Bone is living tissue and needs to be nourished properly to remain healthy. People who focus on calcium and Vitamin D intake for bone health are overlooking not only a host of other nutrients that are needed to build and preserve bone, but also the dietary factors that affect the bone mineral density. One of the key principles for maintaining bone tissue is keeping the pH of the body within a healthy range. Acids are a normal metabolic byproduct of many of our body processes; minerals are needed to buffer these acids. People can get these minerals from their diet, or if not, can get them from their body's mineral reserves, our bones. Diet, then, should be rich in mineral buffers for human bodies. Too often, this is not the case; rather, the standard American diet features foods that add to the acid burden, contributing to the problem, not the solution.
Step 1
Assess the current status of your pH by checking the pH of your first morning urine (if you can avoid urinating for six consecutive hours at night) or your salivary pH before breakfast. If checking urine, your pH should fall between 6.5 and 7.5; if checking saliva, the recommended range is 7 to 7.5.
Step 2
Check your pH as described above for a week, and then average your results. If your average is within the recommended range for the method you're using, strive to eat equal amounts of alkaline-forming and acidifying foods (1:1 ratio). If your average pH is lower than the recommended range (indicating that you are too acidic), alkaline-forming foods should make up a larger percentage of your diet--about 75 percent--while acidifying foods would constitute 25 percent of the daily diet.
Step 3
Become familiar with the effect foods have on the body's pH. Generally speaking, alkaline-forming foods are vegetables (particularly green vegetables), fruit and nuts. For a complete list, see the Resources section at the end of the article. Do not avoid all acidifying foods; the goal is not to eliminate these foods from the diet, since many of them provide critical nutrients. The goal is to find a healthy balance. However, there are some acidifying foods that are best avoided, including refined sugars and sodas; both are highly acidifying and offer no nutritional benefit.
Step 4
Realize that diet is not the only thing affecting the body's pH; other factors include exercise (generally alkalizing) as well as medications and stress (both generally acidifying). You may not have control over all of these factors, but you can control what you eat. Try as much as possible to make your diet beneficial for your bones by consuming the buffers your body needs.
Tips and Warnings
- You can find pH paper at most health food stores. A roll should cost no more than $10 to $15, and an interpretation guide should come in the package.
- Remember that pH is one of the foundations of a healthy diet, but not the only consideration. Balance pH with other guidelines (like balancing your blood sugar) to avoid extremes and maintain health.
References
- Smart Medicine for Healthier Living; Janet Zand, LAc, Allan Spreen, MD and James LaValle, RPh, ND; 1999.
- Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine; Michael Murray, ND and Joseph Pizzorno, ND; 1998.
- Better Bones
