What’s Your pH Balance?

Some people say “everything happens for a reason” but I prefer to think that there is a balance in life. If Monday is a really challenging day, for example, I get myself through it by thinking that Tuesday is bound to be much better. Life, in general, strives for a happy medium and when we get too far out on an extreme, we always head back to center (although sometimes we overcompensate by going to the other extreme). The goal though, always, is balance.

It's an idea often associated with diet, as in a balanced diet. But what does that mean? Some might argue that a balanced diet is holding your Big Mac is one hand and your giant Slurpee in the other. Of course, we all know better. Or do we, really?

I’ve long thought that school only teaches us half the really important things in life. We need to be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, but we also need to be taught how to eat right, have good relationships, even how to do our taxes. Unfortunately, it’s up to us to figure out those life lessons on our own. And the McDonald’s drive-thru has become to nutrition what Cliff Notes is to Shakespeare: It might make you full, but it won’t fill you up.

I’ve been a vegetarian for 15 years and a vegan for a while and interested in raw, local, organic food for several months. I’m always reading books and articles on nutrition and health and trying new things. Recently, I heard about the importance of having proper pH balance. Our bodies strive to have a pH balance of just over 7 and, when we’re out of balance because of the poor food choices we make, the steps our bodies go through to get us back in balance could make us sick. Really sick.

There are pH strips you can buy (http://www.amazon.com/pHion-Strips-Urine-Saliva-Litmus/dp/B0012J8XWA/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1210953300&sr=8-1) to figure out your pH number. I’m going to get them. There’s also a book called The pH Miracle (http://www.amazon.com/pH-Miracle-Balance-Reclaim-Health/dp/B00008RWCE/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_title_4) I just ordered that’s supposed to be enlightening and inspiring. Apparently the author, Dr. Young, advocates an 80% green diet. That puts a whole new spin on going green.

Question of the blog: If I show you my pH number, will you show me yours?