What’s The Acidity In The Body?

It is estimated that over 80% of all deaths in North America are premature. That is to say that their deaths could have been prevented. The leading causes of death are heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Because these health conditions are the result of a chronically acid body, science now believes that these conditions are totally preventable. Other health conditions like allergies, depression, poor digestion, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, anxiety, asthma, osteoporosis, cancer, infections and many other conditions, 68 or more, all have direct links to our nutritional intake and the amount of acidic forming foods we consume.

We are a fast-paced society and to live in certain cities and parts of the world you need lots of energy just to keep up with the pace of life. But no matter which city you live in you face much more stress than someone living in a rural setting. Stress is a very strong precursor to disease. When we are stressed, we do not eat nutritionally, we do not sleep well and we use stimulants like coffee to make it through to the next cup. More acid again. This all leads to nutritional depletion which only encourages the acidic body state.

There is a simple test you can do at home to see how acidic your body is. You can buy pH strips at your local health food store and test your saliva every morning. The pH of your saliva is controlled by your diet, the amount of acidic bottled water and tap water you drink, the number of other acidic beverages like coffee, tea and sodas you drink, in addition to acid forming snacks you consume daily. Recent research has linked low salivary pH to poor nutrition, high acidic water consumption and a leading indicator in several major diseases. Salivary pH is usually measured from 5.0 to 9.0, the lower the number the more acidic your body is and the more likely you are to have or develop health problems. Your ideal saliva reading should be between 7.0 and 7.4.
The test strips come in a roll in a plastic container with a color indicator chart on the side. First thing in the morning, or an hour after any food or fluid intake, tear off a 1 ½ inch strip of test paper. Spit into a spoon and dip the end of the paper strip into the spoon. Match the color of the test strip as closely as possible to one of the colors on the side of the container. How acidic are you?

You can adjust the pH of your saliva by improving the number of alkaline forming foods that you eat and decreasing the number of acidic foods. High protein foods like meats, fish, beans, eggs and chicken, are more acidic to the body. Vegetables, fruits and whole grains are more alkaline and should be eaten more often than other foods. One of the worst foods you can eat is that morning donut, along with coffee, soda, alcohol, sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed flour, fried foods and of course, the proverbial “anything white” category.
By monitoring your saliva pH, eating more alkaline forming foods and drinking Cerra  alkaline, ionized water you are taking control of your own health and taking yourself out of the statistical pile that most North Americans seem to sit.