You work at a stressful job and hardly ever take a break. Getting out of the house in the morning, you barely have time to grab some cold cereal and coffee, let alone pack a healthy lunch. You grab a mocha latte on the way to work to help fuel your morning. You order fast food takeout so you can eat lunch at your desk. Maybe some charitable workmate brought some goodies for the break room that’ll help quell your afternoon hunger. You get a good whiff of exhaust fumes on the way home. And when you do get home, there are all the other stresses to face: kids, relationships, chores, bills. And what to do about dinner?
Unfortunately, many of us can identify all too well with this picture. And all of it–poor food choices, toxic exposure, and stress–contributes to acid buildup in our bodies.
As with most things related to health, there are varying opinions about the nature or relevance of excess acidity in the body. Some researchers point out that our blood pH is tightly controlled by mechanisms in the kidneys and the lungs, so that it’s always kept at its slightly-alkaline measure of 7.36 to 7.0. (http://authoritynutrition.com/the-alkaline-diet-myth/)
Others, many of whom are well-known doctors, point out the association between excess acidity and everything that can go wrong with the body, from hormonal imbalances to cancer.
Dr. Lynda Fassetto, a researcher at University of California, has found that excess acid wastes are being stored as solids in the form of cholesterol and crystalized uric acid in the body tissues. This stored acid is highly inflammatory and corrosive—just like rust.
Stored acids are uncomfortable, contributing to aches and pains, obesity, low energy, osteoarthritis, diabetes, and most of the chronic diseases. They interfere with your hormones and your body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals from food. They clog up the works so that cells can’t function properly. They even contribute to skin wrinkling and mess with your moods!
While our bodies are designed to process acids and alkalis routinely, most of the foods we choose to eat in our modern diets have a very acidifying effect on our system. Many of us rely heavily on sugar, meat, dairy products, and refined grains as our staples, with only an occasional nod to fresh, raw or lightly cooked vegetables and fruits.
To turn that around….
- Eat 8-10 servings a day of fruits and especially vegetables.
- Have a mug of warm fresh-squeezed lemon water first thing in the morning.
- Have at least a cup of greens every day, such as spinach, broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, or bok choy.
- Make green smoothies for breakfast. Powdered green food supplements can be helpful for this.
- Certain vitamin and mineral supplements are helpful, such as buffered vitamin C and magnesium.
- Olive oil is less acid-forming that other oils.
Ah, the benefits!
Just to be clear, your body needs a balance of both acid and alkaline foods, along with proper exercise, deep breathing, restful sleep, avoiding toxins as much as possible, and adopting good stress management strategies. Adopting a more alkaline diet—one that emphasizes lots of vegetables and unprocessed foods—is a really healthy move that will make your body very happy.
And that means you look great, feel great, and have plenty of energy to play!
are there as a wake-up call that it is indeed time to start paying closer attention to our needs.
My client is a surgeon who’s frequently under a lot of pressure. When he checked his blood pressure recently, he saw an alarming number register on the device.
Processed foods and deep fried foods are also loaded with an overabundance of Omega-6 fats because the oils used are generally soy, corn, safflower or other polyunsaturated vegetable oils. These oils imbalance the Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio and also contribute to inflammation.
• I prepare most of my own meals from scratch, using fresh, organic ingredients and including lots of veggies.
Maybe you’ve had an eeeeeeekk! moment or two yourself lately and can identify with this. I was at an event recently – actually one of those fairly “Portlandia” style ones – called “Paint Nite” where the participants come together to get their “art” on by imbibing lots of palliative liquids while producing a painting as they follow the instructions of the local artist who’s leading the show.
I’d like to propose another option. How about becoming aware of the habits and choices we make that contribute to unhealthy aging and old-before-your-time skin and then choosing differently?
That’s sad because exercise is one of the best ways to manage cortisol levels and to tone, not just our muscles, but also our skin. Exercise triggers the production of one of the most important antioxidants in the body – glutathione – which slows down the aging process and helps ward off wrinkles and sagging. Exercise boosts the natural production of collagen, which improves skin thickness. Resistance training in particular helps build up muscles to create lifted, taut-looking skin.