How Ph Balance And Alkaline Foods Create A Healthy Body

The concept that pH balance and alkaline foods influence health is a relatively new theory, but those in the fields of science and medicine are realizing that it can be a vital consideration in battling many different diseases. The human body is actually intended to perform in a slightly alkaline state. However, the body is rather complex, so it bears mentioning that parts of the digestive tract are supposed to be more acidic.

Unfortunately, many of the foods and drinks in modern Western culture are acid forming. Think about the coffee and eggs people have for breakfast, the meat for dinner, and sodas they consume all day long. Each of these impacts pH balance in the body, creating an acid environment. Alkaline foods and drinks help the body manage a sound pH balance.

High school science makes it clear that substances can be either acid or alkaline. Remember dipping those pH testing strips into bleach and vinegar to see if they turned blue or pink? Any substance that registers below 7.0 on the pH scale is thought to be acid, while other substances are either neutral or alkaline. All the foods, drinks, pills and other stuff that humans take in daily fall either on the acid or alkaline side of the pH scale and influence overall pH balance in the bloodstream.

When when more acid foods than alkaline foods are consumed, internal organs and tissues tend to deteriorate from constantly being loaded up with with acid forming properties. On the other hand, when a greater selection of alkaline foods are a consideration of the diet, the body has an easier way of alkalizing the blood, thus maintaining a perfect 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 uninvited organisms such as bacteria and yeast grow much more easily when pH balance has been tipped toward the acid side. Cells perform best in an alkaline atmosphere. When the diet is low in alkaline foods and drinks, cells struggle to maintain homeostasis, and many of them deteriorate.

Since an alkaline condition is so crucial to healthy function, the human body will do what it can to restore proper pH balance, even if that means damage to other parts of the body. When a larger quantity of acid foods are eaten than alkaline foods, calcium is the easiest choice for the the body to restore alkalinity. As needed, calcium is naturally leeched from bones and teeth to alkalize the acid in the bloodstream. This is one of the many ways that candy and other sugary, acidic foods or beverages cause tooth decay and bone loss.

There are many alkaline foods that can help to reinstate a healthy pH balance in the body. Here are a few:
Lemons
Avocado
Figs
Raisins
Spinach
Kale
Greens
Sprouts
Beets
Cantaloupe
Garlic
Peas
Coconuts (and coconut milk)
Zucchini
Dates
Mangos
Oranges
Peaches
Potatoes

Choosing alkaline foods and drinks instead of acidic selections is a vital step toward restoring correct pH balance in the body. In addition to the valuable nutrients acquired from these healthy selections, oxygen flow, cell function, and blood circulation are improved while creating a less desirable environment for harmful organisms that imperil overall health.