Alkaline foods and pH balance are not a typical daily topic of conversation.  However, people who cycle, run, hike, play tennis, or do any physical activity and want to perform at peak levels of fitness, have a choice to make. It's a choice many never consider, but one of the most important for overall health and fitness. It stares you right in the face every time you look at a menu or a shelf full of groceries. The choice to consider is whether or not a food or beverage is going to help you maintain proper pH balance, or is it going to throw that delicate balance off and leave your body's defenses vulnerable to health problems. In order to maintain suitable pH balance, nutritionists suggest 80% of dietary intake should be alkaline and 20% acid foods.  What exactly does that mean? It is a widely accepted nutrition fact that the alkaline or acid properties of foods and drinks come into play when your body burns them for fuel.

For a more comprehensive list of alkaline and acid foods, take the FREE ALKALINE FOOD TEST

Consuming too many acid foods, drugs, tobacco, sodas, cocktails, and coffee causes the pH balance of the blood to become overly acidic, therefore, out of balance. It's kind of like a swimming pool that has an  acid pH level, and as any pool owner knows that can cause problems. When we refer to ALKALINE FOODS or ACID FOODS here we're talking about what happens to them in the bloodstream after they have been consumed.  All foods and drinks leave either an alkaline ash or an acid ash in the blood, depending on what happens to them after your body has burned them for fuel.  This is what effects blood pH balance, as well as urine or saliva pH balance, which can all be tested different ways. Here are 10 types of acid foods that create an acid ash when metabolized: White flour (breads, pastas) Refined sugars Artificial sweeteners Dairy products Processed corn and many grain products Meats Fish Nuts (not all of them, but most) Cranberries (surprising, but true, even some healthy fruits and vegetables can form an acid ash, especially over-cooked  vegetables) Coffee and sodas Here are 10 good choices for alkaline foods to help maintain proper pH balance in the bloodstream: Almonds (raw) Apples Avocados  Bananas (ripe, not green) Leafy green lettuce and spinach  Citrus fruits  Broccoli  Cantaloupe  Carrots Peas A human being's blood pH level is meant to stay around 7.4, so the body is constantly working to sustain that pH balance, no matter what you consume. When the body has to neutralize more acid than it is designed for, the best place to find a readily available supply of something alkaline enough to perform that function is in your bones. If the consumption of alkaline food and drinks is insufficient to do the job, then calcium from bones will be utilized in order to neutralize excess acid in the bloodstream.  It is a nutrition fact that too many acid foods such as meat, sugar, dairy, and refined flour products can cause a body's pH balance to be too acidic.  This can lead to all sorts of health problems, not the least of which is bone weakness. A calcium supplement may help. However, if the calcium is not from a whole food source, the body does not absorb it as efficiently due to the lack of live enzymes, but more about that in a future article. The best whole food sources for calcium are broccoli, green leafy vegetables, and other alkaline foods with live enzymes. The easiest way to consume the 80% alkaline foods you need each day is with concentrated health drinks that are heavily weighted to the alkaline side of the scale.  Look for products made with real fruit and food grade herbs, because we know that most of those natural whole food ingredients are alkaline by nature.  As you consume more alkaline foods and drinks for proper pH balance, your body will come into its own perfect balance and your overall health will reflect a positive change. pH balance is just one of many considerations when choosing a balanced diet. Search the Internet for all natural foods, alkaline foods, health drinks, and other choices for improving your overall health and fitness.  Author Profile-Cliff Smith is one of the owners of BestHealthFoodStore.net and is constantly researching the latest nutrition information.  The Alkaline Food Test he devised is a must for anyone who wants to know if they are eating a healthy balance of alkaline foods and acid foods.  Cliff's personal success story is highlighted by his natural weight loss achievements. Related Articles: Alkaline Foods and Acid Foods - What You Really Need to Know How Alkaline Foods and pH Balance Affect Your Health Using Alkaline Foods and Health Drinks to Bounce Back From A Cold When Buying Health Drinks, Alkaline Drinks are the Better Choice Naturally Alkaline Health Drinks Make Today’s Sports Drinks Seem Like Candy How to Find Natural Foods, Alkaline Foods and Health Drinks Not Sold in Stores Shopping Secrets of the Healthy ***Feel free to reprint any of our original articles, but please include a link to our online health food store in return. Thank you! Get a Sample Pack: Sample ALKALINE FOODS Sip NATURAL HEALTH DRINKS Taste HEALTHY SNACKS Get our online health food store catalog Instructions and recipes included Click for details...