pH and Acidity Level and Their Impact on General Health

There are several reasons why a whole-food-focused diet can improve health. First, eliminating processed foods, sugars, and artificial ingredients, as well as allergy-causing foods like gluten (wheat and oats) and dairy products, can reduce inflammation and associated health risks. Second, a whole-foods diet that eliminates allergy-causing foods helps regulate immune responses better, reducing the risk of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, this type of diet helps achieve and maintain a healthy weight. However, what you may not realize is that a targeted whole-food diet also helps balance the pH levels in the body.

Your Body’s Acidity Level

The term “pH” refers to “hydrogen potential” and is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. It is a scale from 0 to 14, where 0 is highly acidic, 14 is highly alkaline, and 7 is neutral. When the solution is neutral, it means there is a perfect balance between acidity and alkalinity. The human body tries to maintain a narrow neutral range on the pH scale between 6.8 (slightly acidic) and 7.4 (slightly alkaline). It’s crucial to note that your blood’s acidity level needs to be kept between 7.365 and 7.400, as the blood needs to be slightly alkaline to nourish your tissues and organs.

The foods you consume, the liquids you drink, your environment, breathing patterns, and exercise routine (or lack thereof) all have the ability to increase acidity in the body and negatively impact blood pH. This happens because your body stores excess acid in your tissues, leading to an increase in body acidity. To rebalance your body, your blood needs to withdraw from alkaline reserves in your body, such as water, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. For example, phosphoric acid in carbonated drinks has an acidity level of 2.8, so you would need to consume about 32 cups of pure water to neutralize the effects of one soda! All detoxification systems in your body, including the liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and lymphatic system, help balance acidity levels. Among these, the kidneys act as the main regulator of acidity. However, if there is excess acidity that the kidneys can’t handle, bones and muscles may suffer. Excessive body acidity can lead to calcium being drawn from your bones to neutralize this acidity, ultimately weakening the bones and contributing to osteoporosis. Additionally, excessive acidity can pull glutamine from skeletal muscles to assist in restoring body pH, potentially leading to difficulty in gaining or maintaining muscle mass. If your diet, environment, and lifestyle consistently keep your blood acidity slightly elevated, your body loses its efficiency in neutralizing and eliminating these acidic waste products. This can result in a chronic state of tissue acidity, increasing the risk of various diseases.

Acid-Alkaline Imbalance

If you have any of the above-mentioned conditions, you may have an imbalance in the acid-alkaline balance.

Causes of Acid-Alkaline Imbalance

There are many lifestyle and dietary choices that can increase acidity in your body. Here are the top five categories:

1. Chronic Stress: If your body is frequently in a state of “fight or flight,” it releases stress hormones continuously, not only causing inflammation but also increasing acidity.
2. Shallow Breathing: Chronic stress can lead to rapid, shallow breathing or even breath-holding, reducing oxygen levels. Lower oxygen levels from this type of breathing can increase acidity in the body.
3. Toxins: Pesticides, chemicals in products, conventional meats, heavy metals, industrial pollutants, hormones, and other chemicals in food, plastics, cleaning products, and even possible chemicals in tap water can increase acidity.
4. Infections: Infections create a more acidic environment, making you more susceptible to germs that thrive in an acidic setting.
5. Acidic Diet: Consuming sugar, refined flour, additives, table salt, trans fats, fried foods, meats, dairy products, alcohol, and caffeine can make it challenging for your body to restore its pH balance.

Restore pH Balance

To reduce acidity in your body and minimize the risk of diseases while improving your health, consider the following tips:

• Reduce Acidic Foods: Minimize or exclude harmful acidic foods from your diet.
  • Sugar: Excessive sugar not only disrupts pH levels but also creates an ideal environment for harmful microorganisms.
  • Refined Flour: White flour and products made from it contribute to acidity in the body.
  • Food Additives: Artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives not only add acidity but also have neurotoxic effects.
  • Table Salt: Regular table salt leads to acid formation, but sea salt and Himalayan salt contribute to body alkalinity due to their alkaline sodium content.
  • Trans Fats: Trans fats found in fried and processed foods are acidic.
  • Processed Foods: Fast food, packaged, and processed foods contain many of the mentioned ingredients like sugar, refined flour, additives, and unhealthy fats.
  • Meat and Dairy: Animal products, including beef, veal, lunch meats, eggs, milk, cheese, and even seafood, contribute to acidity. Consider reducing consumption and choosing organic, grass-fed, or wild-caught options.

Choose Healthy Acidic Foods

• While fruits are acidic in the body, they are rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and plant nutrients. Limit your intake of fresh and organic fruits to no more than 30% of your diet.
• Include Alkaline Foods: Increase alkaline foods to make up about 70% of your diet.
  • Vegetables: Especially when organic, vegetables are highly alkaline and should form a significant part of your diet.
  • Legumes: Organic soybeans, lentils, and beans can help reduce acidity.
  • Grains: Non-wheat grains like black rice, quinoa, and buckwheat are less acidic than wheat and refined flour.
  • Nuts and Seeds: Unsalted and raw nuts and seeds, such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds, are alkaline.
• Healthy Oils: Avocado oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, olive oil, and fish oil are healthy choices and can contribute to alkalinity.
• Hydration: Drink alkaline water, herbal teas, or water with a squeeze of lemon to support your body’s alkaline balance.

Incorporate Alkaline Lifestyle Choices