The main concept behind the pH Miracle Diet is to maintain a pH balance in the foods you eat. The human body is slightly alkaline and therefore it is better for your health to eat a diet made up of alkalizing foods. When you eat too many acidic foods, your system gets thrown out of balance and can cause a whole host of problems, including weight gain, poor concentration, fatigue, and depressed immunity that can lead to more serious conditions.
The pH Miracle Diet relates to lists of foods that are acidic (to avoid) and alkalizing (to emphasize). Alkalizing foods are better for your health and help balance your body’s pH. While acidic, alkaline, and pH are common terms, many people don’t understand exactly what they mean and what they have to do with nutrition and health.
The word “basic” comes from the Greek word “base” which means foundation. “Basic” relates to the properties of acidity and alkalinity. These conditions are determined at the base of the cells that make up the food. So an external treatment does not change a food from acid to alkaline. Foods are acidic or alkaline in their base or foundation.
Acid and alkali are chemical opposites. Every time these bases interact with acids, there is a fight between them and the result is salt. In the chemical laboratory, these interactions are very simple and straightforward. However, in our bodies, the interaction becomes more complex due to the scale on which acids and bases meet.
However, science can make some generalizations about the effects of acids and alkalis on the human digestive system. Acidic foods are acid formers in the human body. They make the blood, lymph and saliva more acidic and cause a lower pH value. Alkaline foods make the blood, lymph and saliva more alkaline and cause a higher pH value.
For reference only, the “normal” range for saliva pH is between 7.3 and 7.4. Most people, however, are too acidic and have a much lower pH. They’re burnt out, tired, and their bodies starve for balance. Under the influence of acidic foods, the muscles fatigue easily. You literally slow down because your body can’t produce the same physical results as before.
The free radical oxidation that occurs when you eat acidic foods makes you age faster. Vitamins and minerals are not as easily absorbed. Friendly bacteria in the small intestine die off, throwing the digestive system out of balance. Further impairing the function of the intestine is the fact that a high level of acidity inhibits the ability of the intestinal walls to absorb nutrients. The cells are stressed by the toxins that accumulate and are unable to eliminate them. The vast majority of bodily systems cannot function at full capacity.
On the other hand, alkaline foods have a wide variety of benefits for your health. Eating them improves muscle production. They also have antioxidant effects in the body. They increase uptake at the cellular level and allow cells to function as they should. There is a reduction in parasites and yeast overgrowth with the use of alkaline foods. Alkaline foods promote deeper, more restful sleep, younger-looking skin, and relief from colds, headaches, and the flu. Alkaline foods promote abundant physical energy.
Perhaps the most important differences between acidic and alkaline foods is their relationship to cancer. Cancerous tissues are acidic and healthy tissues are alkaline. When oxygen enters an acid solution, it combines with hydrogen ions and can form water. The oxygen helps neutralize the acid, but the acid prevents the oxygen from reaching the tissues where it is needed. When oxygen enters an alkaline solution, the two hydroxyl ions combine with the solution to create a water molecule and an oxygen atom. The single oxygen atom is free to go to the next cell and bring the benefits of oxygen to all tissues in the body. At a pH slightly above 7.4, cancer cells become inactive. Studies show that at a pH of 8.5, cancer cells die and healthy cells live.
Alkalizing the diet has many benefits, in addition to cancer prevention. The list of alkaline foods is a selection of options that will benefit your health when you start incorporating them into your body.
