HEALTH TIP: Drinking enough water is probably the easiest way to prevent disease,
yet it’s something that most people neglect.
Water is the basis of all
life and that includes your body.
Your muscles that move your body are
75% water; your blood that transport nutrients is 82% water; your lungs
that provide your oxygen are 90% water; your brain that is the control
center of your body is 76% water; even your bones are 25% water. Without
sufficient water, we slowly die.
If you are thirsty, it means your
cells are already dehydrated. A dry mouth should be regarded as the last
outward sign of dehydration. That’s because thirst does not develop
until body fluids are depleted well below levels required for optimal
functioning.
Some statistics show that as much as 90% of us are walking
around in a chronic state of dehydration. One way to tell if you’re
dehydrated is to check the color of the urine. If it’s dark all the
time, you’re probably dehydrated.
Lay off the sodas (they’re full of
sugar or toxic sweetener & very acidic) and drink more water. As a
guideline, you need 1/2 ounce of water per pound per day. Example: a 200
pound person needs 100 ounces per day.
Source: Al Sears, M.D.
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Water and Alkanizing the Body
Every cell in your body contains water. Even the cells that make up the
acid you need to digest food, to the ones that make up your hormones, to your immune cells that attack infections.
And all that water must be maintained at the right pH balance in order for
your body to function the way it’s meant to.
"pH" simply means "potential of Hydrogen." And it’s measured on a scale of 0 (100% acidic) to 14 (100%
alkaline). Your body prefers a slightly alkaline pH level between 7.365 and 7.390.
Here’s the tricky part. The distance from the neutral value of 7 is not just numeric. It’s
logarithmic. That means each number is exponentially more acidic or alkaline the farther you get from 7.
For
example, a pH reading of 6 is ten times more acidic than 7, but a pH
of
4 is a thousand times more acidic than 7. So a small change in pH is
really a big deal to your body. And the modern world is just making it
worse.
Every
day the modern world pours acid
into you from pollutants in your drinking water, the air you breathe…
even most modern medicines and prescriptions drugs are notorious for
producing acid. And the more acidic your cells, the more stress your
body goes through.
The good news is, there are ways you can naturally keep your body’s
pH in check. But first let me show you why it’s so important.
Let’s take soda as an example. Almost all commercial drinks, from colas to energy and sports drinks (including
sugar-free ones) have acids added to them – such as phosphoric acid, citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid.
To
give you an idea of how acidic these drinks are, pure, distilled water
has a pH of 7. Battery acid is a 1. The average can of cola has a pH of
2.5. That means it’s tens of thousands of times more acidic than
water.
But it’s not just soft drinks.
There are quite a few foods that form acid, like:
| Mustard | Asparagus | Noodles | Olives | Ketchup | |
| Pasta | Shellfish | Flour Based Products | Legumes | Tea | |
| Beans | Oatmeal | Brussels Sprouts | Cocoa | Coffee | |
| Plums | Cornstarch | Sugars | Lentils | Vinegar |
When
you consume these highly acidic food and drinks, it has a huge
impact on your system. Your body will use its alkaline minerals such as
sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium to neutralize the acid and
return
your pH to normal.
And this can cause problems
like kidney stones, cramping, premature aging skin, abnormal blood sugar levels, fatigue, joint discomfort and more.
To help keep your pH in the slightly alkaline zone, here are two things you
can do:
- Drink lots of water. Forget the “few glasses of water a day” rule. You need to drink water in excess of thirst. And that means something like 3 quarts of water a day. More if it’s very hot or if you’re working outside.
- Eat alkalizing foods. Brazil nuts, almonds, coconuts, fresh vegetables, avocados, raisins, molasses and honey are all alkalizing foods. Fresh fruit works, too, even citrus fruit. Even though they have citric acid, they have an alkalizing effect in your body.
Source: Al Sears, M.D.
