How to Balance PH in the Body – It’s Easier Than You Think
If you’re someone who has always leaned toward finding natural solutions to health issues, then chances are you have, at some point along your research journey, read about the importance of balancing your body’s pH. You’ve probably also discovered that diseases like cancer can only exist in an acidic body but cannot exist when the body’s pH is alkaline.
Why are pH Levels Important?
But what is pH anyway? What is it really referring to?
Well, pH represents hydrogen ion concentration in your blood. Actually, it can refer to any liquid that contains water. You may have even tested your home’s water for its pH levels. Garden enthusiasts tend to test their water because plants, like people, thrive in a certain pH range.
It’s important that our pH is in the right range because if not, our organs and systems cannot function properly. You know that proteins are the building blocks of our body. Proteins create not only our muscles, skin and organs, but also hormones and neurotransmitters. But, in order for proteins to keep their shape, they must rely on hydrogen bonds. So, our bodies need our pH to be in a certain range so that the building blocks we rely on can keep their structural integrity.
So what is that optimal pH range for humans? The pH scale ranges from 0 (highly acidic) to 14 (highly base or alkaline). Our optimal number is right smack dab in the middle (balance) of 7.30 – 7.45 – so we’re just slightly acidic.
Most people are not in this range. Most people’s pH levels are too acidic and it’s one of the reasons we see such a prevalence of modern-day diseases.
But, just like you can do things to adjust your water’s pH level, you can do things to adjust your body’s pH level. Here’s how you can balance your pH so you can fight off disease:
1. Eat Organic Foods
Your body is sensitive and when you fill it with chemicals, you can easily throw off your pH balance. That’s why it’s important to try and eat only organic foods that are free of pesticides and other harmful contaminants.
2. Eat Alkaline-Forming Foods
There are some foods that cause acid and some foods that are alkaline-forming. Foods like avocados, berries, almonds, basil, cucumber, garlic and herbal teas can help bring your acid levels down.
3. Eat Less Garbage
While it’s important to eat food that is alkaline-forming, it is equally important to STOP eating foods that cause acid in the body. The biggest culprits by far are refined sugars and flours. Stop eating processed junk foods.
4. Stay Hydrated
When toxin levels rise in the body, it can cause an acidic pH. It’s important that you drink enough water so you can properly flush your kidneys and bowels and remove these toxins.
5. Good Ol’ Sodium Bicarbonate
Plop-plop fizz-fizz oh what a relief it is. Most of us “of a certain age” remember that commercial jingle for Alka Seltzer. If you had heartburn, you simply dropped a couple of tablets into a glass of water, let the fizz die down a bit, then bottoms up!
Alka Seltzer is really just sodium bicarbonate, and sodium bicarbonate is a quick and easy way to raise your body’s pH. Keep a box of baking soda in your fridge and every morning fill a small(ish) glass with warm(ish) water, mix in a teaspoon of baking soda, and drink. Easy.
6. Exercise
Exercise can go a long way in balancing out your pH levels. That’s because your muscles can hold onto a lot of acid, particularly when they aren’t used very much. But spending just a half hour each day doing strength training or some light cardio will help your muscles let go of the acid they hold on to.
But the key here is to commit to exercising each day. You can’t exercise once and think, “Oh, I solved my pH problem.” It doesn’t work that way.
Find activities you like to do. Swim, ride your bike, dance! Just get those muscles moving.
I know, I get it, you probably don’t think much about your pH levels on a day-to-day basis. But let me tell you, those levels are important. And it doesn’t take much to balance them out. So please read through these tips again and start using them so you can have a more alkaline body where disease simply CANNOT thrive.
