Alkalizing supplements, what they are and when to take them

Curated by Paola Ferro, Naturopath

The alkalizing food supplements are useful for combating tissue acidosis, or regulating the acid-base ratio, which is essential for well-being and prevention. Let's find out better.

Almonds among the alkalizing foods

When a substance is acid or alkaline

To measure how much a substance is acidic or alkaline, a scale of values is used which is given the name "pH" (power of hydrogen) and the term dates back to the early 1900s and is linked to the Chemist Soren Sorensen).

In the medical field, pH is used to measure organic liquids and in particular blood, saliva and urine.

These liquids are defined:

acids, when the pH is between 0 and 7.06;
neutral, when the pH is equal to 7.07;
basic or alkaline, when the pH is between 7.08 and 14.14.

Therefore, the lower the pH, the more acid the test substance is . Combating tissue acidosis, ie regulating the acid-base ratio, is essential for well-being and prevention: almost all diseases, in fact, are accompanied by a strong tissue acidity, which in the long term can generate chronic inflammatory states of the tissues a lowering of the immune system and a deterioration of bone mass.

Causes and symptoms of acid-base imbalance

The causes of acid-base imbalance are the accumulation of toxins of various origins:

Excess of acidifying foods
Environmental pollution
Excess of drugs
Smoke
Excessive physical activity
Sedentary life
Stress
Insufficient supply of liquids

Symptoms related to a state of metabolic acidosis: heartburn and gastric acidity, dyspepsia, gastritis, seborrhea, eczema, brittle nails and hair, irritability, anxiety, palpitations, frequent nocturnal awakenings, arthrosis, osteoporosis, muscle pain, premenstrual syndrome, candida, gout, hyperuricemia, immune deficiency, caries, periodontosis, constipation, coldness.

The human organism has elimination systems (liver, kidneys, lungs and skin) that continuously work trying to maintain an ideal environment, neutralizing and eliminating all the excess acid accumulated in the different organic tissues.

What are the mainly acidifying foods in our diet?

Cheese and milk to follow
Cereals, especially the refined ones
Dried fruit (nuts, peanuts, hazelnuts)
beans
Nerve substances (tea, chocolate and coffee)
Eggs, fish, meat
Carbonated drinks, fruit juices
Refined sugar and salt

Therefore a constant ingestion of alkalizing foods, suppliers of the essential alkaline bases, capable of neutralizing the acid tension of the tissues, is necessary.

Alkalinising foods

All raw vegetables
Fresh fruit (possibly eaten raw or in centrifuged)
Lemon juice (despite its sour taste)
Almonds
The only alkalinizing cereal is millet
Honey is highly alkalizing.
The sprouts

Alkalizing supplements

In addition to changing the diet (thus favoring mainly basic foods) it can be used to supplement with alkalizing powders to be dissolved in water, based on mineral salts such as Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium, in the form of bicarbonates, carbonates and citrates.

The best results are obtained with citrates and bicarbonates, for the ease with which they are absorbed and made available by the buffering action on acids.

For example, taking about 5-6 grams of citrates (a teaspoon) once a day in a little warm water can give good results and no side effects.

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