Over acidity of the body which can become a dangerous condition that weakens all body systems, is very common today. It gives rise to an internal environment conducive to disease, as opposed to a pH-balanced environment which allows normal body function necessary for the body to resist disease.
pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. There is a very tight window of pH where our blood can operate. Blood pH must be kept between 7.34-7.45. A pH of 1-6.9 is considered acidic and a pH of 7.1 to 14 is considered alkaline. 7.0 is considered neutral. So the operating pH of blood is just slightly alkaline.
The body must keep the pH of the blood in this tight window in order for you to stay alive. Breathing out carbon dioxide and other waste products along with the excreting and filtering done by the kidneys allows our bodies to keep the pH of the blood within that window. There are also buffers stored in the body to help as necessary.
So we see that the body has systems in place that maintain the delicate pH balance in the blood stream. However, a person can become more and more acidic if he or she takes too much acid forming foods. Therefore, it is critical that a person watches his diet. People who have serious illnesses always have low pH values because of too many acid forming foods.
Therefore, body pH is an important concept to understand, whether you want to restore you own health, or just remain healthy. Muscle contractibility declines and hormones like adrenaline and aldosterone increase as the body becomes slightly more acid. When the blood is too acid, symptoms include drowsiness which could progress to stupor and coma. When the blood is too alkaline, symptoms include cramps, muscle spasms, irritability and hyperexcitability.
Acid forming foods are important foods that provide very important vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and fiber. A diet is not complete without them. However, these acid-forming foods should compose not more than 20 percent of our diet. If not, when the body becomes less efficient as we age, our cells become more and more acidic.
An alkaline diet would not allow a person to become acidic as they age. An alkaline diet contains the minerals and vitamins we need, and allows us to live long healthy lives. Such a diet would contain 75-80% of alkaline forming foods like vegetables, fruits, kefir, coconut oil and palm oil. The diet would contain also 20-25% of the acid forming foods like rice, grains, nuts, seed and meat.
Sources say coconut oil and palm oil are the only alkaline forming oils. Using coconut oil as your cooking oil will help you regain your acid alkaline balance and stay in optimal health.
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According to research, omega-3 fatty acids can lower inflamation in the body. Reduced inflammation is closely correlated with lower incidences of many chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and many more. These fatty acids are also concentrated in the brain and are very important for brain function including memory and behavior. While omega-3s tend to reduce inflammation and related disease, omega-6s increase inflammation. You need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, in the correct quantities to maintain good health.
If you've been experiencing extreme tiredness, failing memory, heart issues, dry skin or eczema, moodiness or depression, there is a chance that your levels of essential fatty acids are way out of balance. Check with your doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms.
Why the focus on omega-3s?
Essential fatty acids are critical to your body's health. However, your body does not manufacture them. You need to eat food containing these nutrients to get your daily dosage. The body needs essential fatty acids (omega-3s, omega-6s and omega-9s) to make hormone like substances called prostaglandins, which regulate many critical body functions.
Too much of a good thing?
The North American diet has a very high concentration of omega-6s somewhat due to high meat consumption. What we're lacking are the omega-3s. That is why we need to pay attention to the food we eat, to get enough omega-3s. However, you can get too much of a good thing. Just because a certain amount of omega-3s are good for you, it can be overdone.
For the greatest health benefit you need to correctly balance the amount of omega-3s and omega-6s. These fatty acids work with each other to sustain your health. Get them too badly out of balance and you could end up with health problems.
How do you achieve the right balance of omega-3s?
If you are consuming about three times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids you're in the ballpark. The typical American diet can contain about twenty times more, or higher, omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. It is thought that this out of balance condition is aggravating the increase in inflammatory diseases in the US. The omega-6s are found in meat so lowering your meat intake while increasing your whole grains, nut oils and fish intake can lead to a healthier balance.
Precautions.
Excessive amounts of omega-3s could cause bleeding if you take blood thinners, bruise easily, or have any type of bleeding disorders. In the worst case you could end up with a condition where blood vessels in the brain leak or rupture causing death. Your target is not to exceed 3 grams of omega-3s per day. Check with your doctor. Eating three or more servings of fish per day is not recommended. It might give you too much omega-3, leading to health problems.
Food sources of omega-3s.
Getting the essential fatty acids directly from the food you eat reduces the chance that, in supplement form, they will break down before consumption, rendering them useless. Some foods containing omega-3s are albacore tuna, salmon, halibut, mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines. It is also available in almonds, walnuts, whole seeds and grains. If you're adventurous, try eating sea algae and krill. Dark, leafy greens contain omega-3s but you need to eat quite a bit to get your daily requirement.
The "Mediterranean" diet tends to have a better omega-3 to omega-6 balance. If you're an egg eater you can find eggs from chickens that have been fed a diet high in flaxseed which makes the eggs higher in omega-3s. Flaxseed itself is high in omega-3 but you need to crush the seeds to be able to get the nutrients out. And you must eat the crushed seed within 24 hours or the potency is lost.
The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week. Pregnant, nursing women or children need to be cautions about eating fish due to that fact that some of it may contain mercury that can affect growing bodies.
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