When we first hear the word scale, we can all agree it is not a very friendly term. You probably are not necessarily stoked to read about checking in with the scale when it comes to the one that you stand on that reflects your numeric weight, but we are going to leave talk of that scale aside for now. In fact, many people do not even concern themselves with such a scale because it acts as a deterrent for some, while it may be inspiring to others. Instead we want to inform you of a scale that you should most definitely be checking in with daily… the pH scale.
We have all heard of “balancing pH”, upholding an “alkaline diet”, etc. These terms all refer to the foods we eat and where they fall on the pH scale. We are not going to get too technical, but just want to give you a nice gauge for you to refer back to and just have an overall understanding of. Basically, the scale ranges from 0 to 14. The most acidic foods fall to a 0 on the pH scale, a neutral food would fall at about 7, and alkaline foods go until about 14.
Generally speaking, most of our diets when we are not making an effort to eat clean, weigh heavily on the acidic side of the scale with foods that include coffee, dairy, processed foods, and meat. As most of these food groups are fine in moderation, they are not always nutritious or healthy. In order for our bodies to naturally balance the diet, or attempt to, it uses extra minerals and sources of calcium, magnesium, etc. to breakdown these acids and make them beneficial. A way to alleviate this unnecessary process is to make an effort to eat from food groups that are much more alkaline positive, examples of this are fruits, veggies, and raw foods.
But wait, there is a twist! The trick to this scale is that it is not necessarily a 1 to 1 proportion. In other words, it is not that for every acidic cup of coffee, eat one vegetable serving and you are balanced. The gap between each number is actually measured in multiples of 10. Therefore for every acidic cup of coffee you indulge in, you should actually be consuming 10 times the amount of alkalinity to neutralize that acid. Since most of us will not be taking time to calculate these proportions it is easiest to just remember that if you set your diet to about a 60/40 or 80/20, with the higher percentage being alkaline rich foods, you should be on track. Do not think that acidic foods are always negative, most proteins are heavy on the acidic aspect of the scale so do not rule them out. The beauty of balance!
For all of you that have always yearned for a simple formula to achieving optimal health, this may be the closest you can find.
The pH Scale
0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14
acidic <————-neutral————-> alkaline
| Acidic | Neutral | Alkaline |
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Above is a brief list of certain food groups and where they fall on the scale. It may come as a surprise that lemon, which most of us would refer to as an acidic citrus, is one of the most alkaline healthy foods for your body. It is all about the enzymes and how they breakdown in your body, so you can never be so sure. Enjoy!
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