So what exactly is PH and why is it so important for your body to be more alkaline than acidic? I am so glad to share this with you all, as it is majorly important for our health and well being.
PH stands for " potential of hydrogen" it is the measurement of hydrogen ions in a particular solution. The more ions the more acidic the solution. So think of our body as a solution, for optimal health we want our bodies to be more alkaline than acidic. On the PH scale -4.5 being very acidic to +9.5 being very alkaline you optimally want to be about 7.5.
The best way to find out if you are acidic or alkaline is to buy some PH paper ( litmus paper strips) sold in most health food stores. The simplest and easiest way to test, is to test your urine, as it is the most reliable bodily substance to test. These strips are similar to the way you used to test your pool chlorine levels, dunk em in and see the results.
To test your urine, simply hold a little strip of paper in the flow of your urine for a second or two. It will change colour and you can compare it with the chart that is included with your PH paper to see where you are on the scale. For optimum health you want it to be around 7. Your levels will vary throughout the day and depending on what you have eaten during the day.
To get the best result check you PH levels mid morning, before meals or at least 2 hours after eating. One reading will not tell you much, you have to decide to do this for at least a week or two and track your readings to see where you are. A few weeks of testing will give you a good idea of where your body is at.
Different parts of your body have different levels of acidity. Your blood needs to be slightly alkaline for optimum health, as do your tissues.
Your stomach is the most acidic part of your body with a PH of about 2. This is due to the hydrochloric acid used to fight foreign invaders and it helps to break down food.
Skin, bowels and a woman's vagina should be a bit acidic as well to keep unfriendly bacteria at bay.
Evidence of an acidic body can be everything from a runny nose, skin issues, inflammation, arthritis, poor circulation, irritable bowel syndrome, a weakened immune system and even cancer.
A lot of illness can be traced back to too much acidity in the body.
It is so easy for the body to become acidic with our North American diet. Foods like meat, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, alcohol, coffee, sugar, processed oils, energy drinks, yeast, refined grains, white bread, pasta, and the list goes on.
All these foods increase our acidic levels in our body making our body work that much harder. When our blood has too much acid it in it, it dumps the excess acid into our bloodstream and tissues. Then our lymphatic system tries to neutralize all that acid and so you can see where this can lead to illness and dis-ease in the body. Acid puts an enormous strain on our digestive system, liver and kidneys. Neutralizing all that acid also creates extra molecules called free radicals which damage our cells.
We all know that free radicals can cause major issues in our body and so why not try to limit the free radicals in our bodies by eating a more alkaline diet.
Foods like avocadoes, wheatgrass, green veggies,sprouts, almonds, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, lentils, beans, lemons, limes, cold pressed oils like hemp, flax and borage seed and alkaline water will all help us to keep our bodies more alkaline than acidic.
So when you are out doing your next shop, add more green leafy vegetables to your cart, and some avocadoes. Forget the potatoes and processed foods and give your body a break. You will feel better for it, I promise!
Last night we made a big tossed salad to go with dinner, it was delicious. This is what is had in it.
Romaine lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, celery, green onion, avocado, and cauliflower. We cut everything really small into bite size pieces and dressed it simply with organic cold pressed olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt. Let it marinate for an hour and it is spectacular. Let the salad be the biggest portion on your plate and live green!
Lots of love,
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