Eat a balanced diet. We've all heard that before, right? Generally, a balanced diet refers to eating a variety of different food types: vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, and dairy. A variety of foods ensures that we get adequate amounts of the nutrients our bodies need to function optimally.
Acid-Base (pH) Balance
There’s more to balanced nutrition than meeting our nutrient requirements. Recently, nutrition experts have begun to focus on the effect of various foods on acid-base (or pH) balance in the body. Acid-base balance in the various organs and tissues of the body is vital to our health. The body has a well designed mechanism to regulate this balance, but an unbalanced diet may challenge this mechanism. Foods tend to have either an acid-forming effect or a base-forming effect in the body. When we consume too much of either type of food, the body’s efforts to overcome this bias may cause negative health consequences.
Are You Acidic?
Meats and grains are acid-forming foods. Vegetables and fruits are base-forming foods. The typical American diet is very acidic, because it's high in meats and grains and low in fruits and vegetables. This type of unbalanced diet has negative consequences on our bodies that include weakening of the bones. To avoid this problem, be sure to consume at least five combined servings of fruits and vegetables every day and no more than three servings each of meats and grains. Having trouble getting enough fruits and vegetables on a daily basis? A single serving of EnergyFirst's Greenergy gives you a full day's worth of vegetable nutrition!