As a health-conscience reader, you’re looking for ways to eat naturally and promote a healthy digestive system. This quest has probably led you to learn more about prebiotics, probiotics and fermented foods. And maybe you’ve come across information about how baking soda can help alkaline your stomach.
If you haven’t heard about taking baking soda to reduce acidity, don’t go running to your pantry just yet. Baking soda has a low pH and can reduce the pH in your stomach. But, taking in too much can lead to serious digestive problems and even death. The thing is…your stomach is supposed to be an acidic environment. All those digestive juices help to break down food. I even heard one nutritionist say to limit the amount of water you drink with a meal so that those digestive enzymes don’t get diluted and become less effective.
Let’s back up a minute and discuss how your digestive system gets overly acidic in the first place. Well, it’s largely due to what you’re eating. The following foods are acidic in nature: coffee, soda, alcohol, fried foods, vinegar, meats, and processed carbohydrates like chips, crackers and cookies. I’m not saying to eliminate these items from your diet, but to be aware of how much you’re consuming.
You can safely and naturally counteract the acidic foods you eat by eating foods more alkaline in nature. The top choices are fresh fruits and vegetables. Organic produce is even better. So, you don’t need to have baking soda or any crazy cleansing routine to help you feel better. Just lay off the less-than-healthy foods and ramp up your fruit and vegetable intake.
Water is important in keeping the body from getting too acidic as well. The new rule is to drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. Finally, oxygen is alkalining for the body. Taking deep breaths is a great way to reduce stress and change the pH balance in your system at the same time.
In closing, it’s just as easy to create an alkaline environment as it is to create an acidic one. You can never go wrong with fruits and vegetables. The more variety you eat, the better. Natural ways to help your body restore it’s balance are right at your fingertips. Baby carrots, anyone?
