The Alkaline Diet and You

Start maintaining a healthy pH balance today

As a dentist and integrative health and education coach, I know maintaining a healthy pH balance is an essential part of a healthy body. Without balanced pH levels, your body can become too acidic, causing health problems.

There are some major health issues to be concerned about when you have too much acidity in your body, such as: being more susceptible to catching a common cold, developing cancer, gaining weight, feelings of sluggishness, exhaustion, weakness, and headaches, gum and teeth issues, digestive disorders, and acidosis. The three most likely outcomes of having unbalanced pH levels are gum and teeth issues, digestive disorders and acidosis.

As a dentist, we must be concerned with the effects your pH levels have on your dental health. Regulating pH levels have shown to reduce bacteria in our mouths, reducing the risk for cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay. As your pH level gets even a tiny bit below natural, tooth roots begin to dissolve. Even worse, when your levels dip even lower, your teeth can erode, become discolored, and be more at risk than usual for cavities. When people sip on drinks or nibble on foods that are acidic, teeth erosion and decay worsen.

Acidic saliva can also damage your teeth, which is why some people have uncontrollable cavities, broken fillings, gum recession, or sensitivity, despite regular brushing and flossing. When this occurs, you can protect your teeth with xylitol and find ways to alkalize the mouth, like an Alkaline diet, to help keep your saliva in the pH safe zone. Foods you should avoid to help balance your pH levels such as, candies, sodas, pastas, and breads, give bacteria in the mouth fuel to produce lactic acid, which causes tooth decay.

Most digestive disorders are symptoms caused by excess acid in your gastrological region. This includes: indigestion, nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and acid reflux. Giving an Alkaline diet a try may help reduce these symptoms, providing you with relief you never thought you could experience.

But, that’s not all an unhealthy pH level can affect! Acidosis causes your body fluids to contain too much acid due to unbalanced pH level. There are two types of acidosis: Respiratory (causes fatigue or drowsiness, confusion, shortness of breath, sleepiness, headaches) and Metabolic (causes rapid and shallow breathing, confusion, fatigue, headaches, sleepiness, lack of appetite, jaundice, increased heart rate, and fruity smelling breath). Without treatment, acidosis can lead to more serious complications such as, kidney stones, chronic kidney problems, kidney failure, bone disease, and delayed growth. Severe acidosis can also lead to loss of consciousness, comas, organ failure, or event death, when gone undetected or untreated.

Note: If you feel you may have acidosis, please contact your physician immediately. Do not attempt to self medicate if you feel you may have this disease.  

Start making strides to a happier and healthier mind, body, and smile by incorporating Alkalizing foods into your diet. Watch your intake of meat, unhealthy carbs, processed, and sugary foods to help balance your pH levels. If you don’t already have the following foods incorporated into your diet, hurry! Go to the grocery store immediately, purchase, and start consuming today!

Alkaline Diet Fruits

• Despite being seen as an acidic fruit, lemons provide a great alkaline effect on the body by metabolizing the citric acid in your body. They aid your body in cleansing and detoxing.
• Pineapples are loaded with several vitamins and minerals essential for your health and balancing your pH levels.
• Avocados are a powerful food, much like Spinach and Kale, which all help restore your body’s pH levels, as well as improving your circulatory and digestive systems by flushing out toxins.
• Watermelons are hydrating fruits with high lycopene content that helps you slim down and achieve pH balance. Especially when summer time rolls around…aren’t you glad to hear us mention this one?
• Grapes contain essential nutrients that help protect your heart, brain, and muscles. They also help reduce acidity in your body, improving your pH levels.

Alkaline Diet Vegetables

• Spinach has a high content of chlorophyll, which causes spinach to be an alkalizing agent in the body, restoring your pH levels. It is also filled with minerals and vitamins helping the body feel and run better.
• Kale provides overall detoxification and antioxidants helping to stabilize your pH levels. Much like spinach, it is also filled with vitamins.
• Broccoli contains phytochemicals that alkalize the body, reduce estrogen dominance, and increase estrogen metabolism. Additionally, it contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, improving the digestive system, cardiovascular system, immune system, and integumentary system.
• Celery, filled with water, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, are also a highly alkaline food with many benefits including: decreasing inflammation, lowering cholesterol and LDL, preventing high blood pressure, reducing or preventing ulcers, improving liver function, decreasing water-weight bloating, fighting and preventing infections, and protecting against types of cancer.

Addressing high acidity in your body is fundamental to healing the whole body and having a well-balanced system. Start balancing your pH levels and reducing acidity by incorporating the 9 foods mentioned above into your diet.