What is pH?

What is pH?

pH is an abbreviation for "potential hydrogen." It is the measurement of hydrogen-ion concentration.

 The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. The middle reading of 7.0 is considered to be "neutral." A reading 

below 7.0 is acidic while a reading of 7.0 or above is alkaline. The lower the pH reading, the less oxygen 

is in the fluid you are testing whereas the higher the pH reading indicates more oxygen.

How does pH affect my body? Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 - 7.45 ). A pH below 7.0 

means that the body is acidic, making it prone to ailments, fatigue and disease. When the pH in body tissues

 are overly acidic, a state called "acidosis" occurs. Acidosis is one of the basic causes of many diseases

 as it creates a burden on the liver, kidney, digestive tract, heart and affects every cell in the body. 

A healthy body stores large alkaline reserves to meet emergency demands if too many acid-producing foods 

are consumed. However, these normal reserves can be depleted. Balanced body chemistry is of utmost

 importance for the maintenance of health and correction of disease. When the body is in an alkaline state 

of 7.0 or above, diseases cannot gain a foothold.

What happens when my body is acidic? Acidic conditions in the body often result in health problems

 such as cancer, chronic fatigue, Candida Albicans, depression, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, 

osteoporosis, viruses, ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease), weight gain, skin conditions and more. Acidosis 

decreases the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decreases the energy production in

 the cells, decreases its ability to repair damaged cells, decreases it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, 

allows tumor cells to thrive and creates fatigue and dis-ease. Cancer and most diseases cannot exist in

 an alkaline body. 

What causes my body tissues to become acidic (acidosis)? The body can become

 acidic due to a number of reasons, generally from a combination of the following. Eating a diet of mainly

 acidic foods can create a high acidic pH in your body. All foods are "burned" or digested in the body,

 leaving an ash. This food ash can be neutral, acidic or alkaline, depending largely on the mineral composition

 of the foods.   The reason acidosis is rampant in our society is mostly due to the "Standard American Diet"

 (SAD), which is high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and relatively low in

 alkaline producing foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables.   In addition, most foods are laced with

 chemicals that begin during the growing process of the plant or animal and continues through transportation

 and before being placed on the grocer's shelves. These include herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, growth 

hormones, ripening agents and retardants, insect repellents, etc. Most people do not get enough minerals

 in their diet due to the loss of mineral content of the soil where plants are grown. When the body becomes 

acidic, it will do all it can to balance itself. In order to do this, it will use the alkaline minerals found in the body.

However, if the body does not have enough of these minerals in the blood or stored in the tissues,

 the acids will build up in the cells, creating acidosis and setting the stage for a variety of maladies.

Emotional stress also creates acidic reactions in the body.

Daily meditation or quiet time, exercise, releasing negative emotions such as anger, frustration

 and despair will help to increase your overall well-being and assist in balancing your pH levels to a more

 alkaline state. Lack of oxygenated blood  due to shallow breathing, lack of exercise and dietary factors 

also inhibit proper pH balance. Toxic overload creates acidic reactions in the body, these include but are

 not limited to the following: Environmental Pollution: industrial waste, air and water pollution, chlorine 

and fluoride water additives, plastic wraps and leaching plastic water bottles, herbicides, pesticides, 

chemtrails, exhaust fumes, (first and second-hand), X-rays Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: these 

products abound with chemicals Two other areas of concern are mercury in seafood, vaccinations and

 amalgam tooth fillings and aluminum from cookware, baking soda, toothpaste, deodorant and many food 

products.

What can I do to balance my pH level? DIET The rise of cancer, obesity, malnutrition and disease 

is sky-rocketing. Proper nutrition can help combat . It is vitally important

 to maintain a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the diet. To maintain health, the diet should 

consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods. When the pH balance is maintained,

 the body has a strong resistance against disease. To assist in the curing of any disease, the higher the

 ratio of alkaline elements in the diet, the faster will be the recovery. Alkalis neutralize acids. Therefore, in

 the treatment of most diseases, it is important that the diet includes plenty of alkaline foods to offset the 

effects of acid-forming foods. Animal products are highly acidic and lower in protein than many green leafy

 foods. Consider adding green leafy vegetables, spirulina and hemp protein powders as a natural and alkaline 

meat replacement. Read packaging labels and become aware of substances that are masked as food such

 as chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Sweet 'N Low and Aspartame that are added to many foods, 

especially diet products. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and soda pops, for these substances are 

highly acidic. Did you know that to  neutralize a glass of cola that has a pH of 2.5, one must drink 32 eight

 ounce glasses of alkaline water with a pH of 10? The benefit of eating raw, organic foods is the ability to

 avoid ingesting chemicals added during normal farming practices of both animals and plants. These include 

herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, preservatives, growth hormones, chemicals to slow 

and/or speed the ripening process, food additives and msg, to name a few. In addition, organic farms grow 

in mineral rich soils, which enhances the mineral content in the plants you eat. Every phase of processing

 affects the nutritional value of foods. These include, chopping, packaging, bleaching, dehydration, chemical 

alterations, irradiation, homogenization and microwaving,   Heat processes such as pasteurization and

 cooking kills the natural minerals and enzymes, rendering many foods into toxic, acidic non-food products.

The avoidance of harsh medications, whether they are prescribed or "over the counter" is another factor to

 consider. Once you are armed with information on how to balance your body through proper nutrition, many

 ailments will heal themselves. As our herbalist friend, Brian Hornbeck, says when asked how to get rid of

 health problems, "We have herbs for that!" MINERALS When the body is acidic, there are always significant

 mineral deficiencies. There are a number of ways you can add minerals to your diet. Fruits and vegetables

 grown in soils that are mineral rich can provide all the minerals one needs, if a variety of plants are eaten

 on a daily basis. Unfortunately, due to modern farming practices, the vast majority of soils are mineral 

deficient. To make matters worse, the soil and plants are continually bombarded with pesticide, herbicides, 

fungicides and chemical fertilizers which all leads to genocide of the minerals normally found in live soil. 

Growing your fruits and vegetables in rich humus and supplementing what you don't grow with produce from 

organic farms will increase the amount of minerals in your diet. Minerals are destroyed when subjected to heat,

 which means any plants you ingest that are cooked are likely to have lost their mineral content. Salt is a 

wonderful mineral supplement, unless it has been bleached and processed. There are several natural salts

 available that are tastier and more nutritious than toxic table salt. Himalayan salt contains 84 essential 

minerals whereas Celtic salt contains 72 essential minerals. These salts can be obtained at most health

 food stores or better yet, ask your grocer to stock them. Do not cook with the salt, since heat destroys

 minerals; add it to your food after serving or place some crystals under your tongue any time during the day. 

You can also purchase minerals in tablet or liquid form.

EMOTIONAL STRESS (this is from ISHAGIRL)

           How we handle stress, fear, worry, trauma, sadness, anxiety etc effects our physical bodies. That is why 

           reading and pondering the scriptures daily and aligning our will and our understanding with God's will and

           knowledge is so vital.  He gives us the inspiration to combat negative emotions, He helps carry those burdens 

           for us.  Making time to BE STILL daily or in other words, doing daily meditation is crucial to a healthy mind 

           and well body.  The mind is everything, so as corny as it sounds, positive affirmations and

           mantras can make a powerful difference in your physical health.  

         

OXYGENATED BLOOD Every cell in the body needs an adequate supply of oxygen to function properly.

 The air we breathe today is not as purely oxygenated as it was before the advent of technology. Shallow 

breathing, lack of exercise and dietary factors that inhibit properly oxygenated blood also causes acidosis,

 less oxygen in the blood. Deep breathing, physical exercise and proper diet can help to eliminate many of 

the problems associated with low blood oxygen count.

I almost hesitate to mention where I pulled the above info from because articles on the site 

are a bit "out there", but I thought it explained a general overview in a  concise manner.  Again there 

to search. This is just a place to start...so www.t-a-d-a.com...don't laugh.

pH (Small Changes to Better Health)

 When it comes to our overall health...What we EAT matters, what we SAY matters, what we DO matters, what we THINK matters and how we handle STRESS most definitely matters!!

We are alkaline by design, but acid by function (breathing, digesting, thinking, stressing...the list goes on) and many of our beverages and foods today are very acidic, like fast foods, sodas, caffeine, and the list goes on. So as a result of poor diets, degraded food, water, and air, consequently we've become too acidic. 

 (The thing I read that got me interested in pH balance in the first place was that "disease and illness cannot exist in a pH balanced body." I am on a journey to see for myself if this statement is true!!) 

Food isn't just something we fill our stomachs up with...YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT-literally...

Perspective: If you can shift your perspective of food from simply being fuel and hydration from simply to quenching thirst, to understanding it's individual values as healing properties, you will begin to exchange not only your body water (about 70% of weight), but also make other small changes in your main and side courses and the way you prepare them, convert acidic snacks into alkaline snacks, etc., in ways you never imagined.

Remember acid to alkaline is a 20:1 ratio. This means it takes 20 parts of alkalinity to diffuse 1 part of acid. Or, 20 ounces of pure water to diffuse 1 part of acidic coffee. You can see why reducing acidity intake of soda pop or other "acid" hot spots you may have is critical to the majority of acid you have incoming.

How do we help ourselves? First target your acidic hot spots, what's causing you the most incoming acid? Then, create an exchange or a shortcut to diffuse that acid. At the same time we can work on some fundamental foundational changes that will enhance our alkalinity.

Exchanges:

Transitional Acid Conversions

Common Acids Hot brewed coffee          Sugars                         Fast Food                     Vinegar                         Meat (red & white)         Orange juice,soda           Starches (pasta/rice Processed Oils  Food Preparation

Conversion Option Cold pressed coffee Stevia, Agave Whole Food Fresh Lime or Lemon juice Cold Water Fish Water with fresh lemon squeezed into it Minimize, add veggies Cold pressed Oils eat raw, steam, roast or grill instead of fry

Foundational Application:

• Start exchanging your body water (you are 70% water – think about a flower vase when you don’t exchange the water). This means begin drinking pure water or water that has been pH enhanced or a green drink when you wake up in the morning, stop before meals and resume an hour after meals. You can also make lemonade with stevia as your alternate drink of choice.
• Rehydrate yourself through sipping a little bit often. Fresh Lemonade, Rooibos Tea, pure water, are all great ways to rehydrate. Pouring a glass of each with a straw (yes at the same time), will allow you to rehydrate by sipping until your thirst signal turns back on, usually about a weeks worth of sip, sip, sip.
• Add fresh lemon or lime to your water. Both are pre-digestively acidic, post digestively alkaline, and  are great for healing, alkalizing, and softening gunk and helping cleanup our organs.
• Make your salad dressings with fresh limes or lemons and good cold pressed oils like Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, and lots of spices.
• Add cold pressed oils everywhere you can...
• Make sure you are taking in enough Omega 3,6,& 9 oils everyday through your butter exchange, condiments, fish, avocados, or capsules/liquid supplements.
• Add vegetables and everything that is green, at every opportunity.
• Simplify your food preparation – keep salad greens loose in a refrigerator drawer, unwashed, but mixed and ready to go. You can rough cut lots of different veggies each week and keep in a large bowl of water in your refrigerator, ready to grate, chop or dice.
• Stir frying in avocado oil, or steaming, and even baking are great ways to prepare veges, fish, etc. (avocado is a high heat cold pressed oil) and a major shift from frying and boiling.
• Make dinner your most important meal – minimize the acid (meats, potatoes) digestion should cease before retiring, your healing cycle requires it. OPTIMAL DIGESTION PERIOD IS 12 HOURS! GIVE YOUR BODY a 12 HOUR FAST BEFORE YOU "BREAK"FAST!
• Digestion creates acidity, so..........Chew your food many, many times, the more you chew the less acid your digestive tract has to produce to break it down.

Most of this info was pulled straight from pHbodybalance.com.  There is so much info out there about creating a healthier balance in your body. Check it out and let me know if you find something good!

Simple pH Chart

Most Alkaline	Alkaline	Lowest Alkaline	FOOD CATEGORY	Lowest Acid	Acid	Most Acid
Stevia	Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup	Raw Honey, Raw Sugar	SWEETENERS	Processed Honey, Molasses	White Sugar, Brown Sugar	NutraSweet, Equal, Aspartame, Sweet 'N Low
Lemons, Watermelon, Limes, Grapefruit, Mangoes, Papayas	Dates, Figs, Melons, Grapes, Papaya, Kiwi, Blueberries, Apples, Pears, Raisins	Oranges, Bananas, Cherries, Pineapple, Peaches, Avocados	FRUITS	Plums, Processed Fruit Juices	Sour Cherries, Rhubarb	Blackberries, Cranberries, Prunes
Asparagus, Onions, Vegetable Juices, Parsley, Raw Spinach, Broccoli, Garlic	Okra, Squash, Green Beans, Beets, Celery, Lettuce, Zucchini, Sweet Potato, Carob	Carrots, Tomatoes, Fresh Corn, Mushrooms, Cabbage, Peas, Potato Skins, Olives, Soybeans, Tofu	BEANS VEGETABLES LEGUMES	Cooked Spinach, Kidney Beans, String Beans	Potatoes (without skins), Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, Lima Beans	Chocolate
	Almonds	Chestnuts	NUTS SEEDS	Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds	Pecans, Cashews	Peanuts, Walnuts
Olive Oil	Flax Seed Oil	Canola Oil	OILS	Corn Oil
		Amaranth, Millet, Wild Rice, Quinoa	GRAINS CEREALS	Sprouted Wheat Bread, Spelt, Brown Rice	White Rice, Corn, Buckwheat, Oats, Rye	Wheat, White Flour, Pastries, Pasta
			MEATS	Venison, Cold Water Fish	Turkey, Chicken, Lamb	Beef, Pork, Shellfish
	Breast Milk	Soy Cheese, Soy Milk, Goat Milk, Goat Cheese, Whey	EGGS DAIRY	Eggs, Butter, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Cottage Cheese	Raw Milk	Cheese, Homogenized Milk, Ice Cream
Herb Teas, Lemon Water	Green Tea	Ginger Tea	BEVERAGES	Tea	Coffee	Beer, Soft Drinks

Note that a food's acid or alkaline-forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. For example, lemons are very acidic, however the end-products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline so lemons are alkaline-forming in the body. Likewise, meat will test alkaline before digestion but it leaves very acidic residue in the body so, like nearly all animal products, meat is very acid-forming.

Ph Balance Chart