Some areas of the body, such as the stomach, need to be highly acidic to function correctly. There is a pH value of approx. 1-3 in the stomach, this low pH value ensures that the stomach can adequately carry out its tasks, such as decomposing food and killing bacteria! A pH value of 7 is considered neutral, everything below is acidic, and everything above is basic or alkaline. The pH value is in the range of 0-14, i.e. from highly acidic to highly alkaline. While the stomach has to be very sour to do its job, the exact opposite is valid for the small intestine.
The small intestine is responsible for the absorption of nutrients. The pH value of the small intestine is clearly in the basic range of about 8. The blood has the most stable pH value. It is always in the field of 7.35 – 7.45. The excess acids in the blood are removed by the body using its control mechanisms. If this did not happen, then within a brief time, sometimes fatal acidosis (over-acidification of the blood) or alkalosis (too high a pH value in the basic range) would occur. A pH value of 7.7 is already fatal, so in a diet that is too acidic, the body has no choice but to use its regulatory mechanisms to keep the blood in a stable range.
Then, acidosis (over-acidification of the blood) or alkalosis (too high a pH value in the actual content) would occur within a short time. A pH value of 7.7 is already fatal, so in a diet that is too acidic, the body has no choice but to use its regulatory mechanisms to keep the blood in a stable range! Then, acidosis (over-acidification of the blood) or alkalosis (too high a pH value in the actual content) would occur within a short time. A pH value of 7.7 is already fatal, so in a diet that is too acidic, the body has no choice but to use its regulatory mechanisms to keep the blood in a stable range.
Protection Against Acidity – The Body’s Regulatory Mechanisms
The body uses some highly efficient methods to counteract acidification, which, however, only work well until “the barrel overflows”! Breathing is one of the mechanisms; depending on the pH of the blood in the body, it will tend to breathe very shallowly or very deeply. Rapid hyperventilating can sometimes be very dangerous (alkalosis – tingling sensation on the body, dizziness, etc.) and lead to fainting. This shows the enormous influence of breathing on this regulation! Many other substances in the body that occur in metabolism and hormone production are constantly trying to keep the body in balance!
Causes Of Acidification
The body has excellent and robust control mechanisms, but these also only have a limited capacity. Due to our hectic way of life, our shallow breathing, stress, pressure, fear, etc. This causes many stress hormones that have a very acidic effect on the body. On the other hand, many people today consume more and more meat, sugar and fewer vegetables; in addition to the psychological component, diet contributes significantly to over-acidification of the body.
Acidification, i.e. an imbalance in the acid-base balance, usually comes from the combination of an unhealthy lifestyle (stress, lack of exercise) in connection with unhealthy eating habits, i.e. too frequent consumption of acid-forming foods such as coffee, alcohol, nicotine, sweets, pasta, meat, sausage and eggs.
Also Read: THE BEST FATS FOR BODYBUILDERS FOR BUILDING MUSCLE
Acid-Base Diet : Basic Sour Neutral
Fruit, salads, vegetables, potatoes, herbs, fruit juices, vegetable juices, dried fruits, soy, still water, lentils, buttermilk, whey, cheese, olives, almonds, meat, sausage, eggs, fish, coffee, alcohol, cake, chocolate, artichokes, white flour products, seafood, cottage cheese, cottage cheese, pasta, rice, corn, candy, carbonated drinks, canned fruit, Brussels sprouts, jam, margarine, sweetener Whole grain products, oat flakes, hazelnuts, yoghurt, kefir, cold-pressed oils (e.g. safflower oil, linseed oil, olive oil), tofu, sunflower seeds, spelt, fresh milk, buckwheat, millet, butter.
The Consequences And Symptoms Of Hyperacidity
When the body is no longer able to cope with the supply of acid, it gradually becomes more and more acidic, which manifests itself in increased susceptibility to infections, bad mood, fatigue, nervousness, general malaise, lack of motivation, weakness, muscle and joint problems Illnesses high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack can show. Since no acids can be stored in the body, they have to be neutralized beforehand. However, the body needs essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.
If your diet does not contain enough essential minerals, the body inevitably has no choice but to “overexploit” its own body. He takes the crucial minerals from the bones, teeth, etc., to neutralize the acids. If this condition persists for a very long time, it can also lead to severe diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatism, arthrosis and arthritis. The neutralized acids in the body are called slags.
These waste products are temporarily stored in the connective tissue due to the large amount that overwhelms the metabolism. This can be seen in wrinkled and sagging skin (wrinkles, cellulite), and bags under the eyes can also be a sign of increased acidity if the body did not get enough sleep during the night and thus had time to regenerate!
Acidification And The Effect On The Sport
For you as an athlete, avoiding over-acidification is essential to stay healthy and achieve a high level of performance! A very protein-rich diet can also contribute to hyperacidity. Instead of doing without protein or no longer doing stressful training, you should make sure that you follow our avoidance strategies for hyperacidity mentioned below.
If you do not pay any attention to acidification as an athlete, it can lead to overtraining much more quickly. Furthermore, you will not have that much strength, and your performance will not be that high. A balanced acid-base balance ensures that you feel fresh and vital. With this feeling, you train much better than when you feel drained!
Possible Examples Of How To Avoid Hyperacidity
Acidification can hardly be avoided in today’s society, especially as a strength athlete and bodybuilder with high protein consumption. But you can very well strengthen the primary opposite side so that the bottom line is that there is no negative balance!
Lots Of Vegetables, Fruits And Green Salads
As a strength athlete or bodybuilder, you should consume a lot of vegetables, fruits and salads. These provide not only healthy ingredients that are very important for protein metabolism but also essential minerals. In addition, green vegetables, such as cucumbers or spinach, are prevalent. So you shouldn’t only find meat on your plate, but also at least a double portion of fruit or, even better, vegetables! Vegetables and fruits are very rich in minerals. Salads hardly contain minerals but basic chlorophyll! You must avoid sugar and white flour as much as possible. These two nutrients provide incredibly high levels of unfavourable carbohydrates without delivering minerals at the same time.
Basic Supplements
We recommend a healthy lifestyle and a balanced and varied diet, which you can supplement with food supplements such as our essential minerals if necessary.
Base Bath
Many competitive athletes use the regenerating base bath in conjunction with the amino acid L-glutamine, even after particularly intensive training units, taken in a dosage of around 10g shortly before the 15-20 minute base bath.
Daily Meditation Practice
It sounds very Far Eastern, but in our eyes, it is nothing spectacular or mystical, the daily breathing meditation. Meditation has a much more relaxing effect on the entire nervous system and breathing than walks, jogging or other “active processes”. Meditation helps achieve more inner peace and effectively lowers the stress hormone level in the long term if it is practised daily.
More and more doctors are now recognizing meditation’s value and recommending it as an opponent to the otherwise stressful life. We recommend meditating for 30 minutes a day. To meditate effectively, lie down or sit comfortably. Now all you have to do for 30 minutes is take a deep breath and observe. Whenever thoughts arise, just let them carry on as a cloud without following them.
Summary Acid-Base Balance
You now know how the acid-base balance works and under what circumstances it gets mixed up. You don’t have to become an absolute vegetarian or worry about constantly measuring the pH value. Complete advocates of the method only use this measure, but it has not been proven that a small hyperacidity has significant disadvantages on the body! Nevertheless, it is advisable and logical that you should achieve a healthy balance between high acid intake (Meat, grain, alcohol, etc.) and mineral intake to stay as fit and vital as possible! Our strategies above do not tie up a lot of resources, they are straightforward and practical to implement, and the bottom line is that they form a perfect use/performance ratio for the acid-base balance.
Also Read: JOINT NUTRITION IN THE EVENT OF JOINT PROBLEMS, JOINT PAIN, OR INJURIES
