Suffering from heartburn? Try adding these alkalising foods to your diet

Acids, alkali, pH… brownie points for all those who paid attention in chemistry class because this article will tell you exactly why and how these words are important for your gut and overall well-being. Every time your tummy feels like it’s on fire, your joints ache, or you feel a burning sensation in your chest—it is because there might be an imbalance of the acidity and alkalinity within the body. And it is the pH mechanism, or the potential of hydrogen in your body, that measures this balance. “If we go back to school where we studied the pH, it scaled from 1-14, where 7 in the centre stands for neutral, below 7 for acidic and for alkaline. The human body maintains a blood pH within the tight range of 7.35-7.45,” explains Luke Coutinho, holistic lifestyle coach. Scroll ahead to know more from Coutinho about how the pH level of your body affects its functioning.

In case of extreme acidity, the body pulls out alkaline minerals from the body to balance pH

Our body has an inbuilt pH regulator (buffer mechanism) that has the ability to keep the body alkaline, because all metabolic functions need to have an alkaline medium. With even the slightest dip in the pH level, our body tries to pull out bicarbonates and other alkaline minerals from the blood to normalise pH. But the problem is that when eat the wrong food and have wrong lifestyles, our body produces too much acid. In cases of chronic acidity, our body even may try to leach out calcium from the softer parts of our bone because maintaining an optimal pH is necessary for it to sustain. This is why chronic acidity is also one of the risk factors for joint pains and arthritis.

pH levels differ in different parts of the body

The pH level in our body isn’t the same throughout. Ideally, human blood is slightly alkaline and should be at a pH value of 7.35-7.45 to function well, while the stomach needs to maintain an acidic pH when we eat (approximately 3.5), so it can digest and break down food effectively. In a women’s vagina, however, the ideal pH balance for good health is between 3.8 and 4.5.

The symptoms of an imbalanced body

Urine tests and litmus paper tests are the most popular ways to test the balance in the body. However, the wide repertoire of biofeedback from the body (the actual symptoms felt) are usually telling.

When the pH level are too acidic

The main symptoms are heartburn, a burning sensation in the chest, burps, indigestion, joint pains, burning sensation while urinating, ulcers, bloating and flatulence.

When the pH level are too alkaline

You’ll suffer from acid reflux, recurrent stomach infections (like E coli, H pylori) and low immunity.

Adding plant-based foods to your diet help maintain an alkaline level

Alkaline foods are able to combat acidity, fight inflammatory conditions, boost immunity, heal the lining of the gut, preserve joint health and improve cellular function. Nature has given us some of the most alkaline foods, which is why it is very easy to maintain the right pH level with a natural and (mostly) plant-based diet. The moment packaged and processed food is introduced to the body, there is a gradual decline in pH value as most of these are acid forming.

An alkaline body is important but it’s also a much-hyped subject today, as overdoing alkalinity can be harmful as well. Any foods less than 6.8 (overly acidic) or higher than 7.8 (overly alkaline) can be useless and dangerous for the human body. These should also be smartly spaced out within one’s food routine, as a lot of functions can even require a more acidic medium, like digestion of proteins, for example. For a normal healthy and active individual who maintains a water intake of two and a half to three litres, one or two fruits a day, a glass of vegetable juice or portions of raw vegetables in the form of salad is a decent quantity. However, if the person drinks too many acidic beverages like tea, coffee, alcohol or overdoes meat or smoking, then it’s important to take extra measures to keep the body alkaline.

The simplest and easiest alkalising drink is lemon water, which can be consumed either at room temperature or heated to lukewarm, preferably first thing in the morning. Another alternative is freshly juiced wheatgrass or a tap of wheatgrass powder in 250ml water. Both are great to have on an empty stomach. In the evening, a glass of vegetable juice with carrot, cucumber, fresh coriander, amla, bottle gourd and a few drops of lemon and coconut oil is a great way to up the alkalinity.

The powerful alkalisers to add to your diet

Lemons

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Contrary to what people believe, lemons taste sour but are not acidic. The moment lemon mixes with saliva, it creates an alkaline ash and exerts an alkaline effect on the body. Add fresh lemon juice to a glass of warm water and drink it every day to flush out the excess acids from your body.

Cucumbers

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Cucumber is 90 per cent water and rich in alkaline minerals. It keeps our body hydrated, eliminates toxins, cleanses and balances the acidic levels as well. Cucumbers also prevent acid crystallisation in your body, so add it to you diet, stat.

Wheatgrass

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Imbibed fresh or as a dry powder, wheatgrass makes the most alkalising drinks because it’s extremely rich in minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium.

Holy basil seeds

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Known as sabja or tulsi seeds, these are cooling in nature and help combat acidity. When soaked in water, they get gelatinous and easier to digest. Sneak them into a smoothie or juice.

Kokum

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Kokum’s cooling nature helps offset most cases of acidity and heat strokes and is often used in post-chemo care protocols to prevent nausea and burning in the chest. It supports the process of digestion by boosting liver health, fighting inflammation and acidity. Apart from cooking, kokum is widely used to make sherbet too.

Fennel

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There’s a reason these seeds are presented at the end of a heavy meal at most Indian restaurants—they are cooling spices that help ease digestion. Chew a few fennel seeds to reduce the symptoms of acidity for immediate relief.

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