Lots of people ask me about acid/alkaline balance. The truth is, despite what some may say - almost all foods will either produce an acidic or an alkaline effect in the blood once they are digested and metabolized.
Since our blood is normally slightly alkaline, with a pH level of between 7.35 and 7.45, many nutritionists and health practitioners advocate eating a diet as close to the body’s ph level for optimum health. There are many charts and books that outline the pH of foods, and I have included a video below to help you better understand the concept visually.
An alkaline diet is thought to increase energy, decrease inflammation, and strengthen the immune system. A diet too high in acid may deplete the body of alkaline minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium. This imbalance is thought to make people prone to illness- or just feel poopy all around. Low immunity, low energy, arthritic pain and more...
As a very general rule...when digested - meat, poultry, fish, grains, dairy, and salt are acid producing, while most fruits and vegetables, sea vegetables and many other "healthy" foods are alkalizing (surprising?)
As our culture has moved from eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables to a diet high in meat, dairy, grains, salt and sugar, the typical Western diet has become dramatically acidic- and along with that we have also witnessed sky rocketing illness rates, with more and more Americans on a lifetime of pharmaceutical cocktails.
If you are curious about your pH levels, you can purchase some pH home-testing strips like these that will help you see first hand if your diet is working for you. They are easy to use and what is really amazing, is you can witness first-hand how your diet directly effects the color of your strip.
Understanding the most you can about food and how it affects the human body is one of goals as a Health Coach. Here is a video that visually explains this concept briefly (and very creatively)...enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment