquid, ranging from 14 (a lot of oxygen – or Alkaline) to 1 (a lot of hydrogen – or Acidic). Having a pH of 7 is neutral. The healthiest pH is one that is slightly alkaline, so we want a pH of 7.365, but this number fluctuates throughout the day. If blood pH moves below 6.8 or above 7.8, cells stop functioning and the body dies. The body therefore continually strives to balance pH. When this balance is compromised many problems can occur.
If you think of your cells as mini-vans, carrying 10 passengers, as long as seven of them are oxygen, and only three are hydrogen, all will be healthy and happy. That is until the day you decide you want a coke, some fried or processed foods instead of vegetables and continue eating this way. Soon, all of the hydrogen ion passengers push the oxygen molecules out of the van and your pH level starts to drop. Now, your body becomes desperate to pick up oxygen but there is only hydrogen offered, sliding the pH scale down further acidic. Then these hydrogen passengers begin to invite their friends to the party. Those friends are cancer, insomnia, bacteria infections, food allergies and the list goes on.
Health Problems Caused by Acidosis
Research shows that unless the body’s pH level is slightly alkaline, your body cannot heal itself. So no matter what you do for your health, it won’t be effective until the pH level is balanced. For example, you cannot effectively assimilate vitamins, minerals and food supplements without a balanced pH.
Acidosis will decrease:
- – Decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients.
- – Decrease the energy production in the cells
- – Decrease the ability to repair damaged cells
- – Decrease the ability to detoxify heavy metals
- – Decrease your ability to lose weight and fat
It will increase the ability for tumor cells to thrive, and make your body more susceptible to fatigue, illness and pre-mature aging.
What Causes Acidosis?
An acidic pH can occur from an acid-forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur.
Acidosis can cause such problems as:
- Cardiovascular damage
- Weight gain, obesity, and diabetes
- Bladder conditions
- Kidney stones
- Immune deficiency
- Acceleration of free radical damage
- Hormonal problems
- Premature aging
- Osteoporosis and joint pain
- Aching muscles and lactic acid buildup
- Low energy and chronic fatigue
- Cancer Slow digestion and elimination
- Yeast/fungal overgrowth
- Lower body temperature
- Tendency to get infections
- Loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm
- Depressive tendencies
- Easily stressed
- Pale complexion
- Headaches
- Inflammation of the corneas and eyelids
- Allergies, Asthma, Congestion
- Arthritis
- Inflammation
- Premature aging Loose and painful teeth
- Inflamed, sensitive gums
- Mouth and stomach ulcers
- Cracks at the corners of the lips
- Excess stomach acid
- Gastritis
- Nails are thin and split easily
- Hair looks dull, has split ends, and falls out
- Dry skin
- Skin easily irritated
- Leg cramps and spasms
- Fibromyalgia
- Frequent colds and illness
- Hormonal Problems
As acidity (acidosis) becomes worse it forces the body to take minerals from the bones, cells, organs, and tissues, this also stops your cells from disposing of waste and limits vitamin absorption. Toxins and pathogens accumulated from this compromise the immune system. It also takes a toll on the bones, teeth, muscles, joints, connective tissues, organs, and systems. Extra stress then taxes the lungs, liver, and kidneys trying to lower the acidity, aggravating various health issues
– Weakening of Bones
Acidity causes calcium to leave the bone to buffer the acidity reducing bone strength and increases the risk of fractures, osteopenia, and osteoporosis. The body’s mineral reserves such as calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium can run dangerously low and cause damage undetected for years until it reaches unhealthy levels, causing acidosis.
What Specifically Causes Acidity:
• Alcohol & Drug Use
• Overuse of Antibiotics
• Breathing Shallow
• Excess animal meats in the diet (from non-grass fed sources)
• Artificial sweeteners
• Food Coloring & Preservatives
• Processed & Refined Foods
• Not Enough Fiber
• Chronic Stress
• Lack of Exercise or Over-Exercise
• Hormones from foods, health & beauty products, and plastics
• Toxic Household Cleansers/Building Materials
• Pesticides, Herbicides & Pollution
• Not enough fiber in the diet
• Poor chewing and eating habits
• Radiation from computers, cell phones, and microwaves
• Pollution
Heart Burn / Acid Reflux
If you ever experienced heartburn or acid reflux, then your body is telling you that you need to boost your alkaline intake! Unfortunately, Big Pharma places a Band-Aid over the problem by recommending Rolaids, Tums and Pepcid AC, which isn’t CURING anything!!!
In addiction to the steps below, see my blog here on natural ways to reduce Heart Burn
How to Decrease Acid & Increase Alkalinity
It is helpful to know how acidic you are, and you can measure your urine and salivary pH at various times during the day to see how much acid you are exposed to.
To reduce acidity in the body, follow these 7 simple and easy steps. You may need to take alkalinizing minerals, herbs, or nutrients to further reduce acidity.
- Increase consumption of spinach, potatoes, raisins, cauliflower, radishes, celery, eggplants, miso soup, dark leafy greens and berries. Fruits and vegetables are alkalizing and neutralize acidity in the body.
- Be sure to exhale fully to expel carbon dioxide from the lungs. If you are always shallow breathing, then carbon dioxide is retained in the lungs and converted to an acid. Use your diaphragm and abdominal muscles to fully inhale and exhale. The more you can count to 4 as you inhale, hold for 4, and exhale fully for 4, the better you will be.
- Take Epsom salt baths to help to pull acids out of the body and introduce alkalizing minerals into it.
- Apply a Magnesium oil to your skin
- Eat less meat, cheese, processed foods, processed grains and carbohydrates. If you do happen to eat foods that are more acidic, be sure to get in some dark leafy greens or other alkalizing foods to counteract it.
- Develop a regular practice of meditation or Chi Gong to help you relax releasing Acid in the body.
- Start using Himalayan Pink salt and taking Sole
Understanding How an Alkaline Diet Works
Alkaline diets are a popular choice to achieve optimum health with a simple concept – regain the balance that was lost when man started to eat a more domesticated diet. Instead of focusing on foods that are high in sugar, simple carbohydrates (like white bread and chips) and fatty meat and dairy… an alkaline diet primarily moves the balance toward fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, wholesome protein sources such as beans and legumes, and healthy oils such as olive and flax seed.
* Note: While there may be discrepancies from chart to chart, please use these charts as basic guidelines.
These foods may be either alkaline or acid in their natural state, but after the process of digestion they all produce what is termed as an “alkaline ash” once digested and metabolized by the body.
The primary goal is usually to eat approximately 75-80% alkaline foods along with only about 20-25% acidifying foods, maintaining slightly alkaline pH in the body and optimum health. While health maintenance only requires 60% alkaline forming foods and at most 40% acid forming foods, in order to restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.
Coffee should be avoided, but you can drink hot herbal or green tea. Replace pasta with healthy whole grains such as wild rice, millet and quinoa. If at all, when sweetening your foods, focus on natural products such as raw sugar, Stevia and maple sugar.
Free range eggs, fish, beans, unsaturated oils – these are healthy foods, low glycemic and nutritious, and even if marginally acid-forming (or alkaline or between the two depending on how you measure or what chart you read). They are NOT the culprits in an acid-forming diet. The real culprits are highly sweetened foods, pastries, red meat, colas and highly processed foods – these are the ones to reduce to a sensible amount or cut out of your diet if they also contain stimulants and undesirable chemical additives.
Acid is also produced in your body whenever you have stress or upset emotions, so a practice of meditation, Chi gong, or another form of relaxation is recommended.
Gaining Fat:
When your body is over-acidic it stores excess acid in your fat cells (which is why so many people have such trouble losing weight). See my video here on stress and weight. Over time, your body will leach calcium and alkaline stores from your bones in a desperate attempt to retain the pH balance in your body (which is why some people “shrink” as they get older).
The Detailed List of Alkaline Foods
First and foremost drink pure water and exercise.
- High Alkaline foods at a glance – Asparagus, Onions, Vegetable Juices, Parsley, Raw Spinach, Broccoli, Garlic, Barley Grass, Lemons, Watermelon, Limes, Grapefruit, Mangoes, Papayas, Olive Oil.
- Other Alkaline foods at a glance- Okra, Squash, Green Beans, Beets, Celery, Lettuce, Zucchini, Sweet Potato, Carob, Dates, Figs, Melons, Grapes, Papaya, Kiwi, Berries, Apples, Pears, Raisins, Almonds, Flax Seed Oil, Green Tea, Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup
– Alkalizing Vegetables
• Alfalfa
• Barley Grass
• Beet Greens
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard Greens
• Chlorella
• Collard Greens
• Cucumber
• Dandelions/Dandelion Root
• Daikon
• Dulce
• Edible Flowers
• Eggplant
• Fermented Veggies
• Garlic
• Green Beans
• Green Peas
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Kombu
• Lettuce
• Maitake
• Mushrooms
• Mustard Greens
• Nightshade Veggies
• Nori
• Onions
• Parsnips (high glycemic)
• Peas
• Peppers
• Pumpkin
• Radishes
• Reishi
• Rutabaga
• Sea Veggies
• Shitake
• Spinach, green
• Spirulina
• Sprouts
• Squash
• Sweet Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Umeboshi
• Wakame
• Watercress
• Wheat Grass
• Wild Greens
– Alkalizing Fruits
• Apple
• Apricot
• Avocado
• Banana (high glycemic)
• Blackberries
• Cantaloupe
• Cherries, sour
• Coconut, fresh
• Currants
• Dates, dried
• Figs, dried
• Grapes
• Grapefruit
• Honeydew Melon
• Lemon
• Lime
• Muskmelons
• Nectarine
• Orange
• Peach
• Pear
• Pineapple
• Raisins
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Strawberries
• Tangerine
• Tropical Fruits
• Umeboshi Plums
• Watermelon
– Alkalizing Protein
• Almonds
• Chestnuts
• Millet
• Tempeh (fermented)
• Non-GMO Tofu (fermented)
• Whey Protein Powder
– Alkalizing Sweeteners
• Molasses
• Stevia
– Alkalizing Spices & Seasonings
• Baking Soda
• Chili Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Curry
• Ginger
• Herbs (all)
• Mint/Spearmint
• Miso
• Mustard
• Paprika
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Sea Salt
• Tamari
– Alkalizing Oils
• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Oil & Coconut Butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Flax Seed Oil
• Hemp Seed Oil
– Other Alkalizing Items
• Alkaline Antioxidant Water
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Bee Pollen
• Fresh Fruit Juice
• Green Juices
• Lecithin Granules
• Mineral Water
• Molasses, (Blackstrap)
• Probiotic Cultures
• Soured Dairy Products
• Veggie Juices
– Alkalizing Minerals
• Calcium: pH 12
• Cesium: pH 14
• Magnesium: pH 9
• Potassium: pH 14
• Sodium: pH 14
Remember that pesticides diminish the alkalizing potential of all foods. To get the most nutrition and alkalizing potential from potatoes, buy organic and consume the skin, rather than peeling them off. An organic baked potato seasoned with parsley, sea salt and chives is far more alkaline-forming in the body than a conventional baked potato topped with butter, sour cream or cheese.
Sea salt, vegetables and parsley are highly alkaline in the body, as are most herbs and spices. Olive oil is another alkalizing food you can use in place of butter for added flavor and richness. Butter, sour cream and cheese, however, are acid-forming foods and you will find them listed below.
The Detailed List of Acidifying Foods
In small amounts, acidic foods like sugar, food additives, meat, rancid oils, trans fats, and fried food can be handled by your body’s detoxification systems like the kidneys as well as its mineral reserves. But, over time, acidity can have many damaging effects on the body. Watch eating these certain foods that cause your body’s delicate balance to get thrown out of whack.
– Acidifying Vegetables
• Corn
• Lentils
• Olives
– Acidifying Fruits
• Blueberries
• Canned or Glazed Fruits
• Cranberries
• Currants
• Plums
• Prunes
• Tomato
– Acidifying Grains & Grain Products
• Amaranth
• Barley
• Bran: Oat & Wheat
• Bread
• Corn
• Cornstarch
• Crackers
• Flour: Wheat & White
• Hemp Seed Flour
• Kamut
• Macaroni, Noodles, Pasta
• Oatmeal
• Oats (rolled)
• Quinoa
• Rice (all)
• Rice Cakes
• Rye
• Spelt
• Wheat & Wheat Germ
– Acidifying Beans & Legumes
• Black Beans
• Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans
• Kidney Beans
• Lentils/Legumes
• Pinto Beans
• Red Beans
• Rice Milk
• Soy Beans
• Soy Milk
• White Beans
– Acidifying Dairy
• Butter
• Cheese
• Cheese, Processed
• Ice Cream, Ice Milk
• Kefir
• Milk
• Sour Cream
• Yogurt
– Acidifying Nuts & Butters
• Cashews
• Peanut Butter
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Tahini
• Walnuts
– Acidifying Animal Protein
• Bacon
• Beef
• Carp
• Clams
• Cod
• Corned Beef
• Fish
• Haddock
• Lamb
• Lobster
• Mussels
• Organ Meats
• Oyster
• Pike
• Pork
• Rabbit
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Sausage
• Scallops
• Shellfish
• Shrimp
• Tuna
• Turkey
• Veal
• Venison
– Acidifying Fats & Oils
• Butter
• Canola Oil
• Corn Oil
• Lard
• Safflower Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Sunflower Oil
– Acidifying Sweeteners
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Carob
• Corn Syrup
• Honey
• Sugar
– Acidifying Alcohol & Drinks
• Beer
• Hard Liquor
• Spirits
• Wine
• Almond Milk
• Coffee
• Soft Drinks
– Acidifying Condiments
• Ketchup
• Cocoa
• Pepper
• White or Rice Vinegar
– Acidifying Drugs & Chemicals
• Aspirin
• Chemicals
• Drugs, Medicinal
• Drugs, Psychedelic
• Herbicides
• Pesticides
• Tobacco
Disclaimer
By utilizing the information presented on this site, you agree to and understand that author, Bill Farr is not a doctor or any other type of certified health care professional, and his opinion is not a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your doctor or your other health care providers concerning your symptoms and medical requirements before following any of the remedies or other suggestions he offers. His opinion is based on his own research and is to be used for educational purposes only. Bill Farr’s wellness plans and advice are meant to be used in conjunction with standard allopathic or osteopathic medical treatment and care.
