What is an alkaline diet?
Alkaline foods and liquids have a pH higher than 7.0, while foods and liquids that have a pH below 7.0 are acidic. Purified or distilled water, which doesn’t occur in nature, has a pH of 7.0 and is neither alkaline or acidic.
Wikipedia does a pretty decent job of defining an alkaline diet in scientific terms:
The Alkaline diet (also known as the alkaline ash diet, alkaline acid diet and the acid alkaline diet) is a dietary protocol based on the consumption of foods which burn to leave an alkaline residue. Minerals containing elements like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, are the principal components of the ash, as they are incombustible. This burning is compared to the way in which foods are catabolised to produce wastes. Foods are thus classified as alkaline, acid or neutral according to the pH of the solution created with their ash in water. The leading proponent of the alkaline diet is Dr. Robert Young.
What is pH?There are different scientific definitions of pH depending upon where you look, but the most common meaning of pH is Potential of Hydrogen. More precisely, pH is the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen-ion concentration in gram atoms per liter.
pH is measured by a logarithmic scale that extends from 0 to 14. A logarithmic scale is a scale that measures in the power of ten. Therefore a solution with a pH of 4.0 is ten times more acidic than a solution with a pH of 5.0 and one hundred times more acidic than a solution with a pH of 6.0
The strongest possible acid has a pH of 0 and the strongest alkaline (also known as base) has a pH of 14.0
Pure water is neither acid or alkaline, and it has a pH of 7.0
Why is an alkaline diet of food and drinks important?
It is thought that drinking alkaline water or consuming a diet consisting of alkaline foods will help detoxify the body by eliminating a build up of acids.
Sceptics claim that the stomach will immediately eliminate the benefit of alkaline substances, which is true. However, the negative charge, as measured by ORP associated with the alkaline portion of ionized water or food can’t be ignored.
The following is Dr. Robert Young’s (a leading researcher in the study of the effects of an alkaline diet) answer to the question “How important is it to maintain an alkaline pH in our blood, saliva, urine, and sweat?”
“ Maintaining the alkaline pH of the saliva, urine, tears, sweat and blood is critical. Testing the body fluid pH is the most important daily measurement anyone can do to maintain health and fitness and to PREVENT ALL sickness and disease…. if you maintain the saliva and the urine pH, ideally at 7.2 or above, you will never get sick. That’s right, you will NEVER get sick! The key is to manage the alkaline design of the body fluids. But, most people on the planet have a urine or saliva pH in the 6′s or even the 5′s. They don’t manage their pH. People take better care of the pH level of their aquariums, swimming pools, or spas, than their own internal body fluids.”
Why is pH important?
The pH of human blood is typically slightly alkaline and ranges between 7.3 and 7.4
It is thought that the ideal level of pH for a human’s bodily fluids should be 7.365.
Infants are born with an alkaline pH. Most Canadians and become more acidic with age as they consume that is high in acidic content.
It is thought that the ideal pH level of pH for drinking water for good health is 9.2 to 9.5. However, when starting out, it is recommended to drink water for a few days to a week at 8.0 to 8.5, then drink water at 9.0 for another few days to a week. The graduation helps the body detoxify slowly which allows the kidneys adequate time to process and eliminate the toxins that are freed up from drinking negatively charged water.
What is ORP and why is it important?
Reduction potential is measured in millivolts (mV) and can easily be measured with an ORP meter.
While most people read and talk about pH, it is actually the negatively charged ORP that allows the human body to heal itself as the body becomes less acidic. The lower the negative number, the greater the ability to act as an anti-oxidant.
What are anti-oxidants and why do we need them?
In terms that are easier to understand, antioxidants are nature’s way of fighting off potentially dangerous molecules (called free radicals) in the body. These dangerous molecules, called free radicals, come in the form of synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, plastics, and chlorine byproducts. Free radicals are unstable molecules that essentially feed off of otherwise healthy molecules in order to survive. Free radicals are generated in the body every day by the tens fo thousands, causing cell damage that can lead to chronic and degenerative diseases if left unchecked.
The body sometimes creates its own free radicals in order to destroy viruses or bacteria. To balance out these unruly molecules, the body also creates antioxidants, which have the sole purpose of neutralizing free radicals. The body is only designed to create a certain amount of antioxidants on its own however, and as we are faced with an ever-growing number of environmental toxins, the body is less capable of fighting off the unwanted harmful invaders.
Fruits and vegetables and water with ionized water with negative ORP values provide the body with an added source of antioxidants that is needed to properly wage war against free radicals. It is believed that a lack of antioxidants can lead to the spread of free radicals, eventually leading to strokes, heart attacks, arthritis, vision problems, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and
How did my body become acidic?
All of the above factors play a role making your body acidic, but the dominant factor is your diet. While we all know we should eat our greens, it is not always easy. It is hard to resist the acidic smorgasbord of great tastes offered by restaurants. Fatigue plays a big role as well, as it is hard to come home from a long day at work and prepare a good meal. The fast food industry advertisements are everywhere, and their convenience is undeniable. Late night snacks are typically terrible for your health. Coffee shops and coffee pots filled with very acidic 4.0 pH are everywhere. Finally, the worst of the worst….soft drinks with their 2.5 to 3.0 pH levels are a big part of our society.
What will likely happen to me if I stay acidic or become more acidic?
How do I become more alkaline?
Start eating as if your health matters. You may not like alkaline foods, but there are recipes that help. While nothing will absolutely replace eating a raw diet of vegetables and low-sugar fruits, you can purchase green juice powders or use a juicer to make your own with actual vegetables etc. You can also make blended fruit “smoothies” are great and do the trick.
It has been recommend for many years by virtually every health organization to drink eight 8 ounce glasses ofr water every day which is a gallon, or 2 litres. However, the modern thinking is that people should drink half your body weight in ounces, as humans come in different sizes. Therefore, if you weigh 120 pounds, drink 60 ounces. If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces. Better still, drink alkaline water produced by a water ionizer, as it offers significant benefits over tap or bottled water.
Exercise. Go for a walk with your spouse, or child, or dog. Work in your garden. Participate in a game instead of watching one.
Reduce your stress. Take breaks, exercise, have fun, laugh, love. Recognize that your health is more important than anything.
What role does ionized water play in helping me become alkaline?
Alkaline water produced by ionizers is bombard water with negative charges. The negative charges help your body become more alkaline by eliminating acids. Sceptics claim this process is not possible, but they haven’t done their homework. Just ask any of the tens of thousands of people who have had their lives changed by drinking ionized water. The sceptics will claim the improvement is due to a placebo effect, but once again, they haven’t done their research. Talk to a water expert who has worked with water ionizers, and they will tell you their stories from a personal perspective.
If I drink alkaline water, can I ignore the other factors involved in being alkaline?
Absolutely not! Ionized water is meant to be part of a healthy lifestyle that includes eating properly, exercising, and living a low stress life.Water is the base of every drink, so why not drink other beverages that taste better, or provide a quick energy boost? There are several important reasons to drink water, and nothing but water.
Virtually every other liquid that you drink has additives, none of which are beneficial to your body unless you don’t have any other source of energy.
Sugar: Adding sugar to water is intended to appeal to those of us that crave the addictive sweet taste or an energy boost. However, the cost to your body is very high, as items like soft drinks and juices are acidic, and you don’t need the extra calories. Soft drinks are the worst food/beverage you can put in your body. Soft drinks are extremely acidic (pH of 2.5 to 3.0) and will eventually harm your body. Juices from concentrate or juices with sugar added are not much better, as they typically have pH levels of 3.5 to 4.0 and they add additives and calories that your body doesn’t want or need. Natural juices are also acidic (pH 4.5 to 5.0), but at least they are natural. Every one of these liquids disrupts the natural homeostasis of your body, thereby making digestion more difficult than it has to be. Putting stress on a system inevitably leads to problems over time.
Caffeine: Adding caffeine to water provides a temporary boost of energy, but once again, the health cost is high. Your body doesn’t need caffeine, it needs oxygen and good nutrients. Caffeine typically has a pH of 5.0 but certain types have better pH levels ranging up to 6.5. Many people develop a quasi-addiction to coffee and the “lift” that it provides. Eating and drinking natural foods and water will provide all the “lift” you need without forcing your body away from its natural homeostasis.
Alcohol: Alcohol is basically made from sugar and water. Alcohol is actually a poison that your body doesn’t need, and it too can be addictive. Alcohol provides “empty” or wasteful calories. and it is also acidic as the typical pH of alcohol is about 4.0. Alcohol has the ability to help people relax, which can relieve stress, so it can serve a purpose if consumed in moderation. There are much better ways to relieve stress than forcing your body to deal with processing alcohol.Sugar, caffeine, and alcohol can all provide a person with satisfying experiences. It is not necessary in most cases to eliminate sugar, caffeine, or alcohol completely from your diet, despite the fact that none of the substances is good for your body. The key is moderation, and to make sure that you properly hydrate with water, or more specifically, the alkaline portion of ionized water.
Cost: Determining the annual cost of consuming soft drinks, juices, caffeine, alcohol, and bottled water for an individual or family is difficult to determine. The calculation depends upon person choices, and the number of people involved. However, it is safe to say that the annual cost runs in the thousands of dollars per person. That’s right… the average person spends thousands of dollar per year on liquids that hurt them, which is more than a smoker spends on cigarettes. If you don’t think that many of the liquids you and your family are harmful, think again.
