Balancing your pH
Do you remember the old Alka-Seltzer commercial, “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz, Oh What a Relief It Is?” If you had acid reflux Alka-Seltzer was the over-the-counter medication of choice to relieve your discomfort. What magical ingredient was in Alka-Seltzer to relieve your stomach discomfort? Sodium bicarbonate! Sodium bicarbonate is extremely alkaline, hence the name Alka-Seltzer.
Every food and beverage has an acid or alkaline characteristic and is measured on a pH scale of zero to fourteen, with zero being the most acidic and fourteen the most alkaline. For example, the pH of stomach acid is 1, diet soda is 2.5, coffee is 3, water is 7 (neutral), broccoli is 8, mineral water 8.5 and baking soda is 12 (similar to Alka-Seltzer). You can monitor your pH on a regular basis by the use of litmus strips. These may be purchased at most health food stores.
One thing I find fascinating about the human body is its ability to fix itself through endless checks and balances. This is especially evident with blood pH. If the pH of the blood starts to become unbalanced in either direction by the smallest of margins the body quickly brings it back into balance through a number of buffering systems. These buffering systems include the lungs, blood, kidneys, and minerals. As the blood becomes too acidic, mechanisms kick in to bring blood pH back to balance.
But when your body has to work overtime to maintain a balanced pH, this is when the trouble begins! Health problems related to an acid-forming diet and high levels of stress include, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, osteoporosis, inflammation, thyroid dysfunction and weight gain. This is primarily due to the overconsumption of acid-forming foods and beverages and unhealthy stress. We consume too much coffee, caffeine, soda pop, beer, alcohol, processed foods, fried foods, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, artificial sweeteners and animal proteins, just to name a few. On top of our unhealthy food and beverage choices, we live in a world that keeps speeding up, which may lead to high levels of unhealthy stress.
Okay, enough of the doom and gloom! So how do I balance my body’s pH?
Consume foods that have high alkaline levels: Most fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, flaxseeds, almonds, organic extra virgin coconut oil, cod liver oil, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sweet potato, lemon, lime, garlic, cinnamon and sea salt are all alkaline forming foods, condiments and spices.
Consume beverages that have high alkaline levels: Coffee is usually acidic. However, consuming a higher-quality coffee, such as an organic coffee, or moving to a healthier beverage choice, such as green tea, can improve the pH. Drinking 12-24 ounces of mineral water each day with a shot of juice or adding a lemon or lime to your water are easy ways to help balance your pH. Non-dairy milk choices such as almond milk are alkaline options versus the more acidic cow’s milk.
Rest and Recovery: Take time for yourself. Get more sleep. Take regular vacations. Try to get a little down time each day. Change your breathing patterns. Taking deep, slow breaths for a count of ten, spread out a few times over your day, can help to reduce stress. These will all improve your health and the pH balance in your body.
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