Every cell in your body contains water. Even the cells that make up the acid you need to digest food, to the ones that make up your hormones, to your immune cells that attack infections.
And all that water must be maintained at the right pH balance in order for your body to function the way it’s meant to.
"pH" simply means "potential of Hydrogen." And it’s measured on a scale of 0 (100% acidic) to 14 (100% alkaline). Your body prefers a slightly alkaline pH level between 7.365 and 7.390.
Here’s the tricky part. The distance from the neutral value of 7 is not just numeric. It’s logarithmic. That means each number is exponentially more acidic or alkaline the farther you get from 7.
For example, a pH reading of 6 is ten times more acidic than 7, but a pH of 4 is a thousand times more acidic than 7. So a small change in pH is really a big deal to your body. And the modern world is just making it worse.
Every day the modern world pours acid into you from pollutants in your drinking water, the air you breathe… even most modern medicines and prescriptions drugs are notorious for producing acid. And the more acidic your cells, the more stress your body goes through.
The good news is, there are ways you can naturally keep your body’s pH in check. But first let me show you why it’s so important.
Let’s take soda as an example. Almost all commercial drinks, from colas to energy and sports drinks (including sugar-free ones) have acids added to them – such as phosphoric acid, citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid.
To give you an idea of how acidic these drinks are, pure, distilled water has a pH of 7. Battery acid is a 1. The average can of cola has a pH of 2.5. That means it’s tens of thousands of times more acidic than water.
But it’s not just soft drinks. There are quite a few foods that form acid, like:
| Mustard | Asparagus | Noodles | Olives | Ketchup | |
| Pasta | Shellfish | Flour Based Products | Legumes | Tea | |
| Beans | Oatmeal | Brussels Sprouts | Cocoa | Coffee | |
| Plums | Cornstarch | Sugars | Lentils | Vinegar |
When you consume these highly acidic food and drinks, it has a huge impact on your system. Your body will use its alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium to neutralize the acid and return your pH to normal.
And this can cause problems like kidney stones, cramping, premature aging skin, abnormal blood sugar levels, fatigue, joint discomfort and more.
To help keep your pH in the slightly alkaline zone, here are two things you can do:
- Drink lots of water. Forget the “few glasses of water a day” rule. You need to drink water in excess of thirst. And that means something like 3 quarts of water a day. More if it’s very hot or if you’re working outside.
- Eat alkalizing foods. Brazil nuts, almonds, coconuts, fresh vegetables, avocados, raisins, molasses and honey are all alkalizing foods. Fresh fruit works, too, even citrus fruit. Even though they have citric acid, they have an alkalizing effect in your body.
Source: Al Sears, M.D.