Our body is pretty miraculous.
It’s a self-regulating, self-healing organism that’s capable of finding balance in a chaotic world. Let’s just think about the number of things we do every day that are a strain on our body. We eat food which may or may not be what our body is looking for, we move into different temperature environments regularly (artificially heated and cooled environments are relatively new for our bodies), and we either breathe deeply or…well, not very deeply.
This is a lot to handle, and our body keeps moving along without our awareness of what it’s doing to keep us balanced. That is miraculous.
Let’s just look at one aspect our body is trying to keep in balance, our body’s pH. The pH (potential of hydrogen) is a scale from 1 – 14 and shows the level of acid or alkaline a substance is. Closer to 1 = acidic, closer to 14 = alkaline (or base), and 7 is neutral.
We have many different levels of pH in our body. Our stomach is very acidic (ideally a pH of 2) but just a bit further down our digestive system is our small intestine and our body must change the digesting food from a pH of 2 to a much more alkaline 8 for proper absorption.
Our blood is the most important pH our body is trying manage, because our body needs our blood at a VERY narrow pH (7.35 – 7.45) to keep us alive.
Our urine pH can change quite dramatically day to day and it can act as an indicator of what our body is doing to balance our blood pH. If it’s in the acidic range (6.2 or lower) then our body is trying to pull acids out of our system. If it’s neutral or just slightly alkaline (7.0 – 7.4) our body is pretty happy and isn’t working too hard. Being too alkaline (above 7.4) is a problem and shows our body is working hard at pulling down our body’s pH.
You may have read that you want to be very alkaline (up to 8.0) but I must disagree with this. Our body wants BALANCE, and too much of a good thing is not a good thing.
I love using the acid/alkaline balance as a way to find balance in my body. It’s testable, it’s a very healthy way of eating, and I can see a change in my urine pH within a few days. I love fast results.
The big 3 for a balanced pH diet are:
- Alkaline foods – our diet tends to be more acidic than alkaline producing, so most of us need to concentrate on adding alkaline foods. Enjoy whole, unprocessed grains, seeds, nuts, fruits and veggies. High mineral content = alkaline.
- Stress reduction – breathing deeply is alkaline-forming, and shallow, stress-filled breaths are an acidic input. Ironically, stressing about eating more alkaline foods is an acidic input. Deep breathing, a walk in nature, meditation, and gentle yoga are wonderful alkaline-forming activities.
- greens+ - my go to super alkaline food is the whole food green food supplement greens+. It’s the proven one to bring our pH to a healthy state (urine pH at 6.2 – 7.4). I enjoy it every day, and have an extra dose on high stress days or when my diet is less than best.
Grab some pH paper and see how quickly you can help your body out by improving your body’s pH. Grab an apple, some greens+ and go for a gentle walk through nature. Your body is asking for it!
