How to alkalise your body

Is your body acidic?

If your diet is high in alcohol, caffeine, meat, sugary foods, processed foods, dairy products and/or nicotine (all highly acid-forming), chances are your body will be acidic.

Some signs of over-acidity include irritability, sensitivity, fatigue, joint aches and pains (inflammation), headaches, trouble sleeping and indigestion.

These symptoms are also often accompanied by cravings (brought on by nutrient deficiencies), digestive system problems, hair loss, skin outbreaks, body odour, bad breath, fungal or yeast infections and liver spots – all potential signs of contamination, high acidity and toxin build-up.

It is therefore fair to say that high acidity impacts both health and beauty.

How your health is affected

A chronically acidic blood pH can adversely affect your health, as it is associated with being more prone to illnesses. Harmful amounts of acids and toxins can accumulate in our bodies as a result of modern living and eating habits, including everything from drinking, smoking and lack of exercise, to a high intake of processed and concentrated foods packed with harmful chemicals and other ‘nasties’.

The result, over time, can be:

• structural damage (including cell deterioration and inflammation)
• accumulation of impurities and a high toxic load (including strain on the detoxification organs and systems of the body, such as the liver)
• skin problems (including body odour, sweating and acne)
• and yeast and fungal overgrowth (fungi and yeasts are sometimes referrred to as “acid and toxin eaters”).

Staying healthy

A slightly alkaline blood pH has become the benchmark for health and vitality. As seen above, a wide range of factors affect the acid / alkaline balance of the body, but diet is the primary factor.

When foods are metabolised, acids are produced – chlorine, phosphorus, sulphur and nitrogen. These then need to be neutralised by the alkaline mineral salts – calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Our intake of these alkalising salts through our diet therefore has a direct impact on the acid / alkaline balance in the body.

The 3 most important “rules” to follow if you are hoping to alkalise your body are:

1. Avoid unhealthy things.
2. Eat, drink and do beneficial things.
3. Eliminate harmful things.

Alkalising foods   

Low levels of acids can be enjoyed if they are balanced out with a greater intake of alkalising foods. In other words, moderation is key.

Eat a diet that is high in fresh fruit, vegetables and pulses to balance out every acidic pleasure with alkaline-generating foods.

It is essential to provide your body with a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, natural enzymes, healthy fats and other essential nutrients on a daily basis to support an alkaline blood pH. As a broad rule of thumb, your diet should comprise 80% alkalising foods / drinks, versus 20% acid-forming foods / drinks.

While this can be partially achieved through a well-balanced diet, that is unfortunately not the whole story.

Dietary supplementation

We are led to believe that, as long as we eat a balanced diet, we will get all of the nutrients we need. Unfortunately, research shows that this is simply not the case and that even those who are health-conscious fail to get anything like the ideal intake of vitamins, minerals, essential fats and complex carbohydrates. Why?

Modern living has a lot to answer for:

• Food production is linked to profit, which has led to an increase in the manufacture of ’empty’ foods that are made to last, but are nutrient-poor.
• The food industry has conditioned Western palates to enjoy high fat, high sugar and highly salted foods.
• Artificial food colourings and flavourings are used to attract consumers’ attention and satisfy their palates.
• As our lives speed up, there is less time to prepare fresh meals and so we become ever more reliant on convenience foods and ready-meals, packed with saturated fat and simple carbohydrates.
• Modern farming techniques have led to a decrease in soil quality, which has had an impact on the nutritional value of fresh produce – opt for organic whenever you can.
• The vast majority of the foods in our diet are stored, refrigerated and then cooked before eating, leading to a loss of essential nutrients and enzymes.

All of these factors make it important that you carefully supplement your diet to support optimum nutrient intake and regularly undertake full body cleanse and detox programmes.

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