Are you pH balanced?

At the herb shop, we hear a lot of stories from customers who suffer from inflammation, joint pain, weight problems, yeast and low energy. We also hear customer concerns about heart health, acne, blood sugar, allergies and infections. Of course, there can be numerous causes to some of these difficulties, but one thing they have in common is pH. All of these conditions are supported by an acidic body.

There are many foods that are alkalizing and can help to reverse the affects of an acid pH. Things such as cabbage, peas, spinach, carrots, green beans, lemons, tomatoes and cucumbers are all beneficial in this way. The body has defense mechanisms to protect itself, but it can be overwhelmed if it doesn't have enough help from time to time. When our diet does not consist of enough alkalizing foods and has an over-abundance of acidic foods, then those defenses get out-numbered and symptoms begin to show. The acid culprits are meats, sugars, dairy products, coffee, alcohol, sodas, artificial sweeteners, eggs, vegetable oil and others.

We all know processed foods take a toll on our bodies, but if we realized just how much, perhaps we would reconsider the menu one more time before ordering. Trying to organize our plate so that 70-80% of the meal is alkalizing foods and 20-30% is anything else can alter that pH balance of our body.

So what are those foods?

Alkaline Foods

Asparagus Artichokes Cabbage Lettuce Onion Cauliflower Radish Peas Red Cabbage Leeks Watercress Spinach Turnips Chives Carrots Green Beans Beetroot Garlic Celery Grasses (wheat, barley, kamut, etc) Cucumber Broccoli Kale Brussels Sprouts Lemon Lime Avocado Tomato Grapefruit Rhubarb Watermelon (is actually neutral) Fresh Vegetable Juice Pure water Lemon water Vegetable broth Almond milk Non-sweetened soy milk Almonds Pumpkin Sunflower Seeds Sesame seeds Flax seeds Buckwheat Groats Spelt Lentils Cumin Seeds Any sprouted seed Flax oil Hemp oil Avocado oil Olive oil Evening primrose oil Borage oil Coconut oil Hummus Tahini

Acidic Foods

Pork Lamb Beef Chicken Turkey Seafood (apart from occasional oily fish such as salmon) Milk Eggs Cheese Cream Yogurt Ice Cream White Pasta White bread Wholemeal bread Biscuits Soy Sauce Tamari Condiments (tomato sauce, mayo, etc) Artificial Sweeteners Honey Fizzy Drinks Coffee Tea Beer Fruit Juice Dairy Smoothies Traditional black tea Sweets Chocolate Microwave Meals Canned foods Powdered Soups Instant Meals Fast Food Saturated Fats Hydrogenated Oils Margarine Corn Oil Vegetable Oil Sunflower Oil Peanuts Cashew Nuts Pistachio Nuts

Of course, you can take supplements that assist your body in balancing out, so stop in and ask about those too!