The Body’s Tight Rope – The Acid-Alkaline Balance
We’ve become the ‘taste good’ generations. The baby boomers were the leading edge of fast foods and convenience in the kitchen. The generations since, have become addicted to all kinds of these foods and they are extremely acidifying to the body. The French fries, carbonated beverages, super-sized, deep-fried, sugar filled whatever, is killing us. The joke says, acid is great for running batteries, not bodies. But, it’s not a joke. The level of acidity or alkalinity, called pH in our bodies, is determined by what we put in our mouths and influences our overall health. More and more people are suffering from health problems at a younger and younger age and scientists are now proving that a condition in the body called acidosis is creating illness and disease.
Why are French fries, donuts and cola so bad for us? In a forest, when anything dies the cells of the body become very acidic. That acid attracts bacteria, viruses, molds and fungi that decompose the dead tissue. Acidity is the signal to decompose. If our bodies get too acid, we may come under attack from microbes. It doesn’t seem to matter what dis-ease is present, the body will be acidic. Not only is the acidic condition called acidosis irritating to the tissues of the body, it begins to invite microbes that further damage tissues.
When we eat foods, and consume beverages, they are digested and metabolized for energy. The end product of metabolism is waste. The waste is either acid or alkaline in nature, depending on our food intake. Alkaline waste is quickly dispensed with and released from the body. Acidic metabolic waste is very difficult for the blood and lymph pipeline to move to the exit chute. This is when the body starts storing these acids in our organs, tissues and fat cells.
A build up of acids in the body, leads to a chronically acidic condition called acidosis. When the body gets too acid or chronically acid you start turbo-aging. Your body becomes damaged from the constant irritation and free radicals begin to multiply, stealing electrons from healthy cells, damaging them. As the damage affects the digestive system, vitamins, minerals and essential nutrients from your foods and supplementation cannot be absorbed efficiently, or at all. The friendly bacteria in your small intestine cannot survive the acid onslaught and the immune system which starts in your gut becomes impaired and functions poorly. When the gut becomes impaired as the friendly flora die, yeast begins to over-run the gut, allergies develop as a result and the bowel becomes irritated enough to cause pain, gas and diarrhea.
Acid buildup in the tissues is like meat tenderizer on a steak. Connective tissue which makes up the body’s fascia becomes weakened which can cause injuries. Weakened body fascia causes skin to sag and wrinkle. Hair can even lose its texture.
People with acidosis can have disrupted sleep or sleep poorly. Acids in the system cause the body more stress and it becomes more and more exhausted. Infections, coughs, colds and flu can feel like a revolving door. Acne can erupt and be difficult to get rid of. In addition, headaches can pound away at your head in response to the acidic waste and your mental and physical energies will take a dive.
One of the most devastating conditions that comes out of an acidic body terrain is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis occurs as the body tries to buffer the acidity by pulling minerals from your bones, organs and teeth in an attempt to bring the body to balance. The blood is the lifeline for all body functions. The pH of the blood must be maintained within very narrow ranges. Over time, the bones become porous as they lose minerals to the buffering action.
Athletic performance and performance in the bedroom will reduce to the point where all interest and ability can be lost.
Before you start calling up the grim reaper, consider how resilient the body is to repair itself. To reverse an acidic body condition, you need to obviously change your inner body terrain from acidic to more alkaline. The easiest way to start is to add alkaline, ionized water to your daily regimen. The reason for this has to do with the qualities of the water that are imparted to the body. Using a dietary approach alone to alkalize the body takes approximately 9 months to begin to see any results.
If you begin with alkaline, ionized water you will start to see shifts in your terrain within a week. Your body will naturally shift into wanting more healthy foods. As your body becomes a little ‘cleaner’ you can shift your diet to 75 to 80 percent alkalizing foods and 20 to 25 percent acid foods. It becomes a breeze and you really don’t miss your old way of eating. The alkaline, ionized water makes the process so much more tolerable as cravings disappear. Three handfuls of alkaline forming foods and one handful of acidic forming foods should be on your plate every meal, in those proportions.
If you want an alkaline foods list, just Google it, there are lots of them out there. Briefly, some of the alkalizing foods are vegetables grown above ground, some fruits, herbal teas, apple cider vinegar, free range eggs, fat-free cottage cheese, almonds, organic yogurt, hemp protein powder, whey protein powder and millet. Gradually add more alkaline foods and water to your diet so before you know it, you’re well on your way to balancing that tight rope in a healthier way.
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