It’s not just the food we eat, but the lifestyles we lead that can lead to an increase in our blood acid levels. With increased stress levels, exposure to chemicals and pollution, our blood acidity levels can also increase.
The acidity and alkalinity of our blood is measured using the pH system. A pH of 7 is neutral, and this is also the pH of water. Our bodies operate optimally when our pH is slightly alkaline.
The pH of our blood is constantly regulated by a system of buffers continually working to keep our alkaline levels between 7.35 and 7.45. There is a condition called acidosis, this is when the pH balance of your blood falls below 7.35. This can lead to depression in the nervous system and severe cases of acidosis can lead to coma or even death.
On the opposite end of the spectrum if your pH rises above 7.45 it results in alkalosis. This can also lead to death in severe cases but in a different way. Alkalosis does exactly the opposite in the central nerve system, it makes all the nerves excited and hyper like they are on caffeine and cause spasms in the muscles and convulsions.
In modern life, it’s the increasing blood acid levels that we are more concerned about. There are a number of effects of high blood acidity, including:
- Headaches
- Depression and mood swings
- Dull skin and acne
- Increased weight
- Brittle nail and hair
- Kidney stones
- Low muscle mass
If you’re blood acid levels are high and your body is in a constant state of acidosis, your body needs to neutralise and it uses calcium to do that. When your body repeatedly leaches calcium from your bones, it can lead to conditions like osteoporosis.
The key is not to completely alkalise, otherwise you can do damage there as well, however you should look to restoring balance by increasing your blood alkalinity levels
Here are some quick tips that can help you increase alkalinity:
- In the morning start with a glass of water and fresh lemon juice squeezed into it.
- Greens are an amazing source of alkaline minerals. Try a leafy green salad with lemon juice and olive oil.
- Raw and unsalted almonds are a wonderful snack. They have natural alkaline minerals like calcium in them and give a satisfying crunch.
- Almond milk is a much better option than cow’s milk. Try an almond milk shake with green powder like chlorella.
- Try going vegetarian for one day, when your body metabolised meat it leaves an acidic residue behind.
- Add more sprouts and vegetables to your diet. Try things like asparagus, squash, and peppers.
- Eliminate processed and refined foods and beverages from your diet, including sugar
- Increase your intake of water
- Decrease or better still, eliminate caffeine from your diet.
- Practice deep breathing exercises daily
- Reduce or give up wheat
- Quit smoking
