How to Balance an Acidic Body

Acidosis refers to a high amount of acid in body fluids. The liver and kidneys are responsible for maintaining pH in the body, balancing acids and bases; kidney disease and dehydration can trigger acidosis in the body, which is categorized as a metabolic acidosis. Other causes of metabolic acidosis could be buildup of alcohol in the body, low blood sugar, certain medications, lack of oxygen, cancer or exercising excessively without providing the body with sufficient nutrition, water and rest. Hyperchloremic acidosis is typically caused from a loss of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, essentially), such as when suffering from diarrhea. Ketoacidosis is commonly associated with diabetes, but can also affect those who engage in low-carb dieting.

Instructions

• 1

  Your physician will run blood and urine tests to check for acidosis and determine the type.

  Make an appointment to consult with your physician before beginning any possible treatment regimens. Before you can determine the best way to balance an acidic body you must know what is causing the acidosis. For people who have been on extremely low-carb diets for a while, medical tests will likely show ketoacidosis. For someone who does not regularly consume the minimum daily recommended amount of water (64 ounces), dehydration is likely the cause. The doctor will run a urinalysis and possibly blood or electrolyte tests to determine the type of acidosis.

• 2

  Keep a food and exercise journal for 3 to 7 days to help assess your nutrient intake.

  Document your daily diet and exercise routines. This is easiest if you take 3 to 7 days and journal what and when you eat and drink, as well as when you exercise and how much. Also document how you feel before and after eating or drinking anything and how you feel before, during and after exercise. If possible, document the amount of food eaten using measuring cups or a food scale.

• 3

  A lack of water may be causing the acidosis.

  Review the food and exercise journal. Determine how much protein and how many carbohydrates you are consuming each day and how many per meal. Also note patterns in the amount of water you drink each day and whether it is consistent every day or some days more and some days less. High-protein, low-carb diets tend to cause ketoacidosis in some people, especially if they exercise while on the diet. Additionally, too much of any food in one sitting can be difficult for the body to digest. A lack of proper hydration (water) can result in concentrated urine, which can facilitate the buildup of bacteria and eventually affect the kidneys.

• 4

  Balancing your diet and increasing water intake can help reduce acid in the body.

  Rearrange the daily nutrition intake to include healthy, high-fiber carbohydrates with each meal, and keep the amount of carbohydrates to about 30 or 40 grams per meal from whole-grain sources. Limit protein consumption to 25 grams per meal for a man and 20 grams per meal for a woman; too much protein in one sitting causes digestive distress. Additionally, make certain that fruits and vegetables are included with each meal, unsweetened and not canned; fresh and frozen are okay.

• 5

  Too much sugar and excessive use of artificial sweeteners can affect the body's ability to regulate blood sugar.

  Decrease sugar and artificial sweetener intake, replacing it with Stevia if sweetener is needed; Stevia has been found not to affect blood-sugar levels like artificial sweeteners and regular sugar do. Increase water to 80 ounces per day, mixing the water with lemon or lime (fresh or powdered) and a little Stevia if necessary to encourage more water consumption.

• 6

  Keep workouts to an hour or less while balancing the body, and try to work out in the morning or during the day.

  Adjust your workout or exercise routine to keep the exercise to 60 minutes or less per day. If exercising first thing in the morning, prepare breakfast with a 4:3 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio and have it ready to eat within an hour of finishing the exercise. If exercising during the day, have a snack, small meal or recovery drink within 30 to 60 minutes of completing the workout. Avoid exercising at night so your body has sufficient time to wind down and rest.

• 7

  Return to the doctor to follow up on the earlier labwork and determine the effectiveness of your recent changes.

  Return to the doctor after 1 to 2 weeks on the adjusted eating, drinking and exercising schedule to redo the urine and blood tests. If the acidosis has not improved, the doctor may need to refer you to a specialist or provide other medical assistance.