"And let food be your medicine and your medicine your food"
Hippocrates
What is pH?
The body is made up mostly of water – so nutrients, oxygen and biochemicals can be easily transported from one place to another. The water environment can have acidic or alkaline properties (alkalis = bases), which are measured on a scale called pH ("potential hydrogen" or "potential hydrogen"). pH is a decimal logarithm and represents the ratio of positively charged hydrogen ions (acidic) and negatively charged ions (alkaline) in a solution. If the scale of this ratio reads from 1.0 to 6.9, the environment is considered acidic. If the scale reads 7.0 - it is neutral, and from 7.1 to 14 it is alkaline.
Alkaline-acid balance
Why should we care about the pH level?
Since 50-60% of the body's total weight is water, pH levels affect the entire organism and are often an indicator of health or disease. An unbalanced pH means that pH levels have become too acidic or too alkaline over a long period of time. Prolonged pH imbalance of one kind or another is not well received by the body. First of all, the strict alkaline-acid balance of the body and its various organs is necessary for the normal functioning of over 4,000 enzymes that catalyze all biochemical processes in tissues and cells, maintain metabolism, renew our body and protect it from infections. In fact, pH regulation is so important that the body has developed strict reporting procedures to keep track of the alkaline-acid balance in every cell.
Can an unbalanced pH lead to serious problems?
Yes, especially as one gets older! Although it may go unnoticed for years, an imbalanced pH (too acidic or alkaline) leads to the development of most, if not all, degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, as well as powerlessness to deal with excess weight. A rise or fall in pH can cause salts in the urine to crystallize and form sand and stones in the kidneys and bladder.
High acidity
Because of the way we eat, most modern people suffer from acidity. The modern diet contains, for the most part, foods that leave acidic residues in the body. And, just like acid rain does to a forest, unbalanced pH levels can slowly but surely eat away at our bodies and lead to a host of health problems. Here are some early signs of excess acids in the body:
- Fatigue in the morning and migraine.
- Difficulty concentrating and memorizing.
- Irritability.
- Excessively oily skin on waking, profuse sweating on slight exertion.
- Bad breath and coated tongue early in the morning.
- Difficult digestion.
- Waking up several times at night.
- Pain in the body, muscles, cramps.
How do I get my acid-alkaline balance back?
Eating a balanced diet can help. If your levels are too acidic, increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume. If your levels are too alkaline, increase acidic foods.
Foods that generate acids and alkalis:
Foods can be classified as acidic and alkaline. Alkalis are soluble salts, and acids are corrosive agents that are difficult to combine with other substances. A balanced diet contains 40% acidic and 60% alkaline foods. Here is a short list of acid-base foods:
Highly alkaline - Beans, ripe bananas, dates, figs, prunes, dried fruit, almonds, avocados, green beans, beets, blackberries, carrots, blueberries, sour grapes, dried peaches, pomegranate, plums, raspberries, spinach.
Alkaline - Alfalfa, apple, fresh apricot, artichoke, broccoli, brussels sprouts and regular sprouts, cantaloupe, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chestnuts, coconut milk, fresh and sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplants, garlic, ginger, gooseberries, grapefruit, fresh and raw horseradish, leeks, lemons and their peels, lettuces, mangoes, watermelons.
Highly acidic - Alcohol, artichoke root, barley, bread, buckwheat, caffeine, coffee, cereal plants, egg cream, medicine, all types of flour, dried ginger, honey, dry lentils, millet, oat foods, peanuts, rice, rye, soy bread, soybean paste, sorghum, cereals, spaghetti and other types of pasta, sugar cane, raw beets, tobacco, nutmeg, wheat, meat, fish, chicken.
Acidic - Asparagus, dried beans, cashews, dried coconut, cranberry juice and concentrate, egg yolk, fruit jellies, (preserved, sulfated, sweetened jam), sweet grapes, pasteurized milk products, dried peas, fried tofu, cooked chestnuts.
Acidic fats - Butter, cream, margarine, lard.
All natural foods contain both acid- and alkali-generating elements. In some, acid-generating ones predominate, and in others, alkaline-generating ones. There is a condition called alkalosis. It can occur when body juices become too alkaline (pH > 7.45). Clinical symptoms for alkalosis include muscle twitching, diarrhea, spasms, insufficient blood supply to the brain, dizziness, euphoria. And sometimes pallor, confusion, reduced mental capacity, incoherent speech, tremors. If this condition worsens, it can lead to seizures, coma or even death.