Body pH and What it Means to Your Health

Life is all about balance. This universal truth is especially profound when speaking of body pH levels. Body pH is the human body’s need to stay at a certain pH level. Levels of pH are measured on a scale from zero to 14, in which zero is very acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is very alkaline. The pH of blood in the human body must remain at a slightly alkaline level of 7.35-7.45. In addition to maintaining blood pH, some of your body’s other fluids are maintained at different pH levels to keep you healthy. To sustain these pH levels throughout your body, your cells and organs are constantly working and filtering what you eat.

Many scientists believe that helping your body balance its pH levels is very important to fighting disease. What can you do to help your body pH remain at healthy levels? Body pH levels and diet appear to be closely linked. In addition, your kidneys are probably the hardest working organs when it comes to body pH balance, so giving your kidneys the minerals they need to maintain body pH, such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, is a good start.

How Diet Affects Body pH

The various foods and beverages you consume release either alkaline or acidic residues into your body when your body digests them. As these residues are released into your body, your body attempts to filter the residues out and maintain proper body pH balance. So if, for example, you eat a lot of acid producing foods like meat, cheese, and sweets, your kidneys would pull minerals from your body like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium to counteract the acid and keep your body pH in check.

By being careful about food pH and consuming foods that are more in-line with your slightly alkaline body pH, you can ease the strain on your kidneys and lessen the need for your body to surrender important minerals in the name of maintaining body pH. Examples of alkaline-producing foods are fresh vegetables, some fruits, nuts, and legumes.

Keep Your pH in Check

A great way to monitor and correct your pH is with home pH test strips. While your doctor can check your pH through blood tests, you can get effective test strips that don't require needles. pH test strips can measure your pH with litmus paper, reading alkalinity and acidity levels in saliva or urine. Having a normal pH level can help fend off illness and disease and keep your body and mind healthy and strong. By monitoring your pH, you can make changes to your diet if necessary or begin taking a recommended supplement.

Body pH is an important factor in overall health, but keeping your body pH ideal through diet alone is not always easy. To help you in your quest to monitor and uphold the most optimal body pH levels, check your pH.