Do you remember your school chemistry - those little bits of paper that turned blue when a liquid was alkaline and red when it was acid? Well you can do the same test on yourself to easily find out about your acid – alkaline balance.

Why acid – alkaline balance?

If you think about acid rain you will know that it erodes and destroys the environment and the things it comes in contact with. The same thing happens in your body if it is too acid. Bone and vital tissues are broken down leading to depletion of essential functions and illness. Your body must stay alkaline for optimal health, energy and mental clarity. In order to do this your body has to eliminate the by-products of the normal processes of respiration, digestion and energy production, which are all acid. Your body has to work to ensure that it remains in this state of alkalinity. If your body becomes too acidic then you will begin to see the results that this stress causes in health-related symptoms including:

• Fatigue
• Poor digestion
• Weight gain
• Aches and pains in muscles and joints
• Excess mucous production causing nasal and sinus congestion
• Lowered immunity resulting in more frequent colds and flu
• Increased anxiety and irritability

If you already have certain health conditions this acidity can increase inflammation and the degeneration of soft tissues and bone, which in turn causes further damage. Particularly affected is your body’s ability to build bone. Bone is sacrificed to keep your body alkaline (generally at a pH of higher than 7.2) and this means that you lose vital minerals, not just calcium but other minerals, which make up the structure of bone. If this is happening to your bones what effect might it be having on all your vital organs?

What causes your system to become acid?

Here are some of the most acid-forming foods:

• A diet rich in processed foods, high in sugar and salt
• Red meat
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Wheat, white flour
• Biscuits and cakes
• Pasta
• Cheese
• Homogenised Milk
• Ice Cream
• Soft Drinks
• Beer

Which foods will encourage your system to become alkaline?

Here are some of the most alkaline-forming foods:

• Lemons (these are acid on the tongue but become alkaline)
• Watermelon
• Limes
• Grapefruit
• Mangoes
• Papayas
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Vegetable juices
• Parsley
• Raw spinach
• Broccoli
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Herb teas
• Lemon water

These are at the extremes of the acid-forming and alkaline-forming scales, so between the two there are degrees of each. If you can include in your diet 250 gms of raw green leafy vegetables per day – say a generous salad with both lunch and dinner – then you will be changing your diet to be much more alkaline. You can, of course, do much more by eating more fruit and vegetables in general, and possibly including a green supplement like Barley Grass (our Naturopaths can advise you here).

What else can I do to help balance my body?

Your body will become acidic if it is lacking in minerals. Most of us are mineral deficient as, in our modern world, fresh food is grown using chemical fertilisers which produce large glossy looking fruit and vegetables but which are mineral deficient – as the plants have taken up those fertilisers and not the minerals in the soil. So if you can, buy organic, or at least fruit and vegetables which have not been grown with those artificial fertilisers. Growing your own is, of course, an even better option. Not only do you know what you put into the soil, and hence your mouth, but you can pick and eat it immediately. This is “Slow food” at it’s most nutritious!

Drink good quality water

“Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink” says the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. He was talking about seawater but in our world the quality of the water you drink and the quantity are vital to maintaining alkalinity through correct hydration, efficient elimination and mineral uptake. Our advice at Mr Vitamins’ is to not drink tap water if you can avoid it. Two litres of a good quality spring water or filtered water to which you can add alkaline mineral granules, or Lemon and Himalayan Salt  is a good recommendation for daily consumption.