Alkaline vs Acidic… What’s Your Gut Telling You?
I’ve always had a sensitive stomach. My digestion can sometimes be a little sluggish, leaving me with stomach pain, gurgling noises, and dare I say it.. constipation. Eeek! Because of all this, I have a fascination with the whole digestive process. I know it sounds really weird, but how our bodies break down food, and absorb nutrition is very interesting to me. There is a lot more to it than just chewing, digesting, and pooping! Your gut is the key to the overall health of your body. The phrase “What’s your gut telling you” isn’t just about intuition, it can also be seen to link with what your gut is saying about your over all health.
On a mainstream level, we have all heard of probiotics, prebiotics, and maybe even digestive enzymes… but have you ever heard of pH? Acidity vs Alkaline state of your body? Your body’s well-being is directly connected to your body’s pH and there or there lacking of inflammation.
So what exactly is pH?
When I first heard about it, all I could think about was cleaning my childhood fish tank. Having to make sure the water pH was at the right level for the fish to live pleasantly and in good health. Those little blue drops I added into the water, made it livable for our pet fish. Your body’s pH reacts to healthy food just like to those little blue drops. Scientifically, pH stands for “potential hydrogen” which is the measure of hydrogen ions in a particular solution (our body’s tissues and fluids). Your pH is your measure of how acidic or alkaline your body is. It ranges from 0 – 14. Seven is the neutral number, below is acidic, above is alkaline.
The Acid vs Alkaline Balance
Your body maintains a balancing act between acidity and an alkaline state. A good balance, like anything else, is difficult to create. It doesn’t just happen magically. Things like food, toxins, chemicals, and life style choices can create more of an unhealthy, inflammatory prone, acidic body. In other words, a body prone to more disease and sickness. In order to compensate for the excess acid, your body will look to the vitamin reserves in your bones, organs, and teeth to combat the acid. But what if you don’t want your body to deplete your natural reserves? To maintain a more alkaline state, your body needs a diet of clean plant based foods, and limited exposure to harsh chemicals or toxins. It’s kind of a no brainer: eat healthy foods, be healthy. Eat garbage, feel like garbage.
On a cellular level, if the body is in an acidic state, the ability for your cells to absorb nutrients or repair damaged cells decreases. Energy levels deplete, and illness risk increases.
The pH Scale
Not all foods are created equal. Each has it’s own pH rating. The higher the pH rating, the better change you have of maintaining an alkaline healthy body. For instance, coffee’s pH is a 4, (sadly not so good), where as green tea is around a 9! The main things that cause the most acidity include all animal meats, grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, sweeteners, and all junk food. Below you will find a chart of alkaline and acidic foods. Some of these might surprise you!
You want to shoot for a balance! That’s the main key to maintaining a healthy pH. A diet consisting of about 60% of alkaline forming foods, and 40% of slightly acidic foods is very doable.
Other Ways to Contribute to a More Alkaline pH
Detoxify your life: Detoxifying your lifestyle by choosing chemical free cleaning products, cosmetics, lotions, and sunscreens will improve your pH levels. You will also want to eliminate as much stress from your life as possible. You’ve heard it said that “stress kills,” and well, it can! Stress produces an excess of harmful hormones and acidity in your body. Things like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, reading, or a calming walk, etc are all wonderful things to do to combat stress.
Drink more water: Starting every morning with a large glass of water, or warm water and lemon does wonders for the system. It helps to flush out all the yucky toxins that your body was working on eliminating the night before. It also jump starts your metabolism!
Stick to the produce section of your grocery store: Generally, the inner isles of a grocery store contain all the processed fake junk food that you should be avoiding: the perimeter of the store has your healthy fruits and veggies. Staying on the perimeter of the store will make it easy to choose the right foods if you are doubting your willpower. If you do not see the junk food, you are less likely to pick it up and throw it in your cart.
How to check for a healthy pH?
I personally have pH test strips right next to my toilet. I check my pH levels by urine every morning before I eat anything. You can find a bunch of brands on Amazon for a very low price. The best and most accurate way is to have your blood drawn and tested.
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