Health issues used to be virtually the sole domain of doctors (especially in my house where my Dad was a doctor). Nowadays, people are slowly coming to understand that the best approach to health care is through self care. We all know by now that you are what we eat (as a former Big Mac, I would like to send out a special hello to my fellow drive through addicts). Unfortunately, knowing the facts and doing something about it is very different. Anybody that has found this blog is probably already aware that diseases thrive in an acidic environment, and can’t survive in an alkaline body. That means it should be fairly simple to achieve good health… just eat an alkaline diet. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.
Humans are supposed to eat a diet consisting of 80% alkaline items. The typical American/Canadian diet consists of approximately 3% alkaline items and 97% acidic items. Now you see why people are getting sick. While the human body is an amazing survival machine, there is only so much it can do if it is abused.
In general, alkaline foods consist of many vegetables and some fruits, while almost everything else is acidic. Unless a person in a vegetarian, most people get more and more acidic over time. What does that mean to us? Well, to be blunt, it puts us at greater and greater risk of suffering from arthritis, diabetes, acid reflux, cancer, etc. etc. etc., as we age.
Dr. Robert O. Young and the other health gurus say that the ideal pH for your body liquids should be 7.346. How they came up with that precise number is beyond me, but I’m willing to accept it, as the level is slightly alkaline.
So how do we achieve this wonderful and healthy alkaline level? Eating more fruits and vegetables that have alkaline content helps. Cutting out junk food, pop and coffee helps. Reducing your intake of meats and processed foods helps. Exercising helps. Reducing your stress helps. These are all good things to do, but not easy to do for most of us. If you have a busy life like me, it is difficult to have the time or the energy to eat right and exercise. Like everything else, it is all about priorities. When you are young and healthy and seemingly invincible, eating properly and taking care of your body despite the damage that you are inflicting upon yourself. Generally it is not until we are older and feeling the effects of our neglect that we start to take action.
Even if you are really disciplined and eat well, you may still not achieve an alkaline equilibrium. A friend of mine has been a vegetarian for fifteen years, and he had never achieved an alkaline pH level in his body, until he started drinking alkaline ionized water. He is obviously a big fan of the water now, and has become a wonderful ambassador for the ionized water cause.
An obvious question should be why does alkaline ionized water make such a positive difference? The human body is made up of about 70% water (more for kids and less and less as we get older). Alkaline ionized water bombards the body with negative electrical charges which is a good thing, as it helps remove acid waste from the body.
The human body eliminates acid waste through feces, urine, sweat, and even a bit by breathing. Unfortunately, the body can only eliminate so much acid. When your body can no longer eliminate acid waste fast enough, your body will store the excess acid waste in fat cells. Your body views excess acid as a threat, and will surround the acid in a fat cell, and store in those places that drive us crazy when we hit our forties. That is why we see so much obesity in our society. What I find really alarming is the explosion in the percentages of overweight children, and it is no coincidence that type 2 diabetes is becoming an epidemic. More on that another day!
Acid buildup manifests itself in other harmful ways, including the diseases mentioned above. As I said before, the body can only do so much, so it is up to you what you are going to do about it. You can attack the problem with food, and with what you drink, along with living a healthy lifestyle of exercise and stress relief. Since the human body is primarily made up of water, intuitively, it makes sense that we should attack the problem of “acidosis” (the state of being acidic) with water.
I encourage everyone to eat well. My wife and I have made a determined effort to do the same. However, it you find that you just can’t eat a diet that you know is good for you; at least you can drink alkaline ionized water. It is easy to drink, and for people like me, the positive effects are life changing.
The initial cost of obtaining an alkaline water ionizer is high (about $2,000 for the leading brands), but prices should and will hopefully drop over time, as the market becomes more competitive. Do your homework, ask lots of questions, and be wary of what you see on websites that claim their machines are far superior to all of the other brands.
© This Alkaline Water article was posted on Waterfy
- Tags: acidic food, acidosis, pH
Mr. Thomas, it was a pleasure speaking with you today, thank you for your time.
After a great deal of research, I feel certain the ionized water technology offers an important, (largely undiscovered) health benefit in America.
I thank you for all your efforts to “get the word out”. I look forward to reading your blogs.
Best regards
Richard Edgeworth
Thanks for the kind words. I will continue to research and interview and share what I have learned.
Dear Rob,
I got psoriasis and my doctor told me to use alkaline food instead of acidic ones.he said It reduces my skin problem.do you know the alkaline food? thanks for helping me.I’m from Iran
Hi Roshanak:
Greetings from Canada. The world is a very small place with the internet.
I agree with your doctor about the importance of an alkaline diet when it comes to psoriasis, and many other health issues. If you have access to a water ionizer, you can drink the alkaline water and apply the acidic water (the second stream of water produced from the waste water line) directly on your skin. The results can be outstanding. When I was in the water ionizer business, I directed many people to the water that had great results with their psoriasis and exzema.
A quick internet serarch of “alkaline food chart” will provide you with many different alkaline foods.
Good luck.