I LOVE understanding how our body works! I have been doing some science research (prob 7th grade science) trying to better understand how our cells are effected with everything we do. One very interesting tid-bit, the average human has over 50 TRILLION cells. Some renew faster than others, some once damaged by toxins cannot be repaired, but the great news is many can be repaired by taking proper care of ourselves.
Have you heard of pH? Did you know our blood will constantly maintain a perfect pH balance of 7.35? We can either aid in that process by taking proper care of our body we can hinder the process by added unwanted stress in the form of: air, water, food, sleep (the basics). Like I said before our body will keep the blood at a perfect balanced pH. All the foods we put into our body have it’s own pH and therefore effect on the blood. If we eat foods that cause our body to dip into the acidic side of pH, our body has work hard to get the balance back. Let me try to explain, have you ever reached for an afternoon pick me up, only to skip the apple and grab a box or bag of cookies/chips/crackers? How did you feel 30 minutes later? Most likely you felt tired again, and maybe went back for another afternoon pick me up. If you read the ingredients on the package, there are words that cannot be pronounced and some that contain all the letters of the alphabet, our cells feel the same way-confused! They have to do a lot of work to figure out what it is you put in the body and how to best use the ingredients to help you sustain. Let’s change the scenario, you grab an apple and a handful of almonds. You still get that instant energy, but there isn’t a fast sugar rush followed by a low. The natural sugar in the apple along with the fiber helps you sustain energy, the almonds will help you feel full longer as well. Back to pH, the processed sugary food have an acidic effect on the body while the apples and almonds are the exact opposite, they help the blood stay in a more alkaline state.
So why does all this matter?
Diseases of all kind (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, even common colds- ALL disease!) can thrive and grow in an acidic environment. When we put food into our body that is more acidic, our body has to work really hard to maintain the balance. Over time this compromises our immune system allowing us to catch anything that comes along and even allowing serious diseases to thrive.
Before I go further, I want you to know that food is not the only factor that effects how our cells reproduce and repair. Stress, water, air, food, and anything we put on our body can help with repair or cause damage. We need to be careful in all those areas. Phew that was my disclaimer.
Now for the foods that are helpful to our pH level, repairing cells, and removing toxins from our body:
All fruits and veggie and whole grains! (are you surprised?) Especially acidic fruits like lemons, limes, and grapefruits once consumed they have an alkaline effect.
Foods that are acidic and compromise our pH level:
Pork, poultry, beef, pasteurized milk, (raw milk is also acidic, just on a lower level), sugar, white flour, white rice- to name a few.
*End of the science lesson, newbie style (Thanks for indulging me in my LOVE for 7th grade science)!
Along with eating more fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds; take ten minutes a day to breathe deeply. If you don”t have ten minutes, start your day with ten deep breaths. Our stress level can be just as damaging to our cells as the foods we put into our body. You are a strong powerful woman! Take time for you!
~Newbie
Source: WFM 1-10