Alkaline Diet (pH of Foods) ( Page 1 )
More and more people are starting to here about the Alkaline Diet or references to the pH of foods. Many holistic practitioners and well rounded nutritionists have considered a properly balanced diet to be of utmost importance when it comes to optimizing health and preventing diseases.
The theory behind the Alkaline Diet is based on the pH of body. The human body is supposed to be slightly alkaline.
The pH scale is from a range of 0 - 14
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (7.36-healthy-7.44) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
The body's normal pH range should be from 7.36 to 7.44 which is slightly alkaline. A pH of 7 is considered to be neutral pH. The higher you go on the pH scale the more alkaline. The lower you go on the scale the more acidic.
There is certain controversy about whether and "alkaline diet" is necessary or has any effect on the body. Whether there is any validity to these diets or not, it is can be easily understood that if your intake of foods is more alkaline forming, there will be less "stress" by the body to maintain its homeostatic "healthy" pH levels. One should rely more on the nutritional value of foods than its pH forming levels. The pH forming value of the foods may be important, but most foods in the charts do have nutritional value and these should not be avoided solely because of their reactions in the body. Many things on these charts are still nutritious even if they are labels in the acid column. For example, the pH of elements chart shows which elements form which pH level in the body. One would easily agree that these elements are still need for bodily processes.
Symptoms of Acidity
Some Symptoms of a body that is too acidic are listed as: Low energy, chronic fatigue, excess mucous production, nasal congestion, frequent colds, flus, and infections, nervousness, stress, irritability, anxiety, easily agitated, weak nails, dry skin, dry hair, formation of cysts, such as ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, benign breast cysts (fibrocystic breasts), headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, arthritis, hives, leg cramps and spasms, gastritis, and acid indigestion, candida overgrowth, cardiovascular damage, weight gain, bladder conditions, kidney stones, hormonal problems, premature aging, osteoporosis and joint pain, pale complexion, inflammation of the corneas and eyelids, loose and painful teeth, cracks at the corners of the lips, cancers, and the list goes on.
Balancing Your pH
How does one bring the pH of the "body fluids" into an acceptable range ....between 7 and 7.5 ... which will then influence the blood to maintain its optimal 7.4 pH level?
Firstly, you can use the charts listed later in this article for balance the correct ratio of alkaline to acidic foods. To maintain health, the diet should consist of 65-75% alkaline forming foods and 35-25% acid forming foods. To restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods. (see the charts below)
Secondly, drink the CORRECT type of water. Water accounts for up to 75% of the body and greatly impacts the pH of the body. Unfortunately, most of the water that is being consumed is acidic. This includes distilled water, reverse osmosis, bottled water, and deionized water. These types of waters have had many of their minerals or buffers removed. Alkaline water is not readily or easily available. However, by adding minerals to your drinking water, this problem can be remedied. You can open the contents of a couple of coral calcium supplements into a gallon or pitcher of water. You can add coral calcium sachets or add some other source of organic minerals.
Thirdly, another key factor is through the introduction of unrefined sea salt into the diet. It may also be mixed into any of the types of water listed above. Unrefined sea salt is light gray in color and is moist to the touch. The moisture present in unrefined sea salt assures us that it still contains the numerous elements that buffers the sodium chloride part of the salt and make up as much as 16% by weight in valuable trace elements and macro-minerals. The gray color comes from the clay beds that line the bottom of the salt ponds. This is pure, edible clay, an essential food that enhances the bio-energetic quality of the salt crystals and ionizes them as they form.
Sea salt contains not only proper type of sodium chloride, but also 80 plus trace elements and minerals from the ocean plasma that are in perfect symbiosis with each other and the human body matrix. Therefore, unrefined sea salt offers a remarkable mineral balance relative to the internal environment of the human body. All of its elements are naturally dosed in proportions close to those of the internal human environment and form a highly active biological synergy.
Thus, natural sea salt can also help in correcting excess acidity, restoring good digestion, relieving allergies and skin diseases and preventing many forms of cancer. This natural salt provides a steady boost in cellular energy and gives the body a heightened resistance to infections and bacterial diseases.
As stated earlier the human blood pH should be slightly alkaline (7.4 ). Below or above this range means symptoms and disease. 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 body will occur.
An acidic balance will: decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness. A blood pH of 6.9, which is only slightly acidic, can induce coma and death.
Monitoring Your Body pH
This topic will be discussed in more detail in an article of page 2.
Further Discussions
The articles on page 2 will further discuss concerns about many issues. They will give more detail to the physiology and other sciences that will help the reader better understand the Alkaline Diet.
CHARTS
These charts are intended only as a general guide to alkalizing and acidifying foods. Many charts can be found on the internet. There are conflicting entries between certain foods, but for the most part the charts are similar. I have enclosed a few different charts one can use as a reference guide.