The Secret to Balance Your pH

In the Friday Afternoon Chat last week, someone asked how tobalance your pH in your body.

For fun and practice, Tisha had everyone that was in the chat room stop and use Bio-Kinetic Testing to determine what our own body's pH was.

Beth was not surprised to find that she was slightly alkaline, but Josh was a little alarmed to discover that his pH was highly acidic!

So we thought it might be a good idea to take this week and discuss pH and give some tips on how to keep the body more balanced.

What is pH?

The pH scale is a way of measuring how acidic or alkaline the body is. The scale goes from 1 to 14; 1 being highly acidic, and 14 being highly alkaline. Pure water runs at about a 7, which is considered neutral. If you don't know Bio-Kinetic Testing yet, you can also find out your own pH level by purchasing test strips at your local pharmacy. These strips can be used to test your saliva or urine.

What effects does pH have on our bodies?

According to our research, an acidic pH seems to pose the most health problems in our bodies, although a highly alkaline body can also experience problems.

Problems stemming from over-acidity include cardiovascular damage, increased risk of cancer, liver, bladder, and kidney problems, weakened immune system, weight retention, and low energy, including chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

Our bodies are healthiest when they are in balance, but slightly alkaline (about a 7.4).

One interesting side note. During her years of using Bio-Kinetic Testing with her clients, Tisha Mecham has found a correlation between pH balance and something else. In a previous issue of the newsletter, we talked about the delicate balance in our bodies between bacteria and yeast. Tisha has found that a highly alkaline body will promote the growth of yeast, while an acidic body will promote the growth of bacteria.

How do you regulate your pH?

The easiest way to regulate and balance your pH is through your diet. An easy rule of thumb to remember is that meats, most carbohydrates, and fats are acid forming. Most fruits and vegetables are alkaline. (Surprise surprise right? When are we going to discover that chicken wings and cheetos are a miracle cure for something?)

Acid Forming Foods

Meats (pork, beef, turkey, chicken, eggs, fish)
Carbohydrates (white breads, white rice, pastas, cakes, pastries)
Sweets (candy, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, sweetened fruit juice)
Alcohol (liquor, wine, beer)
Most nuts
Sodas
Coffee
Dairy (milk, cheese, ice cream)
Most processed and prepared stuff (mayo, mustard, snack foods, canned foods, dried foods, ketchup)

Alkaline Foods

Fruits (apples, bananas, berries, melons, grapes, figs, lemons, limes, avacado etc.)
Sprouts, roots, herbs, and grasses (wheat grass, sprouts, garlic, parsley, watercress, cayenne pepper, cilantro)
Whole grains and beans, including green beans
Vegatables (spinach, celery, peas, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, etc.)

It turns out that the "secret" to balance your pH is about the same as the secret to everything else health related.

Cut down on meats, sugar, and junk food.

Increase your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

In other words...it's not much of a secret.

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