Friday, June 1, 2007

Your Body's Acid/Alkaline Balance

By : Mike Fletcher
Our body maintains a delicate PH balance. Our blood PH should be around 7.365. If we are too acidic, our health is affected and it becomes easier to gain fat and more difficult to lose weight.

When we become too acidic, some of the acid is stored as fat to protect the body. For our body to maintain homeostasis, calcium and other alkaline minerals are depleted from our bones and are used to raise our PH. This depletion of calcium from bones can increase risks of osteoporosis and other negative health conditions.

There are many who believe that nearly all diseases are related to being too acidic. It has been found that yeast, bacteria, viruses, cancer and other diseases thrive in acidic, anaerobic (lacking oxygen) environments and can't live in an alkaline environment. Being too acidic is also associated with arthritis and inflammation.

How do you find out if you are too acidic? The easiest way is to test your PH using test strips. These strips can be used in saliva or urine. The first urination of the morning is usually the most accurate. If you test your saliva, be sure to not eat or drink anything at least 30 minutes prior to testing.

You can help to raise your PH by diet. Meat, dairy and eggs are acidic in the body. Sugars, processed foods, alcohol, and many fruits are also acidic when consumed. Green vegetables are probably the most alkalizing foods we can eat. Surprisingly, acidic foods like lemons and limes have an alkalizing effect after consumption.

A convenient and healthy way to boost your PH and to protect your body from being in an acidic environment is to supplement PH Drops, minerals and green foods to the diet.

PH drops are affordable and easy to use. Simply drop 4 drops per 8 ounces of water to change the waters PH to 9-10. This is the easiest way to raise your PH. Consuming the alkalized water flushes out the acids and raises the body's PH. Drinking alkalized water has been compared to putting clean water into a dirty fish bowl and changing out the dirty water. If the fish bowl had dirty water, the fish will be unhealthy, flush out the dirty water with clean fresh water and you can expect the fish to regain its health.

Most people are the most acidic in the morning. Taking calcium and magnesium at bedtime is a great way to both help relax your muscles before bed, and to help keep your body alkalized overnight.

Green vegetables are also highly alkaline. It can be difficult with today's busy lifestyles to find the time and have the access to the recommended amount of green vegetables to the diet. Luckily, there are green drinks available. These drinks are powdered vegetables that mix easily with water and are a great way to add greens to the diet and raise your body's PH.

It is a good idea to consider testing your own PH and seeing where you acid/alkaline balance is. If you are acidic, it is time to start changing your diet and eat more fresh greens and less acidic food. It is also worth considering supplementing PH drops, calcium magnesium and a green drink to your diet to help alkalize your body and improve your health.
Author Resource:- The author of this article recommends visiting Jeffs Healthy Living Blog for more on natural health and alternative medicine.