Health & Fitness Tools

How Alkaline Foods and pH Balance Affect Health

9th November, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

The concept that pH balance and alkaline foods influence health is a relatively new topic, but scientists and doctors are realizing that it can be a vital consideration in battling many different diseases. The human body is actually intended to perform with a slightly alkaline pH balance of 7.4. Of course, the body is very complex and some parts of the digestive tract, for instance, are intentionally acidic.

Unfortunately, most of the foods and drinks in the Standard American Diet (SAD) are acid forming. It is easy to see that all the processed foods, sugary drinks and fried foods that people consume on a regular basis are very acidic. Each of these influences pH balance in the body, making it more acidic. Alkaline foods and drinks help the body restore proper pH balance.

Early science explains that substances can be either acid or alkaline. Often, pH testing paper is used to measure the alkaline or acid nature of something. Any substance registering below 7.0 on the pH scale is thought to be acid, while other substances are either neutral or alkaline. All the foods, drinks and substances that humans take in daily fall either on the acid or alkaline side of the pH scale and have an impact on overall pH balance throughout the systems of the body.

When an excess number of acid foods are consumed, the systems of the body tend to get overtaxed from constantly being fueled with acid forming properties. On the other hand, when more alkaline foods are a component of the diet, the body has an easier task of alkalizing the blood, thus maintaining a correct pH balance.

There are a variety of other reasons to prevent the creation of an acidic environment within the body. One of the most important is that unwelcome organisms such as candida, yeast and other unhealty bacteria grow much more easily when pH balance is more acid than alkaline. Cells require an alkaline environment to behave properly. When there is a general lack of alkaline foods and drinks in the diet, cells struggle to thrive, and many of them decay or die prematurely.

Because an alkaline atmospere is so vital to healthy function, the human body will do all it can to restore proper pH balance, even if that means causing harm to other parts of the body. When a greater number of acid foods are eaten than alkaline foods, calcium is the first option for the body to restore alkalinity. As needed, calcium is naturally drawn from bones and teeth in order to put out the fire and alkalize the acid in the bloodstream. This is one of the ways that sodas and other acid forming sweets and drinks cause tooth decay and bone loss.

There are a wide variety of alkaline foods that can help to restore a proper pH balance in the body. Here are a few:
• Lemons
• Pears
• Figs
• Raisins
• Spinach
• Kale
• Leafy greens
• Sprouts
• Beets
• Cantaloupe
• Onions
• Peas
• Coconuts (and coconut milk)
• Zucchini
• Dates
• Mangos
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Potatoes

Consuming alkaline foods and alkaline drinks instead of acid foods and drinks is a vital step toward restoring a healthy pH balance in the body. In addition to the high quality nutrients attained from these healthy selections, cell function and oxygenation are improved while creating a less welcoming environment for harmful organisms that jeopardize overall health.

Author Everett Smith created the alkaline food test at http://www.besthealthfoodstore.net/index.html so that consumers may understand more clearly how alkaline foods and pH balance can have a positive effect on overall health.