Obesity is at an all time high in the United States and there is no indication that the numbers are going to go down. Diet products and programs abound because people are obsessed with losing fat. There are over 300,000 diet books on the market. Fad diets and gimmicks are all over television and the internet; some of which work short term, but in order to lose fat you must understand the base cause of the weight gain.
If you look at the function of fat you will find that a moderate amount of fat is not the enemy, you actually need some body fat, in fact it may be saving your life. Body fat is essential for the normal healthy function of many of the body's systems, such as, organs, bone marrow, the nervous system, and muscles. Body fat is also used as energy.
Body acidity and body fat are intricately linked in a way that is generally unknown to most people. Fat is one of the body's primary defenses used to protect your blood pH. pH is a measurement that determines the level of acidity or alkalinity. Your blood must maintain a pH of 7.3 to 7.4 to sustain life. And when your body's overall pH level is off there is low oxygen delivery to cells, creating an environment where disease thrives, setting the stage for many normally healthy processes to turn destructive.
To maintain proper pH levels, the body flushes out and removes as many acids and toxins as it can through sweating, urination, and defecation. When there are more toxins/acids than the body is able to dispose of, it produces toxic waste storage cells (fat cells) to store them in. So, you see, fat cells perform an important health function when they store toxins and excess acid. You may not appreciate the extra fat, but if you're pH is out of balance you may need these fat storage cells to sustain life.
This is an important concept to understand... If you are ingesting toxic chemical food ingredients, such as artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutimate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or processed foods or exposing yourself regularly to other poisons and chemicals, like chemical based sunscreens, bug sprays, and body care products, as well as environmental toxins, then your body is working overtime to produce more and more fat cells to store these excessive toxins in. That may be the answer to why dieting, exercise and discipline may not solve your weight issues. With respect to losing weight, you and your body may not have the same goal.
The Environmental Protection Agency recently conducted fat biopsies on 400 people. Each and every person tested contained toxins stored in their fat cells and over 100 different toxic chemicals were discovered.
Want the fatty acids in your body to stick to your artery walls? Probably not. But, when blood shifts toward the acidic, fatty acids, which would normally be negatively charged, switch to positive. Since opposites attract and artery walls are negatively charged, you now have fatty acids that are drawn to your artery walls.
Blood pH and insulin regulation Another aspect in the acidity/fat connection is that blood pH controls the efficiency of insulin...and insulin regulation is one of the biggest keys to maintaining proper body weight.
Think your weight gain may be connected to a thyroid problem? You're probably right. Iodine is crucial for proper thyroid function, but iodine requires a near perfect pH level to be assimilated. Without adequate levels of iodine, the thyroid will not function at peak performance, opening the door to all kinds of health issues, such as weight gain, diabetes, depression, low energy, heart attacks, and more.
The bottom line Excess acidity throws healthy processes into a destructive mode. The body must either neutralize and get rid of the excess acids/toxins in the blood or risk major health issues.
In essence, one of the healthiest and most effective ways to initiate fat loss, and maintain balanced weight may be to detoxify your body and normalize your body's pH. Acid / Alkali will always be a balancing act. Your body will be constantly removing toxins and acids from your system as a part of normal function. But, remember, it's the excess toxins and acids, over and above what the body is able to deal with naturally, that are turned into fat cells, causing the sometimes unexplained and difficult to lose weight.
How do you know if you are alkaline or acidic? A healthy body pH range is between 6.0 and 7.5. A pH of 5.0 would be considered very acidic, and anything higher than pH 7.5 would be outside the healthy alkaline range also. There are many products on the market that either test saliva or urine so you can measure your pH level. Ask your local health food store or go online to search for a reliable pH tester or test strips. It is possible to become too alkaline, so you do not want to be above 7.5.
Here's a quick and general reference of the various effects of acid/alkaline pH levels in the body:
pH level -0 7.0 to 7.5 - Optimum health and energy 6.8- Beginning of metabolic acidosis 6.4 - Impaired digestion, hard to lose weight 6.0- 10 Times less oxygen to the cells 5.5 - Extreme acidosis, cancer and degenerative disease 5.0 - 100 Times less oxygen to the cells and life threatening
As you can see, maintaining the proper acid/alkaline levels in the body is essential to good health.
Here are some common symptoms of excess acidity:
Low energy, frequent colds, infections flues
Dehydration
Candida
Excess mucous production and nasal congestion
Moods, nervous, irritable
Joint pain, arthrisis, and muscle pain
Hives and rashes
Weak, brittle nails, dry hair and skin, psoriasis
Leg cramps
Acid indigestion, heartburn, nausea
Malabsorption of nutrients
So, where do you start?
You can successfully correct body acidity with changes to diet and lifestyle that include eating healthy natural food, taking supplements that support alkalizing the system, and by incorporating some form of oxygenating exercise into your routine.
If you make some changes to your eating habits and lifestyle, and pay attention to consuming foods and products that are particularly alkalizing, then your body will naturally retain it's proper balance and there will be no need for production of these unwanted protective fat cells. Don't fool yourself, food additives are toxins - they are chemicals and your body sees them as toxins. This is why processed food is so dangerous.
Drinking plenty of fresh purified water will help rid your body of toxins as they will be expelled in your urine. Sweating also helps remove toxins.
You should strive for a diet of 80% alkaline forming food and 20% acidic forming food. Many books and charts are available that list alkaline and acid forming foods to help you make the best food choices. All vegetables are alkalizing, especially leafy greens.
Investing in a quality juicer with the capability to juice greens is a great way to get more alkalizing greens. You can use the leftover pulp in soups or salads (a couple spoonfuls of pulp is a great way to add texture to an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing).
If you don't have time to juice there are many greens products on the market such as Vital Earth Minerals' Vital Greens. For extra help alkalizing the body and removing toxins before they are turned into fat cells, Vital Earth Minerals' Fulvic Mineral Complex is a powerful and completely natural detoxifying and alkalizing agent. Fulvic quickly destroys acids in body fluids, and increases the body's ability to absorb oxygen.
The benefits of an alkaline body are far reaching The benefits of maintaining an alkaline pH exceed that of weight maintenance alone. Viruses and diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment, including arthritis, cancer, and diabetes.
Because this is a very complex subject, our goal with this report is to stimulate your interest in the subject, and encourage you explore it further. There is a lot of information available online, as well as many excellent books on acid/alkali. Good health is all about balance, and pH levels are something that can have an immediate and positive effect on your health if you give it some effort.
For another good article on the subject, read "Acidity - The Energy Zapper" on our website. Learn the symptoms of over acidity, how to test for it, and some solutions for lowering body acidity: http://vitalearth.net/Acidit_The_Energy_Zapper.html
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