Juice pH and Why the Right Alkaline-Acid Levels Are So Important

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measure of how acid or alkaline a solution is, 7.0 to 7.5 is the narrow range your body's acid and alkaline levels need to be in for reasonable health and in the range of 7.35 to 7.45 for best health. In fact you don't need to go too far outside the 7.0 to 7.5 range for health related problems to start.

A urine test that is less than 6.8 shows you are becoming too acid, and a urine test reading over 7.5 means you are becoming too alkaline. When your pH goes too far into the acid range cells will become poisoned by toxic acidic waste causing many cells to die off. This cell die off will lead too catastrophic illness.

High acid will cause the onset of health problems such as these:

and many others modern health issues, including digestive disorders.

Bladder problemsCardiovascularCancerGERD(acid reflux)HeadachesJoint painMuscle achesObesity

Modern diet is acid

Our modern diet tends to be in the acid range. Recent research shows this acid diet is at least partly responsible for many modern diseases. What you eat and drink creates your body's acid alkaline level.

When your pH goes into an acid state your body does whatever it has to in order to get back to an alkaline state. Your body will use up its supply of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium plus others to neutralize excess acid and flush it from your system. Robbing you body of these essential minerals causes other problems such as osteoporosis, arthritis and varies other health issues.

The best and easiest way to keep your pH in the healthy alkaline zone is to be sure you are consuming the right foods that help alkalize your body. When eaten fresh fruit and vegetables are alkaline, but fruit juice can often be acid. Vegetable juice on the other hand will usually be alkaline. Fresh vegetable juice drank regularly is a simple way of keeping your pH on the right side of 7.0.

Obviously some vegetables are more alkalizing than others so here is a short list of the most alkalizing vegetables to get you started in the right way.

Some of the best alkaline-forming Vegetables:

* Alfalfa (sprouts)

* Broccoli

* Beets and beet tops

* Brussels sprouts

* Cabbage

* Cantaloupe

* Carrots

* Celery

* Chard

* Cucumbers

* Garlic

* Parsnips

* Radishes

This is not a complete list of alkaline-forming vegetables, but is just a sample of those vegetables suitable for juicing that will also be useful in keeping acid alkaline at healthy levels.

Charlie Gilliland author and webmaster of makefreshjuice.com. Visit this site now to learn more about the benefits and more of making your own fresh juice at http://makefreshjuice.com/

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Is A Raw Vegan Diet Right For You?

If you are a believer in Ayurvedic or Traditional Chinese Medicine, you are likely familiar with the concept of all of us having different physical constitutions.

The short explanation of this is that we have various body chemistries that react to environmental, dietary, and other stimulation differently.

The differences may be slight but they can have a very profound impact on us.

One of the situations in which body constitution seems to weigh very heavily is in our dietary choices.

Over the last few years the concept of eating all raw, or a raw vegan diet, has become more and more popular

For some, the advance preparation of foods made mostly of nuts to replace carbohydrates - or sometimes meat - are a significant part of their dietary efforts.

While we believe that a plant based, natural, and organic diet is one of the healthiest diets a person can eat, we don't believe that something as specific as a raw vegan diet is right for every single person.

If someone is living that lifestyle and they are thriving, that is great. They have found something that works really well for them.

But what about those who struggle with that kind of diet? Those who have heard about all its great benefits but have found it difficult to implement and maintain because they find themselves feeling drained?

If you have found yourself in that position, you may want to consider the possibility that what you are trying isn't right for you.

You can also get advice from others who are successful with that type of diet and see if there is something that you aren't eating that could help you.

But if you keep finding that this type of diet isn't right for you, that's OK.

Optimum health is reached by many via changing to a raw vegan diet. And there are other ways in addition to that.

As I would say to anyone who is on a specific dietary path - be it the Paleo-diet, Macrobiotic lifestyle, you're average health conscious omnivore, or the standard American diet - if you are feeling great and like what you're doing then keep it up.

But if you don't feel good, its time for a change. Don't feel bad about that.

Just because it works for someone else, doesn't mean there is something wrong if it doesn't work for you.

My friend Tiffany is a well known personal trainer and nutritional consultant and has been a raw vegan for over 9 years. In her words, "This is just something I do. Just like you naturally drink water, I naturally eat raw vegan. It's not a struggle because its right for how my body is. Not everyone has the same body. So a raw vegan diet isn't for everyone. And that's OK. You can be healthy on different kinds of diets."

One other thing I'll point out is that if you are someone who has been on the standard American diet for a long time, and you are trying to make a full on lifestyle makeover to a diet that is on the other end of that extreme, and you are finding it very difficult - it may help to make the switch in a more gradual fashion.

I've seen people go from 0 to 60 with their health efforts over night and they seem to have a much more difficult time making a long term change than those who have a plan that they follow step by step.

Stay physically active, eat as many organic and natural foods as possible, drink lots of water, take your herbs, and your body will tell you what it wants and what to keep out of it.

Stick with supportive positive people who have gotten themselves to a healthy place, and you will find what's right for you.

Nick Brown is a Certified Nutrition Specialist and write for Chakra 4 Vegetarian Restaurant in Phoenix, AZ. Visit our website to sign up for our newsletter and get FREE tips on vegetarian lifestyle, organic living, and natural healing. Click here --> Phoenix Vegetarian Restaurant Newsletter

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