The Best Ways to Alkalize

Our bodies contain alkaline and acid that need to be in a proper balance for us to be healthy. However, because our modern lifestyles often lack proper nutrition and exercise, people tend to be overly acidic and in need of repairing the balance. As a result, many health-conscious people are changing their lifestyles to rid their bodies of acidic waste to become more alkaline.

Reasons to alkalize

• All foods contain minerals that, when metabolized by the body, give off acid or alkaline residue. This chemical reaction, when it is alkaline, allows the body an increased ability to increase cell production, repair damaged cells and absorb nutrients and minerals. Just the opposite is true for acid-forming foods. When our bodies are more acidic than alkaline, we put ourselves in jeopardy of becoming sick because our cells are unable to work properly. Symptoms of an overly acidic body include arthritis, rheumatism, chronic heartburn, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, constipation and diarrhea.

Methods to alkalize

• Change your diet. Most fresh, uncooked fruits and green vegetables cause an alkaline-forming response in the body. Alkaline-forming foods include watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, peas, beans, almonds and tofu. For a detailed list of alkaline/acid forming foods, see Resources. Stay away from cooked and processed foods, as well as sugar, since they are acid forming. Most meat, with the exception of organic chicken, is also acid forming. Beef is usually aged, making it more acidic than chicken because foods are more alkaline when they are extremely fresh and in their original form. Any meat that contains antibiotics and/or hormones is also acid forming.

  Drink plenty of pure water each day (six to eight glasses). Often, tap water has chemical toxins that only add to the problem. Pure spring water or restructured alkaline water is the best choice for alkalizing your body. Alkalizing water machines can be purchased that restructure your tap water into alkaline water.

  Exercising moderately causes you to sweat, which gets rid of acid waste and toxins. Rebounding (jumping on equipment similar to a mini-trampoline) is an ideal exercise because it is easy to do, easy on the joints and it moves the lymph fluid, which carries away acid waste.

Other considerations

• Learn to breathe correctly. Breathe deeply and exhale properly (until there is no air left in your lungs) to oxygenate your whole body. Shallow breathing allows carbon dioxide, which is acidic, to build up in your body.

  Getting rid of stress is another important factor in becoming alkaline. In his book "Alkalize or Die," Dr. Theodore A. Baroody states that "Any stressor that the mind or body interprets and internalizes as too much to deal with leaves an acid residue. Even a mild stressor can cause a partial or total acid-forming reaction." He goes on to say, "All emotions, thoughts and feelings, of whatever kind, are felt in the physical body. Those which are inharmonious produce acid reactions. ...Intense emotion is not wrong in itself, but to hold on stubbornly to it always creates more acidity, leading to illness and pain."