Balancing your body's pH

pH is a scale that measures the ratio between acids and akalines in our body fluids. The scale ranges from 0 to 14 with 0 to 7.0 being acid and 7.0 to 14.0 alkaline. pH is the abbreviation for 'potential of hydrogen'.

The key to vibrant health and well-being is partly a matter of keeping our pH in balance. The cells in our body cannot function if the pH varies too far from the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45. Our body will go to great lengths to maintain this level. If we have a health problem, it is most likely because we are too acidic.

The body needs to have a balanced pH or it does not function properly. The alkaline level is very important because, as research has already proven, disease cannot survive in an alkaline environment but will flourish in an acid one.

Research also shows that unless the body's pH level is slightly alkaline, the body cannot heal itself. If the body's pH is not balanced we decrease the ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease the ability to repair damaged cells, decrease the ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumour cells thrive, and make us more susceptible to fatigue and illness. Our body's pH affects everything.

An acidic pH can occur from toxic overload, emotional stress, immune reactions or anything that deprives the cells of nutrients. But the primary cause of an acid medium in the body is from what we eat and drink. And it has nothing to do with how the food and drink tastes in our mouth. Foods that are sour such as grapefruit and limes can taste acidic, however, upon ingestion break down into a base-forming alkaline "ash". "Ash" is the end product which remains in the body after the food has been broken down through digestion. Foods which produce an alkaline ash are classified as "base-forming" foods, whereas those producing an acid ash are called "acid-forming" foods.

The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals. If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur. Fortunately, it is quite easy to change the pH level almost immediately for the better and make it more alkaline. It's a matter of changing your diet and eliminating some of the more acid foods and adding more alkaline foods.

Before you start, it's a good idea to get a baseline of what the pH is in your body so you can see how you are improving or if you need to continue to eliminate more acid foods and add in more alkaline ones. You can do this by testing the pH of your saliva on a regular basis. This is really simple to do using the AIM Canada pH Test Kit (range 5.0 - 9.0). The test kit contains 100 pH test strips.

In addition to decreasing the amount of acid foods we eat and increasing the amount of alkaline foods we eat, one of the best ways to immediately begin changing our pH is to drink "green drinks". AIM BarleyLife® will help support our health by providing the body with the necessary nutrients to help balance the body pH and is an excellent source of alkalinity.

To learn more about the AIM Canada pH Test Kit or AIM BarleyLife® please visit our AIM Store Website at http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com click on Products, then…Canadian Residents, then…Products and Sales Tools. You will find the PH Strips under the heading AIM Canada pH Test Kit-100 pH test strips about one third of the way down the page.

A Product Consultant and Member of The AIM Companies for over twenty years, Joanne Jackson takes pride in sharing her knowledge of nutrition and the AIM products with others. As an advocate of healthy eating and proper nutrition, Joanne understands that the choices we make, and choosing them wisely, is the key to wellness. Sign up for her informative free newsletter by visiting http://awealthofhealth.myaimstore.com