Your Body Needs a Balance

Acidity Versus Alkalinity: Your Body Needs a Balance

Acidity is wreaking havoc in my body from head to toe, literally. I have chronic issues with acid, in which my mouth and tongue burn, moving down to gastritis, and then IBS with a burn. I'm sure you know what I mean! Yes, it could be GERD, but I'm tired of just pushing antacids—there must be a reason for this condition. During my quest to find answers to issues with gastritis, my integrative doctor spelled it out for me: my body has too much acid, and I need to neutralize it to a more alkaline state. I need a balance. We tested my pH level with saliva and urine, using litmus paper in the office; it's also available at some health food stores and pharmacies. Other ways to test pH are using urine test strips made for this purpose, and blood tests. Hmmm, maybe he is on to something?

Yes, I have acidity; it even shows up as IBS, when my stools are accompanied with a burning sensation at the anus. Research indicates other symptoms of acidosis are water retention, recessed eyes, arthritis, migraine headaches, low blood pressure, strong perspiration, dry hard stools, foul-smelling stools, halitosis, a burning sensation in the mouth, and bumps on the tongue or roof of the mouth. Now, I don't have all these symptoms, but I can attest to a few.

So what to do? My doctor suggested following an acid- and alkaline-forming food diet. The basic rule of thumb with this diet is to achieve and maintain a pH balance (in the middle range) by eating 80 percent alkaline-forming foods and 20 percent acid-forming foods. Also, he said to cut out sugars, packaged foods, and bakery products, as much as possible.

Most vegetables are on the alkaline side, except for corn. Avocados are good; thank goodness I have a tree outside that's loaded with avocados. Eating a lot of green veggies is a plus. Meats are acidic, so I limit myself to lean chicken breast and fish, which are lower in acid. Most fresh fruits are OK as well. I always thought lemons would be pure acid, but actually they alkalinize the body during digestion. Who knew! There are a variety of charts on the Internet, so find your favorite and print it for meal planning. I try to do the 80/20 percentages for a meal, so for example, if I eat a lean meat that could be acidic, I opt to eat spinach and carrots, both alkaline, to make a neutral meal. Some of the websites even give you a few sample menu ideas to follow. I've only been on this diet for a week now, with hopes that it will help cure my stomach gastritis and burning stools. My urine is checked daily at home to see the pH level and hopefully it stays balanced. If anything, this is a healthy diet and may even help my body rid of other annoying ailments. .