Understanding your body’s PH
For those of us who have forgotten our high school chemistry, pH means “potential hydrogen”. The addition of hydrogen makes a substance more acidic, while a reduction make it more alkaline (also called base).
The pH scale (0-14) measures acidity and alkalinity. A pH of 7 is considered alkaline and a pH lower than 7 is considered acidic. The higher the number, the more alkaline the solution; the lower the number, the more acidic the solution.
Your body also has a pH balance. In fact, the maintenance between acid and alkaline is essential to life. The body does everything it can to keep the pH of the blood constant, somewhere between 7.35-7.45.
There is much confusion about how acid or alkaline the body should be and which foods are the most appropriate to eat. One book says a food is acid; another says it is alkaline. A pH number of 7.0 is considered to be neutral. Below 7.0, it is considered acidic. Above 7.0, it is considered to be alkaline.
In understanding the acid/alkalinity of food, it must be remembered that we are referring to the end product of digestion of that food and whether it creates an acid or alkaline ash.
Fruits and vegetables usually produce an alkaline ash. Some whole grains produce a neutral ash. Eating more of these foods helps to keeps the body in the correct pH balance for proper body functioning.
It is interesting to note that raw tomatoes are alkaline but cooked tomatoes become acidic. Similarly, fresh juice is alkaline but frozen or processed juice is acidic.
Most protein foods (such as eggs, meat and seafood) produce acid ash, as do breads, cakes, cereals, and peanuts. The trick is to eat a well-balanced diet, not too much of any one type of food.
Ideally people should proportion their diet to consume 80 percent of foods by volume from the alkalizing foods, and 20 per cent by volume form the acidifying foods. The modern diet has reversed these proportions – which are why degenerative diseases like cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune dysfunction, and irritable, inflamed bowels are so rampant today. The body needs more alkaline foods. It is as simple as that. If you would like to get a copy of the diet pictured above, please visit my website by clicking here. This chart is available for purchase as a fridge magnet!
The human body has tremendous healing power if properly nourished. Our bodies are alkaline by design and produce acid that gives us energy and function. Maintaining alkalinity is essential for life and health and vitality and is critical to cellular health.
Next week I will cover the vibration of thoughts and feelings and how they fit into our holistic model.
Stay tuned.
Charlene Day
