Heart

The food or drink you eat not only affects your nutritional status and body weight, it can also cause the pH in your body to change. The normal pH value in the body is around 7.4, while each food and drink has its own pH. So if consuming acidic foods or drinks can change the pH and interfere with health?

What is an acidic pH?

pH is a measure that shows whether something is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. Acidity is identified as pH 0 to 7, while alkaline is indicated by a pH value greater than 7 to 14. In the body, it is known that every part of the body has a different pH. For example, blood in a healthy person's body has a pH value of 7.35 to 7.45 which is an alkaline state. Meanwhile, the pH in the stomach is quite acidic, which is 3.5. This acidic state makes food easy to digest and break down into simpler substances.

What are the types of foods with an acidic pH?

To maintain bodily functions, the pH in the body must be balanced and maintained. If there is a slight change in the pH value, this will affect the overall functioning of a person's body. Acidosis will occur when the pH of the body becomes too acidic, which may be influenced by foods that have an acidic pH. Some examples of foods that have a pH that tends to be acidic are:

• Dairy products, such as cheese and butter
• Various processed foods
• Fresh and processed meats, such as corned beef
• Soda and various sweet drinks
• Foods that are high in protein and some supplements
• Several types of fish
• Sugar
• Coffee and alcohol
• Some types of citrus fruits have a fairly acidic pH, which is around 3 to 4

So, what will happen if we eat too many acidic pH foods?

The normal pH value of the body may be disturbed or will change slightly. Even a slight change in pH occurs, then the impact is quite fatal. When the body becomes acidic, the central nervous system will experience depression and of course cause various health problems such as the risk of developing cancer, disorders of liver function, and various heart diseases.

Mild symptoms that may result from this change in pH are depression, headaches, mood swings, sensitive gums, brittle nails and hair, and digestive system disorders. Meanwhile, changes in pH reaching a number below 7 can cause a person to go into a coma and even die.

A study reported in A.merican Journal of Clinical Nutrition involving as many as 9 thousand women who viewed their diet for 7 years. From this study, it is known that most of these women have a high risk of experiencing bone fragility due to eating too much animal protein foods, and less consumption of vegetables which then causes chronic acidosis in the body.

How to prevent the body from becoming acidic?

The opposite of acids is bases. When the body is too acidic, what you have to do is bring it back to normal pH, which is neither acidic nor alkaline. You can eat foods that tend to have an alkaline pH, such as vegetables and fruits. Research conducted by researchers from the University of California, states that eating foods that tend to be alkaline such as fruits and vegetables at least 3 servings a day can maintain the pH balance in the body. In addition, eating foods that have a pH that tends to be alkaline can also keep the body from losing muscle mass and improve memory abilities.

Food sources that have an alkaline pH, namely:

• Soybeans
• Egg
• Honey
• Almost all types of vegetables
• Almost all types of fruit, except for fruits that have a sour taste like oranges
• Herbs and spices

The importance of balancing the pH of the body

A change in pH as much as 0.2 can cause death, therefore it is very important to maintain pH balance. The pH of the body is influenced by the food we eat and you can maintain this balance by eating the right and balanced food sources. Eating fruits and vegetables is one right way to prevent acidosis from occurring. In addition, reduce food sources that contain high sugar, because this will cause various bad effects on the body.