pH Balancing

 

The Basics

The pH scale is a measure of acidity or alkalinity and goes from 0 to 14. 7 is neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline.

The blood of a healthy person should be between 7.40 and 7.46 (definitely not be below 7, the only people who have a blood pH of below 7 are dead!). A healthy saliva pH should be similar to a healthy blood pH, somewhere between 7.0 and 7.5.

Urine pH is a totally different matter to that of blood and saliva. The urine is where the body gets rid of acids, therefore there is no set urine pH; it depends on what you're ingesting. If you're ingesting lots of acids, your urine pH could be 4.5. Urine shouldn't be above 7 (although it can be if you have been given alkalising medication). Incidentally, cancer patients are slightly different; their urine tends to have a pH of around 8. This is because their bodies retain acids (creating the perfect environment for cancer cells) rather than expelling them through the urine.

Keeping Within Healthy pH Ranges

Your body works at its best within the healthy ranges, so will do its utmost to stay in those ranges. Whilst your body is adept at producing acids to neutralise alkaline conditions, the same cannot be said for producing alkalis. In order to neutralise acidic conditions, your body has to call on its reserves of stored alkaline minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium). If the acidic conditions continue (e.g. a diet of coffee, dairy and fizzy drinks) a serious mineral deficiency can be created leading to conditions such as osteoporosis.

Eating a balanced diet of acid- and alkaline-forming foods can therefore be beneficial.

Alkaline-forming foods for those on an Anti-Candida diet

Most land vegetablesOcean vegetablesMillet, quinoa, amaranthSea saltHerbs and herb teasSeeds (except sesame)Mineral waterLemons, limesCultured foodsSoaked and sprouted almonds

Acid-forming foods for those on an Anti-Candida diet

Animal foods (e.g. poultry, eggs, fish and shellfish)BuckwheatOrganic unrefined oilsStevia

Alkaline-forming foods for those on a 'Conventional' diet

Most land vegetablesSea saltHerbs and herb teasSeeds (except sesame)Mineral waterLemons, limesLentilsSweet potatoNectarine, raspberry, watermelon, tangerine, pineapple

Acid-forming foods for those on an 'Conventional' diet

Animal foods (e.g. poultry, eggs, fish and shellfish)SweetenersJamTable saltAlcoholYeastSugarCocoaWhite vinegarDairyCoffeeBarleyHazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nutsFried foodsSoybeanFizzy drinks

Checking pH

You can buy test strips that can test the pH of your saliva and urine. Some test strips can be hard to read, the best ones are where you can narrow the reading down to at least 0.5 of a pH.

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