Everything You Need to Know About pH and an Acid/Alkaline Diet
Karen Morris
The pH level of the body stands for the ‘potential of hydrogen’ or the ‘power of hydrogen’ and is a critical piece of information when it comes to understanding our bodies and how healthy we really are. We test our pH levels to determine if our bodies are acidic or alkaline by comparing results of a pH test on a scale ranging from 1 to 14, with the number 7 being considered neutral. A healthy body sits slightly alkaline at around 7. As a naturopath, testing the pH levels of my clients is extremely important, as the acidity levels of our bodies greatly influence our overall health. This is because a body that is highly acidic is more susceptible to diseases and inflammation. Our pH levels are so important that most health experts agree the balance of our pH level is critical to our health.
If you are unsure what your pH levels are, you can easily test them yourself with a piece of litmus paper, first thing in the morning before having anything to eat or drink. I regularly recommend this to my patients so we can determine an action plan to reduce chances of the body developing disease and to heal and repair, ultimately returning the body to a balanced, healthy state.
Excess acid causes disease from the build up of toxins which are usually taken care of by alkaline minerals, however, due to our busy modern world with so much fast food, sugar and alcohol at our fingertips, it is easy to create a deficiency in these minerals. When this happens, it is up to our kidneys to take care of the elimination of acids, which can lead to kidney damage over a long period of time.
A balanced, healthy pH level will help you
– Stay at your body’s ‘happy’ weight and help aid against weight gain
– Promote energy and vitality in your body
– Improve bone health
– Improve gut health and digestion
– Has been shown to help prevent and manage diabetes
– Reduce the risk of gout
– Reduce the risk of cancer
So how can you balance your pH level?
– Water! Drink plenty of water, filtered if possible.
– Limit coffee and black tea as these form acid in the body
– Avoid sugar
– Avoid preservatives
– Avoid additives and colouring
– Have a green drink daily (be careful of sugar content, stick to more green vegetables and less fruit)
Green Drink – The Power of a Green Drink
Toxin flushing vitamins and minerals found in green drinks will rapidly improve your physical health and are easily accessible. Try this green drink to kick-start the process to healing.
1 x cucumber
1 x tbs chlorophyll
1 x handful spinach
1 x handful kale
1 x tbs spirulina
Combine the vegetables first in a juicer and then add the chlorophyll and spirulina into the juice once poured in a glass. Drink on the spot and enjoy the benefits of toxin flushing, pH balancing vitamins and minerals.
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