Alkaline Supplements

Who would've thought that powdered grass and algae could taste so good? And these are specialised grasses—not trimmings from the lawn mower. Some of the nutritious grasses are barley and wheat grass; grown, harvested and processed with specialised methods, with purity and nutrition in mind. On the other hand, some of the highly nutritious algaes are spirulina and chlorella. And, please note, these aren't the green algaes that grow in the pool when the chlorine pump decides to take time off of hard labour. 

Alkalising Supplements are any blend of therapeutic grasses and algaes, yet with many more ingredients that have a high pH. pH stands for "power of hydrogen", and is a measure of the hydrogen concentration in a food, herb or nutrient, or … practically anything. Some of the more acidic foods and drinks—which are low on the pH scale—are coffee, red meat, white bread, cheese, pasta and most processed foods. It is important to remember, however, that excluding absolutely all acidic foods is not necessary, and in fact, doing so may limit your intake of some important nutrients. The most important point to take home is to create balance—and moderation. After all, coffee is considered a sanity-provoking drink!

To strip this away in order to create a 100% alkaline diet is not necessary or helpful, for most people. In fact, doing so may adversely affect other areas of one’s life, such as mood, work performance and even relationships. However, if you were to test your salivary or urinary pH and find that it was very low (acidic), then taking more extreme dietary measures for a short period of time may be helpful in correcting this issue, before moving back to a more balanced diet. If we were to only consume alkaline foods, and supplement with alkalising products, odds are, we will become too alkaline, which creates its own set of health challenges. Quite often, it is a good idea to monitor your urinary or salivary pH. The ideal salivary pH range is from 7.2-8.4, while a normal urinary reading is 6.5-7.0, with human blood ideally at 7.4.

The human body is quite an amazing biological powerhouse. So much so that the kidneys have the important task of regulating blood pH levels. One of the alkalising agents the kidneys release is bicarbonate, which helps to raise the pH when it has become too acidic. It also increases its excretion of acids into the urine to assist with this process. However, as we age, the kidneys begin to lose their ability to regulate acid-base(alkaline) balance.

This was reported all the way back in 1986 in a journal called Experimental Gerontology. And, given that the modern diet tends to be more acidic in nature, it can then become helpful to supplement with alkalising blends in order to keep the pH balanced. Deep breathing can also be helpful in maintaining a balanced pH. After all, carbon dioxide is acidic, so the more we expel from the lungs and uptake oxygen in its place, the more alkaline we become. Deep breathing practices are a great way to manage stress and are easy to do—no equipment required.

Some of the more alkalising foods are fresh fruits and vegetables and wild rice, from which many snacks and meals can be based on. If you believe you are overly acidic, alfalfa is one of the most powerful alkalisers, while the grasses and algaes are also helpful. Algaes such as chlorella are a great source of chlorophyll and contain a wide range of other supportive nutrients, including amino acids, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Often "greens blends" are recommended to those who do not eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, there is no substitute for eating fresh produce, though these products can be helpful to ensure you have some alkalising power up your sleeve and will also provide you with naturally occurring chlorophyll and other important nutrients.