Urine too acidic? Here’s a list of alkaline foods to balance your pH levels.
In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems. In simple words it’s a control system in your body that keeps multiple variables in check, your body temperature, blood sugar and fluid levels, etc, etc. One such variable is the pH level of the body - when you take a urine test, the pH level check creates an external window for you to take a peek at what’s going on inside your body. So when your urine says “Ya basic” it may or may not be referring to your personality, but it definitely gives you a preview of what’s going on inside your body. Let’s take a quick look at the definite values of urine pH and its role in your well-being.
The normal pH spectrum, and it’s reflection on your health.
Depending on a person’s acid-base status, the pH of urine may range from 4.5 to 8. After a urine test, if you find out that your pH is a little too acutely on the lower side, you might want to reconsider your diet. By making your body more alkaline, you will reduce the chances of digestive problems, having low energy, unhealthy skin, mouth, and teeth. Just a few switches could enhance your overall health and prevent many other diseases.
How does your diet impact your pH levels?
First, let’s understand how your body’s metabolism works. It burns the food you eat and leaves a residue as metabolic waste. The waste can be acidic, neutral, or alkaline, depending on what you eat. For example, when you eat processed foods like pasta, bread, cookies, etc the metabolism breaks them down, and the residue (known as acid ash) comes out. Acid ash lowers the body’s pH and causes stomach problems, like acid reflux. The excessive acid is taken out by urine, and the body’s pH is kept balanced. That’s why when you eat too much acidic food, your urine pH is highly acidic. Including alkaline foods in your diet also has multiple health benefits:
- Stronger Muscles
- A Reduced Risk of High Blood Pressure and Stroke
- Elevated Memory and Brain Function
- A Healthy Heart
- Strengthens Bones
The first step.
To bring about a significant change, one will have to start with reducing the consumption of processed, high sugar containing foods that lower the pH of the body while increasing the intake of raw, less processed whole foods that are alkaline in nature. A majority of vegetables are known to be basic so you can start with inculcating more greens into your diet.
Here’s a gist of basic alkaline foods, and the ways in which you can consume them:
- Bottle Gourd
Apart from its high fibre content, bottle gourd is highly alkaline, hydrating and has antibilious properties that makes your body feel better internally, and keeps stress at bay. To utilise all its nutrients, you can juice it, steam it and add it to your yogurt. Bottle gourd is used widely across various Indian recipes in innumerable forms from sweet to savoury, starters to desserts.
2. Cucumbers
Cucumbers are amazingly alkalizing. They are also a rich source of silica and a wonderful diuretic. You could incorporate them into salads, stir fries and mocktails.
3. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits, such as lemon, oranges, and lime are acidic foods with a pH of nearly 2.0. Surprisingly, after they are metabolized in the body, they have an alkalizing effect. Besides that, citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C and detoxify your body. You can eat them fresh, and you can also add them in your water bottle to color things up and alkalize your system.
4. Other Fruits
Fruits can be tricky, because some of them are acidic, while some of them are alkaline. They are all rich in minerals and vitamins, so it’s good to add them to our daily consumption. Your sweet tooth cravings can be satisfied by these instead of sugary acidic desserts. Kiwi, figs, pears, pineapple, watermelon, apples, and apricots are good alkaline fruits when consumed in their season. They’re also a rich source of fibre, keeping your digestion in check.
5. Root Vegetables
Beetroot, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrots are alkali foods that will be helpful to elevate the pH of urine. You can boil, steam and roast them, but keep in mind to not overcook, or you’ll tamper with their nutrient content.
6. Coconut Water
Coconut water is high in potassium, which can flush out excess water from your body. If you are suffering from acidity, coconut water can give you relief as it is alkaline and can bring your pH balance back to normal.
7. Whole Grains and Green Beans
Amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and quinoa are known to alkalize the pH of urine. While beans like green beans, lima beans, and string beans are alkalizing.
8. Seeds and Nuts
Cashews, almonds, walnuts, etc contain healthy fats that neutralise the acidic pH of the body. Pumpkin, chia, sesame and sunflower seeds are also highly alkaline, with multiple additional health benefits. Nuts can be consumed after being soaked overnight or in the form of pastes and butter, either way they’re wholesome foods rich in both macro, and micro nutrients to nourish your body.
“Basic” Nourishment
To put things in perspective, one does not have to have high acid levels in their body in order to increase the consumption of alkaline foods. They should be consumed on a daily basis in acceptable quantities to maintain health and wellness. Apart from the consumption of these foods one can also cut down on their alcohol intake and increase their water intake. You can add mint leaves, cucumber, any colourful citrusy slices into your bottle of water and “Voila!” you have fresh alkaline water that’s a treat for your senses, both visual and olfactory.
