Understanding Body pH: Factors & Diet's Impact

The abbreviation "pH" comes to us from German--the H stands for hydrogen, and the p is for "potenz," which translates as potency or power. In any case, it is well understood what pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of a given substance. Lemon juice, a very acidic substance, ranks about a 2 on the 1 to 14 scale; coffee is a 5; water is a 7, and bleach is around 13.

Numerous factors affect the pH level of the human body, but the most important of them is diet. Certain dietary choices can raise or lower your pH.

Things You'll Need

• pH strip
• Appropriate foods

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Instructions

• 1

  Before undertaking to change your body's pH, you will need to know in what direction to move it. Test your pH by taking a sample of saliva and applying it to a pH strip (a simple, disposable pH tester). The average range of human saliva is 6.3 to 6.6. Determine if you are on the low end (too acidic) or the high end (too alkaline, or "basic").

• 2

  If your pH is too high, weight your diet more heavily with acid-producing foods, like meat, fish, poultry and dairy.

• 3

  If your pH is too low, try adding more alkaline-producing foods, like fruits, vegetables, sprouts, grasses and herbs.

• 4

  Check your pH regularly to see what effect your dietary changes are having.