Testing Your Own Acid/Alkaline Balance

Testing Your Own Acid/Alkaline Balance

pH Strips
Baking Soda

pH Strips

You can buy pH Hydrion test paper at your local
pharmacy and use it to test the acidity of your saliva or urine.
When the test paper is dipped into the liquid, it turns a color
along a chart ranging from yellow (acid) to dark blue (alkaline).

Taking a baseline of your pH levels before you
begin any changes in your diet or lifestyle, and then tracking it
throughout the next several months, will help you see if the changes
are working.

To assess your saliva pH, take a sample one hour
before or after a meal, twice a day at the same time, for seven
days. Then divide the total by 14 to get an average. The normal
pH of saliva is 6.0 to 7.5, necessary to begin digestion of starches
in your mouth.

To assess your urine, sample the first urine you
void in the morning. Low pH urine reflects that your body is throwing
off a lot of acid to help maintain the body’s normal pH. However,
testing the pH is not the most helpful indicator. Better guides
are your answers to the alkaline-acid quiz and what types of food
(acidic vs. alkaline) you handle best and promote the greatest sense
of well-being.

Baking Soda

At least two hours before or after a meal, take
¼ to ½ teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
dissolved in water. If you’re overly acidic, this should make you
feel better, or, at the very least, not any worse.
If you’re a high-alkaline producer, however, you may begin to feel
anxious or hyper, or even experience some digestive problems.

For more on alkalinity/acidity, read on:

Getting
in Balance: Alkalinity and Acidity
Checklist: Are You Overly
Acidic or a High Alkaline Producer?
Naturally Great
Alkalinizers
Tending Towards Acidity