Acidic vs. Alkaline?

So, yesterday's post was all about the amazing benefits of juicing. This fits in nicely with today's post on acidic vs. alkaline states of the body.

Yesterday, I referred to the New Year's cleanse I did.  I failed to mention that the purpose of the cleanse was to bring my body into a state of alkalinity. Huh? Yeah, that's what I thought too until I did some research. Here's what I learned...

- your body has its own PH level (think back to high school chemistry class - remember those PH strips?) If you recall, under 7.0 is acidic, over 7.0 is alkaline

- foods, when digested, can be either alkalizing to your body or acidic

- according to acidic.com, diseases set in during prolonged acidic states (yikes! Alkaline is the cure??)

- stress creates acidic body states

Reference: livestrong.com (love this site!)

Allowing your body to stay balanced and alkaline is suggested to have many amazing health benefits - immunity, weight loss, increased strength and stamina, slower aging, more energy, reduced pain and inflammation, and so much more!

So, what does this look like?

Acidic Diets:
- most acidic foods are the ones I love --> sugar, caffeine, fish, meat, poultry, alcohol, dairy, salt. When you consume these foods, your body has to work super hard to maintain a PH balance because these nasties send you WAY below 7.0.

Alkaline Diets:
-lots of fruits (especially lemons, watermelon, avocados), veggies (especially spinach, peppers, broccoli), seeds, nuts

There is a ton of information on this!  A fantastic website that I refer to often is The Alkaline Sisters. They have a nifty little chart that gives you an overview of various foods and which category they fit into.

I must say, when I did that cleanse back in January, I felt incredible. I strongly believe that it was because my body was in an alkaline state. I had to test my PH (using saliva strips) before I started and my score was really low. Very acidic. At the end of week 2, I turned colour! I was so shocked that I took a picture! I admitted yesterday that I fell off the track when I completed the cleanse. I believe it was because it was too strict to follow on a daily basis. I'm glad to read that experts say that you should maintain a 75-25 ratio with your diet. 75% alkaline foods with 25% being acidic. Perhaps that is more manageable....however, when I think about today's breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, latte, and an egg, I'm screwed....

My strip wasn't yellow anymore!

For more information, check out this youtube video. Sit back, enjoy your Pu'erh tea, and learn more about transitioning your diet!