BRENDA GILL: is your body acidic, alkaline, or both--part 2

by Dr. Brenda Gill on Monday Dec 14 2009

Controlling the pH is simple. For 4 days test every urination with a indicator paper which show the pH values between 4.0-7.5. (These you can buy at your friendly compounding pharmacy in Nelson or Fruitvale). If the value shows repeatedly below pH 6.2 or when it constantly lies around pH 5- danger exists. You should change to a high vegetable/fruit/whole grain diet and again test the pH for a day.

This gives you an idea of how much vegetables and fruit you need to add to your typical diet for balance. Also, becoming physically active reduces the acids in the body. You may also consider adding a BASIC CAPSULE OR POWDER.

If the build-up of acids becomes excessive, the connective tissue surrounding the cells and organs acts to absorb and store acid released from the cells and organs. This storage reduces the burden on the kidneys. Following strenuous activity or after eating a large meal, larger quantities of acid are produced. Since the kidneys work quite slowly, they are not able to eliminate the salts quickly enough. As a result, the connective tissue has to function as as “pre-kidney” and stores these salts. During the night, these deposited salts are transported by the bloodstream to the kidneys for elimination. Therefore the urine is more concentrated and has its maximum acid concentration in the mornings.

When the collection of acids in the connective tissue is no longer adequate to protect the kidney and other organs, over-acidification occurs- called acidosis. This over- activity of the excretory organs is characterized by acute or chronic inflammation.

ONE’S DIET SHOULD BE OVERALL ALKALINE!!!!!

When considering your diet, you need to establish the correct balance between foods rich in acids and those rich in bases.

FOODS RICH IN ACIDS:

· Protein-meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds etc

· Dairy products

· Carbohydrates- sugar, all types of grains, except non-gluten grains such as quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat and teff, as well as spelt and kumut

· Sour fruits and citrus fruits

· Coffee, tea, alcohol

FOODS RICH IN BASES:

· All leafy salads

· Vegetables (except cauliflower and artichoke hearts)

· Sweet fruits such as pears, plums, apricots, peaches, figs, bananas, raisins, mangoes, papaya etc

· Raw milk

Therefore, the most important corrective steps for an over-acidified system are:

1. Dietary changes

2. Sufficient exercise

3. Proper breathing

4. Sufficient sleep