Too alkaline?

[Clare]

I recently ordered some pH paper and alkalinizing drops, after reading about the importance of alkalinizing. Well, I have tested morning and bedtime urine and both of those are at least 8.0, with violet-blue color off the chart. Saliva is more like 6.8 to 7.4, with morning tending to be lower. Does anyone know if one can be too alkaline? At this point I eat a pretty "balanced" raw diet with greens in juice and/or smoothies, fruits, avocados, and some nuts and seeds. Back when I was trying very low fat raw, I tested acidic repeatedly at my chiropractor's which he said explained my constant colds. That was after about 1 year raw. I was doing green smoothies then, too, though. The main difference now would be fewer bananas (ie 1-4 now instead of 10) and less fruit overall, though still some, some carrot-green juice, less exercise (walking vs running), and 1-2 avos per day plus a good serving of nuts or seeds.

[EatRaw]

Hmmm...don't know if you can be to alkaline. Maybe so...but for most I would think that would be hard to do. Not saying your not, or that its not possible.

After having one, and reading about the remedies for a bladder infection (coulda been a UTI) some kept mentioning an acidic urine to prevent it...have you had any UTI symtoms? Just curious...

Oh...by the way I LOVE NASHVILLE!

Best,
dave

[Veganelle]

It is possible to be overly alkaline (alkalosis), but it's quite rare. Your saliva is in the normal range however, so it seems odd your urine would be higher. I test my saliva regularly, but have never tested my urine -- maybe I'll try tomorrow morning to compare and see if it's higher.

If you are eating a good alkaline diet, maybe just stop taking the drops? It doesn't sound like you need them.

[EatRaw]

If you are eating a good alkaline diet, maybe just stop taking the drops? It doesn't sound like you need them.

I didn't catch that....what is an alkalizing drop? That may very well be your problem...you trying to get to alkaline....LOL :)

Whats a drop, and who makes it...?

In the raw world...why? Is it raw? Curious minds...

dave

[Bookish Lass]

I thought Gabriel Cousens book Consious Eating had a good discussion on pH. He was saying that there is a pH range where he feels best. Going too alkaline can make you feel jittery and have muscle cramps, if I remember right.

[Clare]

Oh, I should have mentioned i am NOT using the drops - I simply ordered them with the papers because I assumed I would be acidic like I was several months back at the chiropractor's office.
Thanks!

[betty boop]

A little off topic here and I don't mean to hijack your thread but where do I get those testing papers and how accurate are they? I asked at our local pharmacy and she didn't have a clue what I was talking about, even after I explained the whole acidic/alkaline thing.

I read in the Boutenko book that the Russian doctors check by having a patient drink beet juice and if your urine turns red you are acidic. I wonder how accurate that is?

[Seedy]

My understanding of how acidic the urine is has to do (for the most part) with how much protein one eats. When protein breaks down into amino acids the body can either utilize them to build new proteins, or excrete them through either the kidneys or the lungs (one of the exceptions in the fruit world, is the cranberry which contains butyric acid that the body can't break down. This makes the urine acidic and helps keep nasty bacteria from sticking, but I digress). If you're not eating cranberries and you have acidic urine, you may want to cut back on high protein foods like nuts, seeds and bean sprouts and up your fruits and veggies to see if it the pH drops into the alkaline range. No need for alkalizing drops.
Seedy

[Clare]

The beet thing tests stomach acid, which is a good thing! Urine and saliva supposedly reflect blood alkalinity/acidity. I ordered the papers from iherb.com. If you've not ordered from them before you can use the coupon COR307 for $5 off. The papers were about $10 for 15 feet of tape, which will last a ridiculously long time. I'm just not sure what I believe about it though

[betty boop]

thanks for explaining that Clare and Seedy.

[Humanist]

Measuring pH accurately is almost impossible to do. It changes by the hour and may reflect diet, elimination, or spillover rather than tissue levels. According to Theodore Baroody, excess alkalinity is stored for later use and is no problem. He says it is a good thing to have an alkaline reserve.

[jurence]

You are doing it via urine, the most accurate is with blood. It can make a big difference if your body is rebounding from say, eating lots of pineapple. The urine will be more acidic. In the case of being too alkaline.. I am not so sure. But YES, you can be too alkaline and it is just as serious as being too acidic. Your buffers give in at a high threshold, but once they are used up they are done and it is very very very serious but if you not drinking alkaline enhancers by the gallon you should be ok.