by Julia Busch —
Calories count, but your pH (acid-alkaline) balance is critical (The pH Miracle, by Robert O. Young and Shelley Redford Young). Six in 10 Americans are overacidic and overweight. Fat production is literally the body’s attempt to protect vital organs from absorbing excess systemic acid.
The pH (parts/percentage hydrogen) scale runs from very acidic at 0, to very alkaline at 14. Most people are born with a neutral pH near 7. While blood serum pH is always 7.37, body tissue pH fluctuates constantly, depending on diet and lifestyle.
Bodies thrive when tissue pH ranges between 6.5 and 7.5. Acidic toxins clear, fat flushes out quickly, muscle mass is gained, skin glows and energy peaks. Optimal health is gained since alkaline tissue holds 20 times more oxygen than acidic tissue. Disease-causing anaerobic bacteria, viruses and fungi cannot survive in an alkaline- and oxygen-rich environment.
So to balance your pH:
- First and foremost, drink four to six 8-ounce glasses of alkaline water daily. Alkalizing drops can be economically purchased and added to tap water, or an alkaline ionization unit may be employed. Do not add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to drinking water. It will not raise pH value.
- Avoid or cut back on highly acidic coffee, black tea, soda and beer.
- Eat lots of salads and alkaline foods with high water content, such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and onions. Highly alkalizing, digestion-enhancing celery can be eaten before, during and after meals. Cold-pressed coconut or olive oil with lemon (all alkalizers) and a dash of Braggs’ Amino Acids makes a great dressing.
- Avoid all artificial sweeteners, which are highly acidic. Try Stevia or Xylitol.
- An alkalizing, juicy grapefruit, eaten 15 minutes before ingesting carbs or protein in the morning, can produce fat-flushing miracles.
- Cut back on highly acidic red meat, pork and lamb.
- Reduce acid-forming everyday stress with daily breathing exercises, yoga, swimming or a pleasant walk. A calm body allows for proper digestion. Good digestion allows for toxin release, which counters fat build-up.
- Factor in an organic, super green, nutrient-dense supplement or drink. It offers readily absorbed vitamins, minerals, amino acids, chlorophyll, enzymes, phytonutrients and alkaline salts to help neutralize acids.
- Avoid processed and refined foods as they are highly acidic.
Julia Busch is president of Anti-Aging Press, Inc., editor of the So Young™ anti-aging holistic newsletter and author of 10 books. 800-So- Young (800-769-6864) or julia2@gate.net.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number 3, Jun/July 2009.
February 28, 2012
Diet, Health, Nutrition, Weight issues