Remember This...pH Matters!

I realize that you're bombarded every day with Wellness-related information on what to do, what not to do, what to eat, what not to eat, how to exercise, now not to exercise....the list goes on!
One of the most key pieces of information that I've learned over the past 12 years is the importance of keeping our bodies in a slightly alkaline state. It's encouraging to see that this topic is getting some press in women's magazines. These articles tend to focus on the issue, but offer little if any information in HOW to keep our bodies in this pH-balanced environment.
Over acidity in our bodies can weaken all of our body systems. It can make the internal environment of our bodies more prone to developing diseases, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment (slightly alkaline) which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease.
A healthy body maintains adequate alkaline reserves to meet the emergency demands of our bodies often brought on by stress (of any kind). This stress causes an excess of acids in our body, which must be neutralized, which in turn depletes our alkaline reserves, leaving the body in a weakened condition.
The concept of acid alkaline imbalance as the cause of disease is not new. William Howard Hay published a ground-breaking book in 1933: A New Health Era in which he maintains that all disease is caused by autotoxication (or "self-poisoning") due to acid accumulation in the body.
Some reasons that our bodies are too acidic include the typical American diet, which is way too high in acid-producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and way too low in alkaline-producing foods like fresh vegetables. Processed foods like white flour and sugar produce acidity in our bodies as does drinking acid-producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. Most medications are acid-forming. Artificial chemical sweeteners are extremely acid-forming. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly-acid body is to make simple changes in our diet, focusing MORE on fresh vegetables and LESS on processed foods and large amounts of animal proteins.
Be watching for future postings on specific wellness measures that help keep the body slightly alkaline as well.