Alkaline food a healthier choice

Everything you consume has a direct impact on the body chemistry or pH balance of the body. So, be wary of what you eat or drink because it is contributing to healthy or unhealthy pH levels in your blood. pH (potential of hydrogen) value gives us an idea about the acidic or alkaline nature of any liquid or solution. Human blood pH has a narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45 or in other words body can function well within this range, and we must maintain this alkaline pH for a healthy state.

Alkaline Vs Acidic Food

It's too bad that the foods we like most can make us acidic and thus sick by tipping the blood pH level from alkaline to acidic. So, what are these foods.... You guessed right:







Processed food
Sugar
Meats (aside from occasional coldwater fish)
Hydrogenated fats and trans fats
Pasta, white rice, refined flour
Excessive alcohol etc.

are acidic in nature whereas fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices are alkaline.







To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods. It is very easy for the body to become overly acidic owing to the food preferences and modern lifestyle. Apart from food other factors which may further jeopardise this delicate balance are:

Stress
Toxins
Negative thoughts and emotions
Medication
Excessive exercise
Exposure to pollutants and chemicals


Under normal circumstances the body is able to counter metabolic acidosis, to maintain the blood pH in a narrow range of 7.35 - 7.45, at all the time. Lungs and kidney participate to maintain this balance by exhaling CO2 (carbon-dioxide), excreting hydrogen ions in urine and producing bicarbonate (HCO3) ions respectively. Metabolic acidosis caused by diet is marked by a buildup of acid-forming hydrogen (H+) ions in the blood. The kidneys respond to this by expelling them in the urine.

In a normal, healthy body these two systems work to maintain the blood pH balance. But, as we age, the ability of the kidneys to regulate metabolic acidosis declines. As a result, there is less bicarbonate produced by the kidneys to negate metabolic acidosis which over a period of time can lead to a low-grade metabolic acidosis. In order to maintain the acid-alkaline chemistry in the blood, body taps into another source of bicarbonates, the skeletal system or bones.

Metabolic acidosis induces a negative calcium balance (release of calcium from bone) with hypercalciuria (increased calcium loss in urine). Long term metabolic acidosis due to faulty diet or lifestyle leads to significant loss of bone mineral over a period of time. Hence, chronic metabolic acidosis and body’s withdrawal of bone-based bicarbonates to balance blood pH contribute significantly to osteoporosis.


It is important to know that true health lives in an alkaline state. The most effective way to create a more harmonious acid-alkaline balance naturally is to increase the alkaline-forming food in your diet. Another powerful mean to achieve this delicate balance is to consume alkaline water which has a pH of 7.5 and above. High pH is able to counter the acidosis and prevent the loss of vital minerals from the bone. Alkaline water helps to maintain the pH balance and provide healthy alkaline minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium etc. Modern diet, lifestyle, and stress can predispose us to premature aging. It would be wise to practice prevention well in advance.

Drink to your health....