Proper pH Balance

The ideal ph is the balance of acidity and alkalinity in your body. This balance is key to good health, but it can be challenging to maintain.

Most of us don’t think about our blood’s acid/alkaline balance, yet it’s an essential component of general health. Because a healthy pH helps protect us from the inside out, many physicians emphasize the significance of decreasing acidity and boosting alkalinity with an alkaline diet. In addition, they claim that disease and dysfunction cannot thrive in a pH-balanced body.

What does the term “pH balance” mean? Do you have any idea whether your pH levels are out of whack? pH equilibrium refers to a healthy balance of acidity and alkalinity in the body. In most instances, your body does an excellent job of maintaining its pH regulated, but eating an alkaline diet may help prevent harmful bacteria and organisms from thriving, tissue and organ damage, mineral depletion, and immune system impairment. Why? You’ll have to keep reading to find out what happens next!

According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, in comparison to the pre-agricultural period, agricultural people today have a diet low in magnesium and potassium, fiber and high in saturated fat, simple carbohydrates, salt, and chloride. Consequently, we have a diet that may cause metabolic acidosis and disrupt our genetically set nutritional needs.

Eating many nutrient-dense, alkalizing plant foods, and limiting your consumption of processed meals is the most effective approach to maintaining a balanced pH. Because various variables, including gut health, stress, sleep, medicines, and medical history, influence how hard your body has to work to maintain a healthy pH level, other lifestyle choices may help restore equilibrium.

pH Balance and Its Importance

The term “pH” refers to the “potential of hydrogen,” or the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. The acidity or alkalinity of our body’s fluids and tissues is also measured by pH. It’s measured on a scale of 0 to 14 on a pH scale. The lower the pH value of a solution, the more acidic it is. The higher the pH value, the more alkaline it is. The pH scale indicates the acidity or alkalinity of many fluids, including human blood and many others found outside the body (such as the ocean).

What is the optimum pH level for the human body? A pH of 7 is considered neutral, which implies it is acidic as well as alkaline. The pH of the blood (serum) and the pH of the majority of body tissues should be about 7.365, whereas the pH of the stomach should be around 2 to break down meals effectively. Saliva and urine are usually acidic in a healthy person, ranging from 6.4-6.8 pH.

Alkaline diets (also known as alkaline ash diets) that assist in restoring appropriate pH levels have been linked to a variety of health benefits, including:

• Protection against cardiovascular disease
• Calcium accumulation in the urine is avoided
• Kidney stone prevention, kidney illness, and kidney damage
• Inflammation is reduced
• Diabetes risk is reduced
• Maintaining a higher bone mineral density/strengthening the bones
• Muscle atrophy or spasms are reduced
• Improved defense against vitamin D insufficiency and its effects
• Lower back discomfort is getting better

What factors contribute to a pH imbalance?

“An overproduction of acid in the blood or an excessive loss of bicarbonate from the blood (metabolic acidosis), or a buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood that comes from poor lung function or slowed breathing (respiratory acidosis),” according to the Merck Manual.

What may cause your pH level to change from alkaline to acidic, resulting in an imbalance?

In reality, your body nearly always performs a great job of maintaining a stable pH level. Regrettably, you are in charge of deciding how hard your body needs to work to accomplish this.

The body’s acid-base regulatory mechanisms are overwhelmed by a rise in acid, leading the blood to become acidic. The kidneys, under normal circumstances, keep the pH and electrolyte levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in check. On the other hand, these electrolytes are utilized to fight acidity when we are exposed to acidic substances.

More minerals are excreted from the body via the urine by the kidneys. Our systems are forced to steal minerals from our bones, cells, organs, and tissues due to high levels of acidity caused by food or medical disorders. Mineral deficiency causes cells to be unable to dispose of waste or fully oxygenate the body adequately. Mineral loss, therefore, compromises vitamin absorption. As a result, toxins and pathogens may build up in the body, causing the immune system to be suppressed.

Essentially, you push your body to work extra hard to maintain a balanced pH in your blood while depleting the nutritional levels your body needs to do so. These disturbances include a loss of potassium, sodium ratio (it used to be 10:1, but it’s now 1:3), a decrease in magnesium levels, a dangerously low amount of fiber, and an early loss of renal function, especially as we age.

You may not have a pH imbalance, but if you push your body to remain in overdrive all the time, it won’t have the endurance it needs to guide you into elegant (and healthy) aging.

Forms of Acidosis

There are five primary kinds of “metabolic acidosis,” which means that the body’s pH balance is off or working too hard to maintain it.

1. Diabetic ketoacidosis — Often mistaken with ketosis, diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when a diabetic’s condition isn’t properly managed and the liver generates dangerously high levels of ketone bodies. This usually happens when blood sugar levels exceed 240 mg/dL.
2. Hyperchloremic acidosis – Vomiting and diarrhea may induce hyperchloremic acidosis, which means your body has lost the sodium bicarbonate base it needs to balance your blood.
3. Lactic acidosis occurs when there is too much lactic acid in the body. “Causes may include persistent alcohol use, heart failure, cancer, seizures, liver failure, prolonged loss of oxygen, and low blood sugar,” according to Healthline. In addition, lactic acid accumulation may occur even with moderate exercise.”
4. Renal tubular acidosis occurs when the kidneys cannot eliminate acids in the urine, causing the blood to become acidic.
5. Acidosis in the diet — Dietary acidosis (or “diet-induced acidosis”) is the condition of consuming a very acidic diet that imposes excessive stress on the body, leading to increased disease risk and worse general function. According to a 2010 study, it “has a substantial, clinical, long-term pathophysiological impact that should be recognized.”

Acidity Caused by Various Factors

• Use of alcohol and other drugs (such as acetazolamide, opioids, sedatives, and aspirin)
• Overuse of antibiotics
• Kidney disease, often known as kidney failure, is a condition in which the kidneys.
• Poor gut health and digestion
• Eating a lot of sodium-rich processed and refined meals, as well as added sugar, refined grains, preservatives, etc.
• Potassium, calcium, and other minerals are in short supply
• Artificial sweeteners, food coloring, and preservatives are widely used.
• Non-organic foods may include pesticides and herbicides that may persist.
• Stress that lasts a long time
• Sleep apnea, for example, is an asleep condition.
• Food nutrition levels are declining as a result of industrial farming and decreasing topsoil quality.
• Fiber deficiency in the diet
• Sedentary lifestyle/lack of activity
• Excessive consumption of animal foods in the diet (from non-grass fed sources)
• Processed meals, health and beauty goods, and plastics all contain excess hormones.
• Chemicals and radiation from home cleaners, construction materials, computers, mobile phones, and microwaves are all sources of exposure.
• Overexercising
• Pollution
• Chewing and eating habits that aren’t up to par
• Emphysema, chronic bronchitis, severe pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and asthma are lung illnesses or damage.

How to Maintain a Healthy pH Balance

1. Limit Acidic Food Consumption

If you’re used to eating a “Standard American Diet,” you’ll probably have to give up certain items to eat a diet that’s lower in acidic foods. Limit or remove acidic items from your diet, such as:

• Meats that have been processed, such as deli meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, cured meats, and so on.
• foods that are rich in salt
• Sugar that has been added
• Corn, wheat, barley, sorghum, millet, rye, triticale, and fonio are processed cereal grains.
• Meats that are often consumed (beef, chicken, and pork)
• foods that have been fried
• Dairy products and milk
• Peanuts
• White rice, white bread, spaghetti, morning cereals, and other refined grains
• Caffeine
• Alcohol

Some generally nutritious meals also contribute to acidity, but they don’t have to be avoided entirely. These foods may still provide you with various nutrients, so consume them in moderation as part of a well-balanced diet.

• Meat and eggs (look for free-range and grass-fed alternatives)
• Legumes such as lentils and other legumes
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Bread made with whole grains (I recommend sprouted bread)
• Walnuts

2. Consume an alkaline-based diet

If there is such a thing as a pH-balancing diet, it consists of plenty of green vegetables and other alkalizing foods. It’s also a good idea to buy as much organic food as possible since foods produced in organic, mineral-dense soil are more alkalizing and contain more vitamins and minerals. A well-balanced alkaline diet includes the following foods:

• Kale, chard, beet greens, dandelion, spinach, wheatgrass, alfalfa grass, and other leafy green veggies
• Mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, radishes, cucumber, jicama, broccoli, oregano, garlic, ginger, green beans, endive, cabbage, celery, zucchini, and asparagus are examples of non-starchy vegetables.
• Raw foods are considered to be biogenic or life-giving since they are not cooked. Cooking depletes alkalinizing minerals in meals. Try juicing or gently boiling fruits and vegetables to increase your raw food consumption. Natural foods may assist provide high amounts of alkalizing minerals, so aim to eat a significant percentage of your vegetables essential or just minimally cooked (such as steamed).
• Superfoods such as maca root, spirulina, sea vegetables, bone broth, and chlorophyll-rich green powder blends
• Coconut oil, MCT oil, or virgin olive oil (fats found in wild-caught fish, grass-fed cattle, cage-free eggs, nuts, seeds, and organic grass-fed butter are all excellent additions to your diet, even if they aren’t alkalizing).
• Sweet potatoes, turnips, and beets are examples of starchy plants.
• Almonds, navy beans, lima beans, and most other beans are high in plant proteins.
• The majority of fruits – Surprisingly, acidic fruits like grapefruit and tomatoes do not cause acidity in the body. Instead, they contribute to an alkaline environment by doing the exact opposite. Citrus fruits, dates, and raisins are all alkalizing foods that may aid in the prevention of acidosis.
• Green beverages (vegetable juices) — Alkaline foods and chlorophyll are abundant in drinks prepared from powdered green vegetables and grasses. Chlorophyll has a comparable structure to our blood and alkalizes it.
• ACV (apple cider vinegar) has an acidic flavor, yet it may help restore pH equilibrium.

Depending on your present health and objectives, following an alkalizing, the highly low-carb ketogenic diet may help you reverse acidity even more effectively. In addition, healthy fats and oils, all kinds of leafy greens, powdered greens/drink mixes, and superfoods are all supportive of pH balance on the keto diet.

Because most high-protein meals are acid-forming, it’s critical to balance your diet with alkalizing plant foods if you consume many meat and animal foods. If you’re on a low-carb diet, you may consume the items listed above as well as certain legumes, beans, nuts, and lesser quantities of starchy vegetables if you’re trying to decrease acidity (since these contain more sugar and carbs).

3. Drinking Alkaline Water is a great way to improve your health

“The typical range for pH in surface water systems is 6.5 to 8.5, and for groundwater systems is 6 to 8.5,” according to the Water Research Center’s website. This implies that there is a lot of variance across various water sources when it comes to pH levels.

Water with a pH of less than 6.5 is said to be “acidic, soft, and corrosive.” This implies it may leach metal ions like iron, manganese, copper, lead, and zinc from aquifers, plumbing fittings, and pipes and contain hazardous metals and have a sour flavor. Therefore, the best method to solve the issue of acidic (low pH) water is to employ a pH-raising neutralizer.

Alkaline water is exactly what it sounds like: extremely alkaline water with a pH of 9 to 11. Alkalinity may also be increased by adding pH drops or baking soda to your water. With a pH of 7, distilled water is pH neutral.

The pH level of water purified via a reverse osmosis filter is somewhat lower than 7. Therefore, although distilled and filtered water is not too alkaline, they are better in pH balance than acidic tap water or purified bottled water.

4. Minimize Drug, Toxin, and Chemical Exposure

Alcohol, caffeine-containing products, acetazolamide, opioids, sedatives, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and aspirin are just a few of the substances, chemicals, pollutants, and poisons that may disrupt pH equilibrium and contribute to acidity. Acidosis may also be caused by other kinds of poisoning or chemical exposure, and it can be extremely hazardous if it gets severe.

It’s critical to address any underlying health issues that may be leading you to depend on these medications daily. Could a lack of sleep, stress, a sedentary lifestyle, or allergies, for example, be contributing to your health issues? Determine what measures you can take to decrease your reliance on medicines and pharmaceuticals organically. If you live or work in an area where air pollution is prevalent, take precautions to protect yourself as much as possible.

Checking the pH Level

• pH strips may be purchased at your local health food shop or pharmacy to test your pH.
• Saliva or urine may be used to determine your pH. The most significant effects will come from your second urine of the morning.
• The colors on your test strip are compared to a pH scale chart included with your test strip kit.
• One hour before a meal and two hours after a meal is ideal for testing your pH throughout the day.
• If you try your pH with your saliva, you should aim for a 6.8 to 7.3 (remember that the optimum pH is about 7.365).

Last Thoughts

• The acidity or alkalinity of our body’s fluids and tissues is measured by pH, which stands for “potential of hydrogen.” pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being neutral and 14 being acidic.
• The optimum pH level for the human body is 7.365, which is slightly more alkaline than acidic (although this fluctuates somewhat throughout the day).
• A poor diet, poor gut health, certain medicines and pharmaceuticals, renal or lung illness, and various other bad lifestyle choices are all causes of acidosis (too much acidity).
• An alkaline diet consists of whole foods that have beneficial impacts on the physiological systems and processes necessary for maintaining a healthy pH level. Many fresh vegetables and entire fruits, raw foods, green juices, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats are all part of an alkaline diet.
• High-sodium meals, processed cereals, too much meat, animal protein, added sweets, and regular milk are acidic foods that may lead to pH imbalance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you balance your pH?

A: Increase alkaline foods to 70% of your diet, incorporate alkalizing lifestyle choices, reduce or eliminate harmful acidic foods from your diet.

What are 3 ways pH is regulated in the body?

A: There are 3 ways pH is regulated in the body. 1) The lungs release carbon dioxide into the blood, which causes a decrease in pH. 2) The kidneys regulate blood pH by excreting hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions in urine. 3) The body cells can buffer their internal pH by releasing chloride ions into extracellular fluid when there is too much acidity or alkalinity.

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