The acid-alkaline balance of our body is important for overall health and our body has a very complex system to keep the pH within a healthy range. Every enzyme, hormone and physiological process is dependent on the right pH to function optimally. However eating too much sugar, white flour products, fast foods and processed foods, drinking too much coffee, alcohol and soft drinks or juices as well as a toxic environment or being too busy or stressed can all push the balance towards becoming too acidic.
If the environment in the body becomes too acidic (even a small variation can have an effect) then the cells cannot function properly, enzymes are affected, and substances won’t be transported into or out of cells as efficiently. This is very common and can affect many systems in the body, leading to cell dehydration, inflammation and toxin overload, and ultimately to symptoms such as candida, urinary tract infections, skin conditions, weight gain, high blood pressure, aches and pains, fatigue and premature ageing.
It is easy to test the body’s pH by using pH test strips on either saliva or urine, and I regularly check this with my clients as it is often an underlying cause of some of their symptoms.
Balancing the body’s pH is an important step towards better health. So what can we do? There are many simple things we can do to tip the balance back towards an alkaline system which is where our body wants to be. We can include more vegetables in the diet, particularly the green ones. We can cut out or reduce sugar, caffeine, alcohol and processed foods. We can drink plenty of pure filtered water. We can add green vegetables such as kale or green powders such as barley greens into a drink or smoothie. And we can also reduce stress in our lives.
If acidity is quite pronounced then we can speed up the process using specific alkalinising powders and then maintain pH with the methods above.
Next time you are making choices about whether to eat acid-creating foods perhaps you might stop and make a healthier choice. Your body will thank you 🙂