Could You Benefit from Eating a More Alkalising Diet?

Do your current diet staples include; white pasta, white bread, cookies, lots of processed foods, meat, alcohol and/or soft drinks?

If so you could be sending your body into acidic-overdrive, which could have devastating consequences to your health.

Most of us are familiar with our blood being a pH level of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline on the pH chart, as it is something generally taught at school.

But often we are not taught that every single thing we do we do influences this pH.

No matter what it is, from the food we eat, drink, smoke and how stressed we might become, our blood and other cells will come back to this equilibrium. So we need not worry about it right?

Wrong.

Our body absolutely has to stay slightly alkaline in order to function properly and it is up to us whether we make this an absolute hellish battle, or choose to work with our bodies, and reap the benefits. And it shouldn’t be taken for granted that our pH will always stay the same, or rectify itself day in, day out. Sometimes it needs a little help especially if we put extra demands on the body by eating poor refined foods daily, combined with taking pharmaceutical drugs and breathing in lots of polluted air.

There are some simple steps to helping to maintain a slightly alkaline pH level in our cells, rather than spending our time worrying over uncomfortable and often painful external symptoms and health problems that can be caused by acidic blood.

Microbiologist Robert Young states;

“The pH level of our internal fluids affects every cell in our bodies. The entire metabolic process depends on an alkaline environment. Chronic over acidity corrodes body tissue, and if left unchecked will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain. In other words, over acidity interferes with life itself.”

The ideal pH level for our blood is between 7.35 and 7.45. This small window of alkaline perfection means an environment where unfriendly bacteria, cancer, viruses and fungi cannot thrive. Our cells are able to function properly at this level.

An acidic diet on the other hand is one of the ways that works against the bodies efforts and can leave the body vulnerable to disease and inflammation.

When we eat a diet that is high in acidic foods, and we live a stressful lifestyle, the body is forced to take drastic measures to balance the pH of the blood, with acid deposits even be stored as fat in order to protect our organs.

Some studies suggest that reducing the acid in the body can aid with weight loss for this reason. Calcium can even be taken from teeth and bones to bring the alkaline level back to equilibrium, which could contribute to weakness of the bones, and eventually causing osteoporosis.

Armed with this knowledge it can be very simple to stop the cycle of damage we are unwittingly following on a daily basis.

Many foods that are part of the standard Western diet are acid-forming. Being aware of the pH level of the foods that we consume, and choosing those that have naturally high alkaline levels once digested, is one of the most effective ways we can make a difference.

A great way to tackle excess acidity and it’s plethora of negative health consequences is to simply adjust our diet to include 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acidic-forming foods and drink. By eating in this way the majority of the time will help to support the function of our body and allow it to flourish. A healthy pH balance results in a body that is well cleansed, nourished and detoxified.

Here are a few suggestions of foods that are highly alkaline forming. Simply choosing to incorporate more of these foods into your daily diet will go a long way to helping your body to maintain the desired pH level.

• Lemons

• Blueberries

• Limes

• Celery

• Onion

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Cashews

• Cherry

• Cucumber

• Pineapple

• Citrus

• Egg yolks

• Himalayan Salt

• Sea Salt

• Ginger tea

• Sweet potato

• Grapes

• Leeks

• Lettuce

• Quinoa

Most processed foods that are part of a standard Western diet are acidic in their pH. Limit these to 20% of your daily consumption to prevent putting unnecessary stress on your body.

• Artificial sweeteners

• Alcohol

• Meat

• Wheat Based Bread

• Coffee

• Sugar

• Cream

• Fish

• Ice Cream Made from Cow’s Milk

• Pasta

• Peanuts

• Soft drinks

• Yogurt (sweetened)

• Wheat

It can be very easy to incorporate alkalising foods into your daily diet. Investing in a juicer will allow you to enjoy fresh vegetable juices. These, along with fresh homemade soups and smoothies packed with vegetables and greens are great ways to get a real alkaline boost into your body every day.

There are also many green powders on the market that include super foods, with blends of organic greens, algae, iodine and other enzymes and probiotics. These can be added to purified water, or smoothies for a super hydrating alkalising drink, or even sprinkled over salads and mixed into sauces including pesto’s. Super green powders make the perfect supplement to your diet especially for those with a busy lifestyle.

It may also be beneficial to choose alkaline water over tap water, as a quick and easy way to keep the body pH at an optimum level.

Keeping stress levels low is also essential to keeping the levels of acid down. This can be achieved by doing anything that relaxes your body, and makes you feel good. Exercise, dancing and getting outside in nature are just some of the simple ways to help reduce stress.

Paying attention to your pH levels and rectifying them if they are out of balance could provide you with the improved physical and mental health you have been looking for.

There are also many pH testing kits available on the market that can help you find out what your current pH levels are. And it simply cannot be ignored just how powerful a good, clean and healthy diet can be on influencing your pH levels and overall health as a result.

You can have a look at our Water Products and our Green Food Supplements page that could help you to restore optimum pH balance.