The Acid-Alkaline Diet

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TEST 1: Urinary pH | Test 2: Saliva pH

There are several tests you can perform to determine whether your body is acidic. The most important is testing saliva and urinary pH.

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Testing the pH of urine is easy to perform and gives significant information on the degree of acidification your body may be suffering from. This test consists of measuring the pH of urine with pH test strips. You can use standard pH paper or litmus paper but it is not recommended. It is very difficult to get an accurate reading with these paper indicators because the reagent on the strip tends to bleed causing many color variations and making it extremely difficult to determine a pH range.

The body is always seeking to rid itself of excess acids in order to maintain good health. One of the primary ways it does this is through the renal system or kidneys. The rate of acid excretion through the kidneys should give the urine a pH between 6.5 and 7.25. By testing the pH of your urine, you can determine whether or not your body is rejecting a normal amount of acids. If the body is excreting more acids than normal, the urinary pH will be more acidic as the body attempts to get rid of the overflow of acids. This overflow of acids is also indicative of the body being saturated and in an acidic state.

There is a very close correspondence between the acidic pH of the urine and that of the body’s internal environment. When the body’s internal environment becomes acidic so does the urine. There are other benefits to testing the pH of your urine. Knowing how and when urinary pH is either alkaline or neutral gives insight into the way the body is metabolizing acids and the state of the internal environment.

All you need are pH testing strips or litmus paper to measure urinary pH. These strips can be purchased in drugstores, pharmacies, online, and some health food stores. These strips change color when they come in contact with acidic or alkaline substances. Depending on the color, the strip will indicate whether your body is in an acid or alkaline state and they will even indicate the strength of the acidity or alkalinity. The color becomes more intense when the pH is at an extreme level. The further away from neutral, the stronger the color.

The different shades of color show the degree of a substance’s acidity or alkalinity. Each shade corresponds to a precise pH value. The value is not on the strip but is instead on a color chart that comes with the strips. The color chart has every shade of color the strips can show, along with its corresponding pH value next to it.

Most pH strips available on the market allow pH measurements between the ranges of 5.5 and 8, while others have a wider range of 4.5 to 9.0. You can either get them in half unit increments or in .25 increments. It is recommended to get strips with the tighter .25 increment indicator so that you will get a more accurate read of where your pH is.

How to Proceed

The substance to be tested needs to be put into contact with the pH test strip. The easiest method of doing this is simply hold the strip in the urine stream for one or two seconds, just long enough to get the color indicators on the strip saturated. The acid in the urine reacts with the strip, causing it to change color. The strip can then be matched to the color chart to find the figure of the corresponding urinary pH. 7 is neutral, 6.5 and under is acidic, and 7.5 and above it too alkaline.

Any valid conclusions on the state of the internal environment should not be drawn based on a single measurement. Urinary pH can vary depending on the time of day because of activity, meals, physical effort, stress, etc. Measurements should be taken several times a day for four to five days in a row. An average of the daily readings should be taken and then noted at the end of five days. This will give you a better idea of where your urinary pH stands and will give you insight into the condition of your internal environment.

The first urination in the morning is not representative of your normal pH because it contains all the acids filtered by the kidneys overmight. The first test should be done with the second urination of the morning, while the second test is done before lunch, and the third before the evening meal. Testing before a meal is important because the pH can vary depending on the foods and beverages consumed. In addition to these three tests, urine can be measured at other times during the day as complementary data. Just make sure to keep good notes on your data so that you can determine your urinary pH.

How to Interpret the Results

A pH that falls below the 6.5 range indicates that the urine is acidic. Regular readings of acidic urine reveal that the body’s internal environment is acidic as well. This problem is much more significant if the reading is low. For example, a reading of 6.25 or 6.5 indicates slight acidification. If the urinary pH reading is a 4.5 to 5.5, that indicates that the internal environment is extremely acidic. Anyone with a low pH in the latter range is advised to adopt the methods for removing acid from the body as soon as possible.

This is the normal pH that you should be aiming for. A reading as this indicates a body that has a balanced pH. The first urine of the morning should be acidic because this will reflect that the acids that have accumulated over night have been eliminated. If the first urine is not acidic, it may mean that the kidneys are not flushing acids out properly and they are remaining in the body. This means that the internal environment is acidic, even if the pH reading are neutral throughout the day.

There are three possibilities to consider when interpreting urine ph that falls above a 7.5.

The first one is that the internal environment is slightly alkaline and has a good pH balance. This reading is usually realized by a person who eats alkalizing foods like some vegetarians who eat very little amounts of grains and dairy products. This reading may also be found for a person who takes alkaline mineral supplements in order to restore the body’s mineral reserves whether the person needs them or not. These situations are not a sign of imbalance or disease but some consideration should be taken. For example, vegetarians should be wary of deficiencies in their diets, esp protein and those taking alkaline minerals should lower their intake so that their urine is a neutral pH.

Secondly, people who have a urinary pH above 7.5 may have glandular problems. This is extremely rare and the people who do have this are already following a medical treatment plan for this problem.

The third and final possibility is that the urine is alkaline but the internal environment is acidic. In this case, the alkaline pH is not due to excessive intake of alkaline elements but instead the kidneys may be producing ammonia (an alkaline substance) in order to buffer acids.

This happens among people who have difficulty digesting acids. If the acids are poorly oxidized, they cannot leave the body through the respiratory system. The kidneys then need to make up for this and double up its work of elimination. Even though these acids are weak acids, accumulation of these acids is terrible for the body and so it takes an extreme measure to neutralize those acids. Ammonia is produced to neutralize the acids and when eliminated, makes the urine alkaline. In this case, the internal environment must be made less acidic despite the alkalinity of the urine.

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Another way to test the overall pH of your body is to test your saliva. If your body has the mineral reserves that is should, this will show up in your saliva reading and you should see a pH of 7.0 to 7.50. A low saliva reading is indicative of mineral reserves in your body running low because they are being used elsewhere in the body to buffer acids.

How to Proceed

The easiest method is to hold the strip in your mouth with the reagent side against your tongue for a couple of seconds, just long enough to saturate it. The saliva reacts with the strip and it changes color. Match the color of the strip to the color on the chart to find your pH range.

The saliva test should be conducted a few times a day for four or five consecutive days to be truly representative of your pH.

You should not test first thing in the morning because you mouth contains a lot of bacteria that will reveal acidity. The first test should be made about an hour after brushing your teeth. The second should be done before lunch and the third before your evening meal. A great time to test is at least 30 minutes after eating.

How to Interpret the Results

pH Below 7.0 (Indicative of an Acid pH):

A pH that falls below a 7.0 indicates depleted mineral reserves. Regular readings of acidic saliva reveal that the inner environment is also acidic. This is a more significant problem if the reading is low. While a reading of 6.5 to 6.75 indicates that the body’s inner environment is only slightly acidic, a reading of 4.5 to 6.0 indicates that the internal environment is extremely acidic.

pH Between 7.0 and 7.5 (Indicative of a Neutral pH)

This is the pH reading you are aiming for. This reading indicates a good pH balance and it is the normal pH of somebody in good health.