I’ve recently received a few questions about alkaline foods and pH balance. For those of you who have never heard of this, pH balance is the measure of the acidity of a food/solution/or in this case, your own body. Some people believe that balancing your pH and creating a less acidic environment in your body is best for your overall health, because having too much acid can put extra strain on your body that’s already working so hard for you. It’s also said that neutralizing the acid in your body will help you better absorb minerals and nutrients. If you’re someone who doesn’t love eating greens, people with a less acidic pH balance often say that greens taste better to them, they taste less bitter!
If you’re wondering what would cause someone to be ‘acidic’, the answer is in the solution: Diet. A typical American diet full of meat and dairy is full of acidic animal products. Processed foods, like white flour, sugar, and soda, also cause acid build up in your body.
You can test your pH with at home kits, they’re even available on Amazon. You can test your pH with your saliva and get the results in seconds. A few friends were over and I pulled out these test strips to see which one of us was most alkaline- we’re wild ;)
People who try to maintain an alkaline pH balance say to eat a diet that’s 60% alkaline forming foods, and 40% foods that create acid. You should avoid things like coffee and soda if you’re inclined to eat a more pH balanced diet.
Here’s a handy PDF chart with a scale of how foods rate on the chart.
I think one thing that’s great about eating towards a more balanced pH is the emphasis on balance. Your body needs a variety of foods to get the nutrients it needs!
