Your body is constantly balancing acids from foods and buffering the pH of your blood with calcium and bicarbonates. The pH of the internal environment of the body ranges from 7.35 to 7.45, according to Dr. Ted Morter in "pH: Your Potential for Health." Poor dietary choices, disease or environmental pollutants can change the pH of your body and wreak havoc on your organs. Increasing your intake of alkaline foods will raise the pH of your internal environment to one that is more basic and help your body eliminate unneeded acids.
Step 1
Eat up to 80 percent of your diet in fruits and vegetables, as stated by naturopathic doctor Sue Pollock. Each meal should focus on green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, mustard greens and various lettuces, but also include broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, cabbages and green beans. Fruits that are acidic in taste actually help your body become more alkaline. Include citrus fruits and tomatoes, but also eat more berries, watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon. Eating fruits and vegetables helps to increase the pH of your body, while increasing the fluid intake to help flush out acids that may have built up, according to Morter.
Step 2
Decrease your intake of animal proteins, which leave behind acid ash---mineral product after digestion and absorption---for neutralization before elimination occurs. High-protein diets and, in particular, animal proteins increase the use of calcium for neutralizing. Your bones release calcium to neutralize acidic proteins, while your liver and kidneys work to make ammonia and urea from the excess amino acids in your body, according to naturopathic doctor Kristijana Rakic.
Step 3
Choose vegetarian proteins instead of animal proteins. Proteins from soy, nuts, legumes such as beans and lentils, chickpeas and seeds are less acid producing than animal proteins. Make the switch by replacing one serving of meat per day with a plant-based protein.
Step 4
Stop drinking acidifying beverages. Coffee, tea and soda produce acid in your body. The natural beverage of choice is water, according to Rakic. Drinking water constantly will increase the speed at which your body becomes more alkaline.
Step 5
Practice breathing exercises. Oxygen increases an alkaline environment, according to Pollock. Practicing yoga deep-breathing exercises increases available oxygen and helps the lungs to release carbon dioxide that has built up in your tissues.
Step 6
Take calcium and magnesium supplements with meals. Calcium and magnesium help neutralize acids in the foods you consume. The minerals also act as buffers in the blood, according to Pollock.
Things You'll Need
- Urine pH test strips
- Saliva pH test strips
References
- "Alkalinze Your Body to Lose Weight"; Kristijana Rakic; 2010
- "pH: Your Potential for Health"; Ted Morter; 2010
- "Acid/Alkaline Balance in the Body"; Sue Pollock; 2009
- "The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet"; Felicia Drury Kliment; 2002
Member Comments