Toxins, Acid, and pH

It’s commonly understood that we are exposed to toxins in our daily lives: hormones, pesticides, carcinogens and chemicals in what we eat and drink, breathe, put on our skin, or use to clean our home. What was a huge revelation for me was learning that almost all toxins are acidic, and that there is a major connection between toxins in our bodies, pH (acid-alkaline measurement), and disease.

When our body’s pH level is off, we experience toxic overload in the form of bacteria, overgrowth of yeast, viruses, degenerative diseases, and weight gain. This in turn leads to a host of other dis/eases.

Why? Because our blood must be kept within a specific pH range, and our immune system and organs of elimination go to great lengths to keep it in that range, in order to defend and maintain our overall health and balance.

Here are some of the effects of our body's attempts to protect us from acidity:

The body will try to protect our internal organs by storing toxins and acids in body fat.
Calcium gets leached from our bones in order to neutralize acids.
We may develop symptoms of toxicity:
- lack of energy, fatigue, weakness, dizziness
- aches and pains
- stress and irritability, restlessness, trouble sleeping
- constipation, acid reflux, bloating and gas, indigestion
- sinus or skin problems
- hormone imbalances

Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet is very acid-forming. The main culprits are sugar, fried food, coffee, soda, junk food, alcohol, animal products, and refined flour products.

Many of the food, drinks, and diets that are heavily marketed as satisfying and healthy (or at least convenient) are making us sick, and fat, and frail. For example:

Carbonated soda contains calcium-leaching phosphoric acid.
Carbonated drinks have a pH value of about 2.8. The pH scale values vary exponentially. As the scale moves from 7 to 6, the difference is multiplied by 10. So that carbonated beverage is approaching 100,000 times more acidic than water.
Osteoperosis rates are higher, not lower, in a culture where milk is promoted as the number one source for calcium.
- "Dietary protein increases production of acid in the blood which can be neutralized by calcium mobilized from the skeleton." (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 61:4, 1995)
- Dairy products have calcium, along with high levels of phosphorus. The more phosphorus we take in, the more calcium we need to rebalance our pH. Amazingly, this leaves us with a net loss.
- The form of protein in cow milk is not easily digested by humans. Many of us are intolerant without knowing it. We just feel lousy.
- Dr. Spock wrote: "In nature, animals do not drink milk after infancy, and that is the normal pattern for humans, too.…Children stay in better calcium balance when their protein comes from plant sources."

It is best to reduce the amount of acid-producing food and drinks to comprise 25-30% of our diet.

Here’s a good article from the PCC Sound Consumer that explains the acid alkaline balance well.

Test the pH of your saliva and urine when you can. I ordered test strips here.

Greens are the most alkalizing thing you can eat (or drink). Read more on my Juices and Smoothies and Greens page.