Elle is part of the Well + Good Wellness Council; a handpicked holistic health squad.
In her latest article she introduced Well + Good readers to Dr Simone Laubscher Ph.D and how when she met the nutritional doctor and adopted an alkaline diet, it changed her life. We share a snippet of the story here.
Read on for Dr. Laubscher’s crash course on the importance of pH.
Dr Laubscher: First of all, pH is a term used to describe how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale is from 1–14, with any reading of 6 or less reflecting acidic and 7 or higher being alkaline. What you eat and drink directly affects your pH levels with some foods raising or lowering the pH. This is based on the mineral content of the food, not the actual pH of that food. For example lemons have a naturally low pH of around 2 but due to their mineral content they have a wonderful alkalizing effect on the body.
The bottom line is that disease can flourish in an acidic environment. As always, it is all about balance—and the human body was designed to operate at its optimum when body fluids are alkaline at 7-7.5. The body moves between acidic to alkaline all day, so to live 100 percent alkaline is unrealistic. But if you choose to do more kind, alkaline things to your body you will have better health.
Pretty much everything associated with fun is more acidic—coffee, chocolate, ice cream, alcohol, fried foods etc.—and this can tip our body’s healthy alkaline balance. So your body’s natural pH level is bound to be more acidic than alkaline. Many big and small health issues are associated with an acidic body: Low energy, weight gain, craving carbs, and sugar may all mean you’re acidic.
Read on for Dr. Laubscher’s crash course on the importance of pH.
Dr. Laubscher’s 7 simple tips for becoming more alkaline
1. Drink two litres of water per day.
2. Take two teaspoons of alkalizing greens daily to boost overall nutrition and maintain your body’s healthy alkaline range.
3. Cut dairy (if you can’t live without it, opt for goat or sheep milk varieties).
4. Reduce coffee to one per day.
5. Choose gluten-free bread and pasta, and grains such as quinoa and brown rice.
6. Reduce sugar and remove artificial sweeteners.
7. Include a de-stress activity into your day (like meditating, walking, yoga, or swimming).
Head to Well + Good to read the rest!