Many of you have heard of acid/alkaline balance but few fully understand how important this concept is. In fact, it might just be the most important concept in health and nutrition.
Here’s a profound concept: “The human body is alkaline by design and acid by function.” That means that the physical make up of the body relies on being as alkaline as possible while every function that the body performs creates acids. When a baby is born, they are completely alkaline and they become acidic with their first tear.
We all learned a bit about acid in chemistry in high school, right? Acids are strong substances that can eat their way through things. Well, that hasn’t changed. Acids are useful for many functions. One example would be for breaking down foods into their component nutrients so we can absorb and utilize the vitamins, minerals, etc. This is the reason that we have stomach acid known as HCl, or hydrochloric acid. Of course, drug companies tell us that this acid is bad so we have to eliminate it. Now we have a population that lives on Zantac and Prilosec and have no means to break down that steak dinner they ate yesterday! While it slowly rots in our digestive tract, all sorts of toxins and building up and spilling over into our bloodstream ready to poison our entire body. A couple of natural Stomach Comfort chewables should calm over-acid conditions caused by stress or excitement without turning off your body’s ability to produce acid when needed for digestion.
Our point is that acids have their place and function in the maintenance of good health but cause problems when they get out of control. We’re designed to eat a diet that consists of 80% alkaline foods and 20% acidic foods. The Standard American Diet is 80% acid and 20% alkaline foods. Now you see the problem.
Which foods are alkaline and which foods are acidic? Here is a general list: vegetables and some fruits are alkaline while meats, nuts, dairy, grains, sugars and some fruits are acidic. Whoops! Guess we need to be eating a lot more salads and veggies, huh?
There are a few exceptions such as oats and millet which are alkaline grains and almonds which are alkaline nuts. Most berries are alkaline while citrus fruits are the most acidic. Remember, acids eat through anything, even bones. Consumption of tomatoes and orange juice is a large contributor to the high incidence of arthritis in America today.
If you want to live longer and more healthfully, increase the alkalinity in your body. Eat more alkaline foods and counteract the acidity from other foods by adding Coral Calcium Powder to them. It will not change the taste or texture of the food and is about 9 on the pH scale. (The pH scale goes from 1 to 14 with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. 7 is neutral and we should aim for our pH to be around 5.6 as measured in our saliva. [In the blood it should be 7.2 to 7.4])
Liquid chlorophyll is another great alkalizer, providing a concentrated serving of alkaline food. After all, chlorophyll is the ‘blood of the plants’. Squirt some of this spearmint flavored green liquid into every glass of water you drink and you will lubricate stiff joints while raising the pH of your body to a healthier level. Chlorophyll is also available in capsule form.
Kelp is a great alkalizing supplement with more than 30 minerals to boot. Take 6-8 daily and you will enjoy great benefits. Combination Potassium contains Kelp and more to balance electrolytes, an extremely important thing with the summer approaching. Electrolyte imbalance, particularly low potassium levels, contributes to heart problems in the summer heat when we lose much of this important mineral through our perspiration.
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