March is National Nutrition Month, and with the arrival of the spring season, now is a great time to clean your diet and add momentum to your healing. The Western diet typically places heavy emphasis on commercial animal proteins and processed, grain-based carbohydrates that have a low nutritional value, often referred to as the Standard American Diet (SAD). This type of diet can produce a chronic inflammatory, overly acidic state in the body, leading to various metabolic diseases, cardiovascular and weight conditions, cancer, dementia, and more.
Maintaining Balance
Your overall health depends on a precise balance, and maintaining the right pH balance is key. The abbreviation pH refers to the “potential of hydrogen,” a measure of acidity. Hydrogen ions contribute acidity to any tissue or organ. Some body systems, such as the blood, are more tightly regulated than others. Urine has a broader pH range, making it an ideal body fluid for keeping track of dietary pH adjustments.
Being overly acidic can compromise health and contribute to various chronic degenerative conditions, including gastrointestinal issues, weakened immunity, osteoporosis, kidney disease, and muscle wasting. For example, the body uses bone tissue to buffer acidity, and bones can be weakened when the alkaline minerals calcium and magnesium are removed to maintain the body’s proper alkaline balance. Increased calcium excretion from the bone also increases kidney stone risks.
Food Affects Your pH Levels
Dietary modifications can help maintain the right pH within the body’s various systems, so you need to consume foods that support organs working to maintain optimal pH values. A high intake of vegetables can neutralize over-acidity and positively influence bone metabolism, strengthening the skeleton by increasing phosphate and calcium retention and reducing bone depletion.
An understanding of which foods are acid-forming and which are alkaline can be beneficial. Most fruits are acid-forming, with a few exceptions such as lemons and limes, which are acidic but become alkalizing once digested. That’s why lemons and limes are frequently recommended during seasonal cleanses or detox programs.
Highly Alkalizing Foods
- Himalayan salt, grasses, cucumber, kale, kelp, spinach, parsley, broccoli, sprouts, sea vegetables (kelp), green drinks, sprouts.
Moderately Alkalizing Foods
- Avocado, capsicum/pepper, mustard greens, cabbage, okra, celery, onion, collard/spring greens, radish, red onion, ginger, endive, garlic, rocket/arugula, tomato, butter beans, soy beans, lime, quinoa, lemon, white haricot beans, chia/salba seeds, green beans, beetroot, lettuce.
Mildly Alkalizing Foods
- Artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrot, chives, zucchini, leeks, new red potatoes, peas, rhubarb, swede, watercress, buckwheat, spelt, lentils, tofu, almond milk, most herbs and spices, olive oil, coconut oil, flax oil.
Mildly Acidic Foods
- Black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cantaloupe, currants, dates, nectarine, plum, cherry, amaranth, millet, oats, spelt, rice, soy, hemp protein, freshwater wild fish, Brazil nuts, pecans, and hazelnuts.
Moderately Acidic Foods
- Butter, apple, apricot, banana, blackberry, cranberry, grape, mango, peach, orange, papaya, pineapple, strawberry, brown rice, wheat, wild rice, ocean fish.
Highly Acidic Foods
- Alcohol, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugars and sweeteners, dried fruit, beef, chicken, eggs, farmed fish, pork, shellfish, cheese, most dairy (except raw dairy which can be slightly alkalizing), mushroom.
Monitoring Your pH Levels
You can purchase pH test strips at your local pharmacy or online to monitor your urine and saliva pH levels after eating certain foods. Experiment with different foods and testing times to keep yourself within the green or slightly alkaline range, easily accomplished with a diet high in alkalizing foods and lower in proteins and carbohydrates.
Role of Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium
The best way to increase alkalinity is to balance your diet, emphasizing nutrient-dense, complex carbohydrates, smaller portions of organic and grass-fed meats, and high-quality plant protein sources such as sprouted, fermented grains and legumes.
Alkalizing minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium are best obtained from organic food sources—red potatoes, avocados, Brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, sea vegetables, and green drink powders.
While sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is often recommended for alkalinizing, studies show that potassium bicarbonate and potassium citrate have a much more protective alkalizing effect. Potassium chloride, commonly found in processed foods, does not have the same alkalinizing ability as potassium citrate.
To achieve and maintain optimal long-term health, focus on balance. Our bodies work hard to maintain precise levels of balance and homeostasis within complex systems. When things are in harmony, we feel our best, with radiant vitality, clarity, and well-being.
