Written by: GLENN TAYLOR
It is important to maintain
balanced pH levels in your body; otherwise you will be prone to a number of
health issues which might vary from sleep disorders to the health of your
bones. In order to live a good and healthy life you need to pay attention to
the pH levels of your body or else everything might not go as smoothly as you
would like. If you wish to balance your pH levels, you need to increase the
in-take of foods which are rich in Alkali. This includes fruits of all kinds,
vegetables, along with food which has been processed to a minimum.
Benefits of Alkaline Food
Generally, food is either
classified as being acidic or alkaline in nature. Most Americans, have a more
acidic diet. This is because of heavy consumption of meat, which is rich in
acid, is processed, and is coupled with dairy products.
Our body has a pH value of 7.35,
which is slightly alkaline. Now, the food we consume doesn’t change this value
because the body constantly seeks to neutralize itself. Every time you eat
something which is acidic, your body seeks to dilute it by leaching some amount
of calcium which is an important agent for alkalizing purposes. However, this
calcium is sucked from your bones making them weak.
On the other hand, plant based
food which serves to form alkali, tends to be rich in nutrients and in
antioxidants. Once you increase the intake of such foods, the process of
leeching calcium from your bones will slow down on its own. This will, in turn,
help maintain the condition of your bones and will prevent them from losing
their strength. (Schwalfenberg, 2011)
Lesser Chance of Developing Kidney Stones
When a person starts consuming a
diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates, it tends to affect their urinary
chemistry. Such a diet results in a decrease in the levels of urinary
magnesium, pH, and urinary citrate. These decreasing levels are matched by the
increasing levels of undissociated uric acid, phosphate, and urinary calcium.
These imbalances result in problems like the development of kidney stones and such
issues can be prevented by consuming a high alkalized diet. (S.T., Wang, Sakhaee, Brinkley, & Pak, 2002)
Muscle Mass
We tend to lose a great deal of
our muscle mass as we age and this leads to an increased number of fractures.
In order to retain a good amount of muscle mass, we need to increase our
consumption of foods rich in potassium such as fruits and vegetables, while
reducing the total amount of acid consumed through our diet. It has proven by a
three year study that was conducted, that such a diet serves to enhance the
process of muscle mass preservation in the bodies of elderly men and women. (Schwalfenberg, 2011)
Improvements in back pain
There is plenty of evidence to
support the claim that back pain improves if you supplement minerals rich in
alkaline properties, into your diet. The supplementation helps to increase the
level of magnesium in cells and improves blood pH levels. The level of
intracellular magnesium helps to improve the function of the enzyme system and
activates vitamin D in the body. (Schwalfenberg, 2011)Bibliography
S.T., R., Wang, C., Sakhaee, K., Brinkley, L., &
Pak, C. (2002). Effect of low-carbohydrate high-protein diets on acid-base
balance, stone-forming propensity, and calcium metabolism. U.S. National
Library of Medicine . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12148098
Schwalfenberg, G. K. (2012). The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That
an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health? U.S. National Library of Medicine
. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3195546/
