Unbalanced PH Levels in Your Body: How to Eat an Alkaline Diet
Lynn Reynolds
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Having a balanced ph is essential optimal health. Unfortunately, today's lifestyle, diet, and stress often leaves us unbalanced and our ph too acidic. Our body's natural ph is around 7.4. If you have yo 
ur body's ph tested, you may discover that your body's ph is off. Since the ph is measured on a scale of 1 (most acidic) to 14 (most alkaline), even being off by a couple of points will affect your well being. The best way to achieve a balanced ph is to learn how to eat an alkaline diet.
Although eating an alkaline diet is not hard, following an alkaline diet requires lifestyle adjustments for the majority of people. With coffee, tea, refined flours, and sugars being acidic, it is easy to see how the ph becomes unbalanced with a Standard American Diet. Going on an alkaline diet means giving up--or greatly reducing--fast food, snack foods, and some meats.
Eating an alkaline diet does not mean that you are eating exclusively alkaline foods. Instead, you aim for approximately 70-80% alkaline food to 30-20% acid food. Base your exact percentage on how unbalanced your ph is, how you feel eating different percentages, and what you feel comfortable with.
Almost all vegetables are alkaline food. If you want to know how to eat an alkaline diet, keep in mind that vegetables are going to be a major part of your diet. Several fruits, spices, herbs, and some nuts are also alkaline. Grains, meats, oils, alcohol, beans, sweeteners, condiments, and drugs such as tobacco and aspirin are acid foods.
One simple way to cut acid food in your diet is to replace condiments with herbs and spices. Use chili pepper, curry, cinnamon, ginger, or tamari to add flavor to your foods instead of relying on a heavy amount of margarine or ketchup.
When you do eat acid food, try to choose foods that are mildly acid instead of extremely acid. These foods include potatoes, whole grain pastas, rice, beans, seeds, and nuts. Try to avoid foods that are extremely acidic such as pork, white flour, sugar, coffee, carbonated soft drinks, and fish.
Although eating an alkaline diet is not hard, following an alkaline diet requires lifestyle adjustments for the majority of people. With coffee, tea, refined flours, and sugars being acidic, it is easy to see how the ph becomes unbalanced with a Standard American Diet. Going on an alkaline diet means giving up--or greatly reducing--fast food, snack foods, and some meats.
Eating an alkaline diet does not mean that you are eating exclusively alkaline foods. Instead, you aim for approximately 70-80% alkaline food to 30-20% acid food. Base your exact percentage on how unbalanced your ph is, how you feel eating different percentages, and what you feel comfortable with.
Almost all vegetables are alkaline food. If you want to know how to eat an alkaline diet, keep in mind that vegetables are going to be a major part of your diet. Several fruits, spices, herbs, and some nuts are also alkaline. Grains, meats, oils, alcohol, beans, sweeteners, condiments, and drugs such as tobacco and aspirin are acid foods.
One simple way to cut acid food in your diet is to replace condiments with herbs and spices. Use chili pepper, curry, cinnamon, ginger, or tamari to add flavor to your foods instead of relying on a heavy amount of margarine or ketchup.
When you do eat acid food, try to choose foods that are mildly acid instead of extremely acid. These foods include potatoes, whole grain pastas, rice, beans, seeds, and nuts. Try to avoid foods that are extremely acidic such as pork, white flour, sugar, coffee, carbonated soft drinks, and fish.