What is pH?

By definition, pH is potential hydrogen. For those of you who remember what you learned in Chemistry, pH measures the number of hydroxyl or (OH-) ions that are negative as well as alkaline-forming verses the amount of hydrogen (H+) ions that are positive as well as acid forming. If you have been reading my website page by page, you will recall the term alkaline, this too is in relation to pH. If you have gone on ahead and chosen and are now using one of the aforementioned regiments from one of my pages, you may have experienced detoxification. Well, again, this too deals with pH and alkalinity, in that after one has detoxified, the next phase is becoming alkalized.

The pH Scale

According to Dr. Theodore A. Baroody, author of Alkalize or Die , there are 140 levels on the pH scale, varying from 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, etc., all the way to 14.0. This particular scale takes into consideration the physical, emotional, and mental factors which play a part in our pH ratings.

pH Facts

There are three forms of bodily fluids that can be used to determine one’s pH, through blood, urine and saliva.

In effort for the body to carry the maximum amount of oxygen, your blood must maintain between 7.3 to 7.365. Anything under 7.3 is called metabolic acidosis. Be advised that when the blood level gets this low, you have sick blood, which will create sick cells, and cell functions, thus suppressing your immune system.

The pH of the urine should be between 7.0 and 7.2 in effort to sustain maximum health. If in the event your urine pH falls below 5.3, please know that your body cannot assimilate vitamins or minerals! For maximum utilization of the aforementioned, the maximum pH for the urine must be 6.4.

The pH of saliva should be between 6.8 and 7.2 in effort to sustain maximum health. Dr. Baroody discourages the use of pH strips or litmus paper in order to know what your pH is because as your emotions change, so too will your pH rating. He recommends that you observe a diet similar to the Candida Diet, whereby you become familiar with the pH levels of all foods, beginning with 60% fresh and raw foods, and 40% cooked foods. He also encourages that you stay at the 60/40% ratio until you have gotten used to eating more fresh food. Over time, you can move to 75/25% ratio. However, if you must know your pH; first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, you can take your urine specimen to check your pH level. If you opt to do this, I strongly recommend that you do this throughout your observance of your new life style, until you can recognize when your body is off balance without measuring it daily.

Minerals the Body Needs In Effort to Sustain Optimum pH Levels

Something else to consider in the alkaline/acid equation, is how the body processes the minerals in foods. Please note that some of the minerals previously mentioned are acid-binding, meaning that they bind acid toxins, hence leaving alkaline-forming ash in the urine. They are Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron and Manganese.

What Does This Have to Do With Candida?

To sum it all up, if we do not familiarize ourselves with the acid-forming foods, we will continue to eat them, thus worsening our symptoms of Candida. Should we adopt an alkaline friendly lifestyle, we are more prone to healing! Our pH levels can be affected by certain food choices and how/when we combine them as well.

Food Combining

Not only does Dr. Baroody have a formula one must adhere to in regards to food combining in conjunction with discussing the pH levels of a variety of foods, but so does Dr. Bernard Jensen . Dr. Jensen seems to focus on and go more in depth about how long foods take to digest in the body than does Dr. Baroody. In summation, they both break down which foods should be eaten together or separately to aid you in knowing what foods are safest to eat and when. However, when considering either of their viewpoints, one must remember to maintain balance! If this is not done, you will quickly find yourself right back where you started! There are only 24 hours in one day, do you want to spend most of your waking hours calculating when you can eat what fruit or vegetable so as not to cause fermentation in the body, or would you rather observe a simple lifestyle where you are not overwhelmed and will still maintain optimal health?

Just keep these simple points in mind, as this is what both of the aforementioned doctors agree on,

• Eat only when hungry.
• Melons must be eaten alone or at least 20 minutes before any other food.
• Drink water one hour before food or two hours after your meal.
• Take digestive aids/enzymes 5 to 30 minutes before each meal.
• Eat raw foods before cooked foods, as this will give you enough digestive enzymes to break down the cooked foods once eaten.
• We automatically produce an alkaline-forming enzyme called ptyalin which is present in our saliva, the more we chew, the stronger its presence. This is how something that as a food may be acid-forming becomes alkaline forming upon entering and interacting with ptyalin in the body, so chew food a minimum of 30 times before swallowing! If this is done properly, your food will become liquid like, thus making it easier to digest and swallow!
• Lastly, do not eat when tired, anxious, angry, and extremely emotional, with a high fever or in pain!

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