Please don't be sour: With these tips you can support your body in case of overacidification

This week and last week, we took a close look at our body's acid-base balance, and in our last blog post, we explained why overacidification is so bad for the body. But what if this happens? Do you simply bury your head in the sand and resign yourself to fate? No worries, we've got your back and, in the following article, we'll show you a few simple tips on how to support your body with overacidification!

Where do we start?

To find a solution to a problem, you first have to identify the cause. So, what exactly is causing your body to become over-acidified? The most common causes are:

😳 Stress. When your body is frequently in "fight or flight" mode, it constantly releases stress hormones. This not only leads to inflammation in your body but also increases acidity.

💨 Breathing too shallowly. Chronic stress also leads to rapid and shallow breathing, or even breath holding. Oxygen alkalizes the blood, so reduced oxygen intake from this type of breathing can increase acidity in your body.

🧪 Toxins. Pesticides and other chemicals in food and meat, heavy metals, industrial pollutants, hormones and other chemicals in food, plastics, cleaning and beauty products, and even potential chemicals in tap water can increase acidity in your body.

🌡 Infections. Infections create a more acidic environment, which in turn makes you more susceptible to pathogens, leading to a vicious cycle.

🍔 Acidic diet. Sugar, refined flour, food additives, table salt, trans fats, fried foods, meat, dairy products, alcohol, and caffeine make it difficult for your body to restore its pH balance.

The cause(s) have been found, now what?

By now it's clear: Many factors contribute to over-acidification of the body! How can we counteract these?

Reduce harmful acidic foods from your diet

🍰 Refined sugar. Not only does sugar imbalance your pH, but excessive sugar consumption also creates an ideal environment for the growth of yeast, fungi, and bacteria, which can be detrimental to your health.

🍞 Refined flours. White flour, all baked goods made with refined flour (including some "multigrain" and "wheat" breads), and white rice are acid-forming in the body.

🍟 Food additives. Artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, and preservatives not only acidify the body, but many also have neurotoxic effects.

🥩 Unhealthy fats. Trans fats and fats from fried foods are both acid-forming for your body.

🍕 Processed foods. Packaged and processed fast food products contain most, if not all, of the ingredients listed above—sugar, refined flour, food additives, and unhealthy fats.

🥛 Meat and dairy products. Almost all animal products are highly acid-producing, including beef, veal, pork, bacon, luncheon meats, eggs, milk, cheese, organ meats, poultry, fish, and farmed shellfish.

🍷 Alcohol. Alcohol is a highly acid-forming substance in the body. In addition to its high sugar content, the ethanol in alcohol converts to acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct also found in car exhaust, tobacco smoke, and industrial processes.

☕️ Caffeine. Excessive caffeine consumption can increase acid levels in the body.

Increase the proportion of alkaline foods in your diet 

🥬 Any vegetables. Vegetables, especially organic and raw, are very alkalizing.

🥗 Legumes. Organic soybeans, lentils, and lima beans help reduce acidity in the body.

🥑 Avocados, coconut, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tomatoes, and sour cherries. These fruits (yes, avocados and tomatoes are fruits!) have a powerful alkalizing effect on the body.

🌾 Buckwheat groats and quinoa. These "grains" aren't actually grains at all, but seeds. They not only contain complete proteins but also help reduce acidity.

🎃 Almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sprouted seeds. Almonds and almond milk are very alkalizing, as are sprouted seeds.

🥥 Avocado oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, and olive oil. Healthy oils can be part of your alkalizing diet.

🌿 Peppermint tea, yerba mate tea, and lemon water. These drinks help combat acidity in your body.

Work on your lifestyle

Any activity that reduces your stress levels, reduces your exposure to toxins, and/or causes you to breathe more deeply will reduce the acidity in your body.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Get moving Exercise and sweating help remove acidic waste from your body and improve breathing.

☯️ Yoga. Yoga not only helps with flexibility and stress management, but also promotes the practice of deep breathing.

💨 Deep breathing . Researchers have shown that even 30 seconds of targeted deep breathing has a profound effect on the body's acidity!

Meditation . Meditation can help you manage stress and also help reduce acidity in your body.

🌵 Dry brushing is a simple method for stimulating the lymphatic system. It promotes blood and lymph circulation and helps remove acidic waste.

As you can see, there are many ways you can support your body in cases of hyperacidity, or even prevent it from occurring in the first place. Of course, the rule is: anything is possible, nothing is necessary! You don't have to change your entire life overnight. Try a few of these tips next week, at your own pace! And with that, we'll send you off into your well-deserved weekend! Have a nice weekend 🤍