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I've been sitting on this nugget for a long time... but honestly just didn't know what to draw!
All I could think of was a person peeing on a piece of pH paper. 😬🤷♀️
So, yeah, there's a guy peeing on a piece of pH paper!
You might remember pH paper from high school or junior high school (or college?) experiments on acidity and alkalinity.
Or you might use it to make sure the water in your aquarium is right for your fish!
Well, guess what?
It's a handy tool for helping to gauge your own body's acidity or alkalinity, too!
Why does it matter?
The body does a great job of regulating its chemistry, including the pH of most of its tissues.
Your blood, for example, holds steady in a very tight range of barely alkaline: 7.35 to 7.45 - almost perfectly neutral (7).
But when we eat certain foods or put ourselves into certain situations - especially stressful situations - it can drive our body chemistry towards acidity!
And since the blood has to stay in that very narrow range, what do you think the body does to neutralize the acid?
Well, it does what you might do in the chemistry lab! It takes minerals, such as calcium, and uses it to neutralize the acid.
And... where do you suppose the body grabs that calcium from?
If it's not readily available from food, then it will pull it from your bones and muscles!
This is part of why heavy soda drinkers are
at a higher risk for osteoporosis.
Because the body is pulling calcium from the bones to help neutralize the acid!
A "natural" healthy human diet, rich in green leafy vegetables, tends to push the body towards alkalinity.
A heavily processed diet pushes the body strongly towards acidity.
Since each individual's body chemistry varies according to their genetics, etc., it's really handy to check the pH of your urine first thing in the morning and pay attention to how it fluctuates based on your diet.
Most pH paper is yellow at first, and then will change color according to the pH.
Ideally, you want your pH paper to be in the green range.
Some people say "it should be the color of a leafy green vegetable."
One patient came to me and said, "This paper doesn't work. It never changes color at all."
Um... the paper wasn't defective. That guy was VERY ACIDIC!
For me, I know that when I eat plenty of dark leafy greens, my pH stays in a healthy zone. But if I forego the greens and eat some processed food, it jumps to acid. And if I have a cocktail, then it becomes REALLY acidic! 😱
There are entire books available on this topic!
Here is a really good one.
The simple thing is, get some pH paper. It's very inexpensive.
Test your pee first thing in the morning for a few days in a row.
See what your baseline appears to be.
Watch how it changes when your change your diet.
And see how you feel if you are able to keep it more alkaline than acidic!
If you're running acidic and you also feel like crap, well... now you have one more thing to aim for. 😬
👉🏻 Let me know if you already have experience with testing your pH and what it has been!
-DK
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