In our quest to better understand wellness and optimizing your health there are many factors beyond just food, exercise, and sleep you have to consider. Think of them like puzzle pieces. Each of our puzzles differ and the impact of the 10 or so will vary for everyone. One is alkalinity. The others to keep in mind (if your wondering) are inflammation, emotions, insulin control, caloric intake, stress and sex hormones, gut bacteria, liver health as well as your thyroid. Many overlap as well and have significant impacts on the other.
So, I got interested in this because espresso, meat(eggs), and a little sweet potato hash was my go to breakfast. Pretty much acid on top of more acidic foods to start my day. Not optimal.
Our body tends to be out of harmony when our food intake is primarily acidic. Ideally we want to work towards 60-70% Alkaline and 30-40% Acidic.
Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline ( 7.35 – 7.45 ). Below or above this range means symptoms and a quick route to disease. A pH of 7.0 is neutral. A pH below 7.0 is acidic. A pH above 7.0 is alkaline.
An acidic blood pH can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals – (your bones are the storage houses of calcium and magnesium – so them supporting your blood to get back to alkaline will leave them weakened and thinning). If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in your cells will also occur.
An acidic balance will:
- Decrease the body’s ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients
- Decrease the energy production in the cells
- Decrease it’s ability to repair damaged cells,
- Decrease it’s ability to detoxify heavy metals
- Potentially make tumour cells thrive
- Make you more susceptible to fatigue and illness.
When it comes to body fat, the best way to imagine how alkalinity plays a role is to imagine how car battery acid might burn your skin if it touches your hand. To exaggerate, when blood is constantly pushed to the acidic end of the spectrum, the cells of your body are bathed in it, so to protect themselves from acid burn – they insulate themselves with fat. So another reason to go more alkaline is to make all those cells feel safe and shed that layer of fatty protection.
The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical North American Diet (NAD), which is far too high in processed food and grain products, poorly raised meat, eggs and dairy and far too low in alkaline producing foods like fresh vegetables. Additionally, we eat acid producing processed foods like white flour, corn based products, sugar and drink acid producing beverages like coffee and soft drinks. We use too many drugs, which are acid forming, and if you use artificial chemical sweeteners like NutraSweet, Splenda, Sweet ‘N Low, Equal, or Aspartame, these are borderline poisons and extremely acid forming according to food experts. One of the best things we can do to correct an overly acid body is to clean our diet and lifestyle. Hey – Whole Life Challenge starts in a couple days!!? Join here
To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods. To restore health, the diet should consist of 80% alkaline forming foods and 20% acid forming foods.
Generally, alkaline forming foods include: most fruits, green vegetables, cucumbers, beans, spices, herbs and seasonings, seeds and nuts.
Generally, acid forming foods that we hit a little too much include: grains, legumes, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, alcohol and coffee.
Although it may seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an internal alkalinizing effect in the system. Do the 1/2 lemon in the water every morning.
The food’s acid or alkaline forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with pH of the food itself – i.e. Lemons are very acidic, but the end products they produce after digestion and assimilation are very alkaline forming in the body. Likewise meat tests alkaline before digestion, but leaves acidicly thereafter.
Tbear
Thursday
Warm-up: Coaches Choice of Shoulder Prep (10 minutes)
Skill: (15 minutes)
6×3 kipping hspu (deficit if possible)
or
6 x 6 pike handstand push-ups
Strength: (15 minutes)
6 x 3 Jerk (add 5-10 lb. to what you did last week)
Conditioning: (10 minutes)
EMOM in 10 min: Alternating minutes of 1-3 muscle ups on the even minutes and and 30 seconds of rowing on the odd minutes.
**Sub Muscle ups for 5-10 ring rows if you did ring dips yesterday (Or ring dips if you didn’t do ring dips yesterday)
Optional: Stick around after class for 5 minutes and do 5 minute EMOM of 20 seconds of supine GH hold each minute