We want to educate on the pH scale this week. pH means “potential hydrogen” and is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen in a solution. The more hydrogen, the more acidic it is (low pH); the less hydrogen, the more alkaline it is (high pH). The pH scale covers a range of 0-14. Neutral pH is 7.0 while anything above 7.0 is alkaline and anything below 7.0 is acidic. 

Human blood pH should be slightly alkaline (7.35 - 7.45) An acidic pH can occur from an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients.  The body will try to compensate for acidic pH by using alkaline minerals.  If the diet does not contain enough minerals to compensate, a build up of acids in the cells will occur.

An acidic balance will decrease the body's ability to absorb minerals and other nutrients, decrease the energy production in the cells, decrease it's ability to repair damaged cells, decrease it's ability to detoxify heavy metals, make tumor cells thrive, and make it more susceptible to fatigue and illness.  A blood pH of 6.9, which is only slightly acidic, can induce coma and death.
One of the best things we can do to correct an overly acidic body is to clean up the diet and lifestyle. Some experts in the field believe a 80 percent alkaline-forming and 20 percent acid diet is ideal. It is important to focus on consuming more alkaline forming foods and less acidic. 

Below is a list of alkaline foods and their pH ranges.