Several years ago, if someone would have talked to me about pH levels, I would have been entirely in the dark. I didn’t know that diet, and lifestyle play such a huge part in your health – I was driven to whatever was “FREE” or cheap with coupons.
How quickly things change.
A few years passed by and we had some health issues in the family that prompted us to do some reading. Reading led to dietary changes... which led to clear house in terms of the foods we had in the pantry, bottles of cleaner we had in the bathrooms and under the sink and a whole shift in thought process.
Why is pH so Important?
Proper pH of the body is necessary for maintaining tip top health – having the right pH not only gives you a stronger immune system that protects you against sickness and disease, it also helps prevent that common cold & flu from creeping in because your body is in balance.
pH is the imbalance of acidity and alkalinity that allows unhealthy organisms to proper in the body – those organisms can create a disruption in your immune system.
pH is determined by the level of alkalinity & acidity that’s in your body. A normal range is between 6 and 7.5 – but an alkaline body is higher (0-14, 14 being highest). Acidic solutions decrease your pH.
How pH Levels Work
Your kidneys play a really big part in pH levels — they also maintain your electrolyte levels (sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium). These 4 electrolytes (calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium) are all used to combat acidic substances – so when you have a body that is very acidic, your body takes minerals from the bones, tissues, organs and cells to try to combat that acidity.
When those 4 minerals are taken from the body to fight acidity, then your cells don’t have enough of those minerals to dispose of waste from your body or to oxygenate your body properly. Not only that, your body won’t be able to absorb the vitamins properly due to a loss in minerals.
That leads to the buildup of toxins in your body – thus affecting your immune system function.
Lots of things can cause your body to be more acidic ~ which is why your diet and lifestyle are so important. While most of us know that food plays a part, little do people know just how much pH is affected by some of the most common things.
Acidity can be caused by:
- Food coloring
- Animal Meat that is NOT Grass Fed
- Overuse of Antibiotics
- Sugar and artificial sweeteners
- Foods that are laden with pesticides or herbicides
- Processed foods
- Chemicals from cleaners, soaps, body washes and other beauty products
- The use of alcohol or drugs
- Stress
- Low fiber and lack of exercise
And that is not all – everything from pollution to radiation can affect your pH levels. And when your body is too acidic, you may find yourself suffering from fatigue, weight issues, and frequent colds and flu – not to mention asthma and allergies.
Your ultimate health is determined by pH — because the issues aforementioned can lead to even bigger problems – one of which is cancer, heart problems, arthritis, diabetes & more.
Maintaining a Proper pH
The best way to safeguard a proper pH is your diet ~ by taking in more alkaline promoting foods, you can keep yourself a little healthier – and prevent your body from taking in an overabundance of acid.
Fruits & vegetables are rich in potassium – which help protect your body against acidity. By eating processed foods (ie. corn, wheat, and processed foods in the grocery store) you are increasing your sodium intake – which creates more acidity. Processed dairy products (ie. grocery store milk), create acidity in the body because they are acid-forming foods that have been overly processed. As a result of their acidity, they steal calcium from your bones to try to balance your pH.
Raw Milk, on the other hand, is alkaline – and great at helping your body boost it’s pH level. It’s better to eat uncooked fruits and veggies as cooking them can lend them towards being more acidic..
To test your pH you can pick up test strips on Amazon and aim or your 2nd urine of the day – in some cases you can also do saliva.
Once you determine your pH you can work at trying to bring your body between 6 and 7.3.
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