Fat as a macronutrient is now being accepted as beneficial for our health (as long as it comes from good sources). Due to this acceptance of fat, more researchers and people have been experimenting with nutritional ketosis, which is extremely high in fat and low in carbohydrates. The concept is that nutritional ketosis allows the body to use fat as its main fuel source rather than carbohydrates.

The prevalent thinking today is that carbohydrates are needed with protein after workouts in order to help repair muscle tissue and promote strength gains, but is this really the truth? Can we train for strength on a ketogenic diet or are we destined to wither away into scrawny prepubescents?

In this piece I will discuss what nutritional ketosis is, what it means to be in nutritional ketosis, how to get there, how this influences our ability to strength train, and what to keep in mind while in nutritional ketosis during strength training.

The Skinny on Nutritional Ketosis

Nutritional ketosis means we are using ketones and fat as our primary fuel source not carbohydrates. Our mitochondria (the guys who make our energy) typically run on glucose if it is available. In nutritional ketosis this interaction shifts, and our body starts burning fatty acids and ketones in order to produce energy. The energy that can be produced from fat far outweighs what can be produced from glucose.¹ Fat also burns much cleaner then glucose, which can result in less ROS (reactive oxygen species) which can damage DNA.²

Our body will always use glucose for fuel if it is available. That means if we are eating lots of carbohydrates we won’t be in nutritional ketosis. In order to enter nutritional ketosis we need to eat a low carbohydrate diet and deplete our glycogen. Glycogen is stored glucose found in the liver and in the muscles. When it is needed, like during a workout, our body will call upon that glycogen to be used for energy. Once all of the glucose is depleted then our body will look to fat for energy.

Once our glycogen is used up our body will start to mobilize fatty acids (fat) to be used for energy. However, fatty acids do not cross the blood-brain barrier easily, so our liver will start to create ketones for us.¹ Ketones are water-soluble fat molecules that can readily cross the blood-brain barrier to be used for fuel. There are three ketones: acetone acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and acetone.

One of the fastest ways to get into ketosis is through fasting for 24-48 hours. Someone who is eating a high carbohydrate diet would likely need closer to 48 hours. The transition to ketosis can cause some adverse symptoms like headache, irritability, etc. This process can be made easier through the use of exogenous ketones/ketone supplements which give our body fuel to use before we have started to produce our own ketones.

There is no one size fits all approach to anything, especially nutrition.

The Measurement of Ketosis

We enter ketosis when we have a certain level of blood ketones. The minimum level of blood ketones needed to enter ketosis is 0.5 millimolar. For best results we would like our blood ketones to be between 1–3 millimolar. If our blood ketones get too high, then we can enter ketoacidosis and issues can arise. Measuring your ketone levels is a good idea to ensure you are in a state of beneficial nutritional ketosis.

There are different tools you can use to measure your blood ketones at home, such as the Precision Xtra Blood Glucose & Ketone Monitoring System.

Maintaining and Increasing Strength During Ketosis

The old adage is that you need carbohydrates in order to provide your muscles with the fuel needed to push yourself in the gym and to refuel your body after exercise. During nutritional ketosis we are running off fat, and fat provides a lot of energy for our body and our muscles to use. Energy is energy (ATP) if we have it, and if it is bioavailable we can use it in order to push larger amounts of weight or preform well.

Nutritional ketosis has been shown to improve aerobic ability and keep strength up.³ Contrary to Gatorade’s ads, high levels of carbohydrates are not necessarily needed in order to perform athletically. For most strength-building exercises, short bouts of intense effort will call upon the creatine-phosphate energy pathway. That pathway does not rely on carbohydrates or fat but instead relies on amino acids. If you are trying to build strength, taking a creatine supplement when in ketosis is a good idea.

An example of how nutritional ketosis doesn’t affect strength is seen through a study of elite gymnasts.⁴ After 30 days of being in ketosis, the gymnasts saw no reduction in their strength, but they did see an improvement in their body composition and body-fat percent.

Muscle Loss and Ketosis

Our body can create glucose from amino acids, and preventing this is imperative to keeping ourselves in ketosis. Ketones themselves help with this since they are anti-catabolic. This means that they help to prevent breakdown of the body. They specifically have an anti-catabolic, protein-sparing effect. This means if our blood is flooded with ketones, our body is less likely to liberate amino acids from our skeletal muscle for fuel. This is because the ketones replace the glucose as the primary energy. This prevents muscle wasting and the loss of strength as well.

How to Implement Nutritional Ketosis

A traditional ketogenic diet (which is lower in protein) is not ideal for a strength athlete. A modified Atkins diet can be better idea for many because it is a little less restrictive: 70% of calories come from fat, 25% from protein, and 5% from carbohydrates. This increased protein intake gives a strength athlete a better ability to recover and heal from intense exercise sessions.

Using a fast of 24-48 hours is an effective way to start to enter into ketosis. Fasts are great for a variety of reasons, and this includes giving your digestive system a break. The use of exogenous ketones (like ketone esters) can help one enter ketosis and gain some the benefits of ketosis. The use of ketone esters has been shown to help the performance of endurance athletes.⁵ Even though endurance athletes are not the same as strength athletes, strength athletes can still benefit from the use of exogenous ketones.

Supplementing with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil or coconut oil can be an effective way to get all the necessary calories from fat. When someone enters nutritional ketosis they will typically find their appetite goes down as ketones have an appetite-supressing effect. This may end up with some calorie restriction which isn’t always a bad thing. Insulin sensitivity decreases as we age, and that decrease can lead to the development of a variety of chronic issues. Calorie restriction can combat this by increasing our insulin sensitivity.

Insulin is important when it comes to building strength and muscle. Insulin is an anabolic hormone, meaning it helps us to build. Whenever we are trying to increase size and/or strength, insulin becomes important. We must stay sensitive to insulin for it to be effective. Insulin secretion is stimulated by elevated levels of blood glucose, which is the result of eating carbohydrates and amino acids. When we eat protein and break it down into amino acids, this will stimulate an insulin release.⁶ We need that release to help insulin shuttle amino acids into our tissues. This helps to increase protein synthesis in some of our tissues (faster recovery), and stimulates fat to enter our cells which can then be used for energy.⁷ Insulin plays an important role in nutritional ketosis, and it is imperative to keep our insulin sensitivity high if we want to keep up our strength.

There are other benefits to ketosis. One of the three ketones, beta-hydroxybuterate, has beneficial effects on endogenous antioxidants production, and helps to protect genome stability (ie: preventing the development of cancer cells).⁸ It has also been shown to prevent inflammation from the NLRP3 inflammasome, which drives the inflammatory response in a handful of disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, and type 2 diabetes.⁹

Ketosis Is Not for Youth

Nutritional ketosis is not a good idea if you are a younger individual looking to increase strength and size. When you are younger, you are more sensitive to things like IGF-1 and insulin; both are anabolic (help you get bigger). If you are eating a ketogenic diet you will not be able to take full advantage of these, and you may miss out on some of your genetic potential. As we discussed, increased blood glucose is the main driver of insulin secretion. As we get older we become less sensitive, and it no longer becomes as important to maximize IGF-1 and insulin.

Is Nutritional Ketosis for You?

Something a lot of nutritional experts will overlook is the fact that we are all individuals. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to anything, especially nutrition. Different people react better to different ratios of macronutrients then others. For example, I run great on a high-fat diet while my friend feels like garbage if he has too much fat. The key is finding what works best for you and your goals.

Ketosis can help you maintain and increase your strength. It is also a great tool if you want to lose body fat. But it is not for everyone. Women typically have a harder time getting to ketosis, and may feel more adverse symptoms as their body switches from carbs to fat for fuel. Remember that you are an individual. Find what works best for you while eating high quality ingredients.

More on ketones:

Why a Ketogenic Approach to Nutrition Is Ideal for Your Health

References:

1. Phillis A. Batch. Prescription for Nutritional Healing. October 2010.

2. Phillip Stafford, et al. The ketogenic diet reverses gene expression patterns and reduces reactive oxygen species levels when used as an adjuvant therapy for glioma. September 2010. Nutrition & Metabolism.

3. Rhyu HS, Cho SY. The effect of weight loss by ketogenic diet on the body composition performance related physical fitness factors and cytokines of taekwondo athletes. October 2014. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation.

4. Paoli A, et al. Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite artistic gymnasts. July 2012. Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition.

5. Cox Pj, et al. Nutritional Ketosis Alters Fuel Preference and Therby Endurance Performance in Athletes. August 2016. Cell Metabolism.

6. John C. Floyd, et al. Stimulation of insulin secretion by Amino Acids. Vol 45, No, 9, 1966. Journal of Clinical Investigation.

7. George Dimitriadis, et al. Insulin effects in muscle and adipose tissue. August 2011. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.

8. Rhyu HS, Cho SY, Roh HT. The effects of ketogenic diet on oxidative stress and antioxidative capacity markers of Taekwondo athletes. December 2014. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation.

9. Yun-hee Youm, et al. Ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate blocks the NLRP3 inflammasone-mediated inflammatory disease. March 2015. Nature Medicine.

The post Nutritional Ketosis for Strength Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Getting sufficient levels of vitamin D is imperative for us to keep working towards the goals we want to accomplish. Sufficient vitamin D is needed to produce serotonin (our happy hormone) in the brain. Unfortunately, serotonin cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning your brain must create its own serotonin. If you do not have enough vitamin D, your brain cannot produce enough serotonin.¹

Not producing enough serotonin is a big deal. Being happy is more enjoyable then being depressed, but serotonin is also really important for other reasons. Low levels of serotonin lead to low impulse control, poor long term planning, inability to resist short term-gratification, and impaired memory and learning.² All of these decrease our ability to accomplish our goals because we end up sabotaging ourselves in the short-term due to the lack of serotonin production.

In order to know whether or not you are deficient in vitamin D you need to go get a blood test. Depending on where you live you may need to pay for it, but it will be well worth the money. You will get a reading of your vitamin D level in ng/mL. For optimum health, we would like to be between 40-60 ng/mL. If you are lower than 40 ng/mL, it is a good idea to supplement with vitamin D or get more sun exposure. However, if you live in the northern hemisphere, you’re not going to have much success finding sun until next spring.

When supplementing with vitamin D, we want to make sure it is D3, not D2. D2 is the synthetic form and not something our bodies like. How much to supplement depends on a lot of factors including our sun exposure and our current levels of vitamin D. Supplementing with 1000 IUs of Vitamin D per day for one year will net an increase of 5 ng/mL. This means if “Joe” got tested today and had 35 ng/mL and took 1000 IUs per day, next year his levels should be up to 40 ng/mL.

There is a lot of chemistry going on inside of our brains to help them work correctly and allow us to function at our best. Increasing your vitamin D levels if they are low will help to increase your brain’s serotonin production capabilities. That will help to keep you focused and ready to stay on track toward your goals.

More on vitamins and minerals for optimal health:

The 4 Key Supplements for Athletes

Refrences:

1. Rhonda P. Patrick and Bruce N. Ames, “Vitamin D hormone regulates serotonin synthesis. Part 1: Relevance for Autism“, Faseb Journal. 2014.

2. Rhonda P. Patrick and Bruce N. Ames, “Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulse behavior“. Faseb Journal. 2014.

Headline photo credit: Pixabay.

The post Winterize Your Brain with Vitamin D appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Many of these issues come from having low stomach acid. That’s right, your heartburn, bloating, and indigestion may be from low, not high, stomach acid. This article will talk specifically about stomach acid: how it functions, what can lower it, why you should care, what not to do, and what we can do to improve it.

What to Do if Your Stomach Acid Is Low

Do not take antacids (i.e., Tums), other over-the-counter medications, or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) if you have low stomach acid. Taking Tums (which is basically chalk), Zantec, or PPIs lowers the acidity of your stomach or prevents stomach acid from being produced. If your issues are being caused by low stomach acid and you continue to lower it, then serious issues and diseases can develop.

Lower your stress levels by deep breathing, integrating a daily meditation practice, taking time to yourself, and exercising. It also helps to destress when you eat, so avoid working while you eat or eating on the run, as both of these things impair your ability to relax and digest your food properly. Take five deep belly breathes before each meal to help lower stress and bring you back to ‘rest and digest’ mode.

Increase your zinc levels. If you are low on zinc you won’t produce enough stomach acid. Some of the tell-tale symptoms of low zinc are white spots on your fingernails (they will look like little spray paint dots, lines are typically caused by bashing your hand on something), loss of taste, loss of appetite, and poor wound healing. Make sure to work with a knowledgeable practitioner before you supplement with zinc.

Take bitters. Bitters are bitter herbs distilled into grain alcohol to create a bitter tincture. These are different from the bitters you use to make drinks taste good like Angostura. The bitter taste of the tincture helps to stimulate digestive juices like HCl and enzymes.⁵ Once again, best to consult with a knowledgeable practitioner.

Rest and digest with yoga for gut health:

A 15-Minute Yoga Practice For Better Digestion

References:

Elizabeth Lipski. Digestive Wellness. 2012. McGraw-Hill.

Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno. Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. 2012. Atria.

Wong S.H, Cho C.H, Ogle C.W. “Protection by Zinc Sulphate against Ethanol Induced Ulceration: Preservation of the Gastric Mucosal Barrier,” Pharmacology 33(1986):94-102.

Oner G, et al. “The Role of Zinc Ion in the development of gastric ulcers in rats,” European Journal of Pharmacology 70(1981):241-243.

Patrick Holford. The Optimum Nutrition Bible. 2013. Piatkus

The post Do You Have Low Stomach Acid? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you want to improve your performance and health while aging without disease then you need to eat fiber. Unfortunately, we live in a fiber-deprived world. The processing of our food removes valuable nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making it difficult to know how to get enough fiber in your diet to reap all of the awesome benefits.

In this article I will explain what fiber is, what the benefits of fiber are, signals of not eating enough, how much fiber you should have every day, and tips to increase your intake.

What Is Fiber?

Fiber is a form of indigestible carbohydrate. We cannot digest it because we do not produce the necessary enzymes to break down the bonds (beta) found in fiber. There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber attracts water and turns into a gel while being digested. It is found in nuts, vegetables, legumes, and grains. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is found in vegetables, whole grains, and seeds.

Since we do not produce the enzymes necessary to breakdown fiber, this allows it to enter the large intestine intact. Once it reaches the large intestine it acts as food for good bacteria. You want to feed your good bacteria in order for them to thrive and prevent bad bacteria from taking over your intestinal system. Having a healthy bacterial balance in your gut is extremely important. Many studies have shown the numerous benefits of maintaining healthy gut bacteria. Further, a disrupted bacterial balance (dysbiosis) can change gene expression in the brain.¹

Your intestinal bacteria also help you synthesize vitamins (B2, B5, B6, biotin, and vitamin K).² Vitamins B2 and B5 play an integral role in the production of ATP (energy). Without them you can’t perform at your highest level in the gym and on the field.

Raw produce has a higher fiber content than cooked. [Photo courtesy of Pixabay]

Fiber In, Toxins Out

Fiber helps to bulk your stool. That’s right, if you want to have good poops (who doesn’t!) you need to eat fiber. Your intestines push your digested food along through muscle contractions – think about putting a marble in a hose and squeezing the section right before it to help push it along. The more bulked up your stool is, the easier it is for your intestines to move it along for elimination.

The whole reason we poop is to get rid of toxins from your body. If you let waste sit in your intestinal system for too long you begin to reabsorb those toxins. A body that is burdened with the reabsorption of toxins does not have the capacity to throw off new toxins entering the system due to the ‘back-log.’ This means more toxins continue to accumulate, which can lead to numerous health issues.³

Having a toxic build up generally manifests in one of the following issues:

How Much Do You Need?

Eating fiber is important not only for health but also for performance. Consume 30g of fiber or more each day. To put that in perspective, the Hadza tribe in Tanzania eats between 100-300g of fiber a day.

Eat whole foods as much as possible to meet your fiber requirements. Some of the best sources are whole grains and legumes. To decrease their anti-nutrient content soak and/or sprout them before consumption. Raw fruits and vegetables keep fiber intact, while cooking degrades fiber content. A good general rule is to have a raw fruit or vegetable raw at every meal.

Here is a sample day of good fiber intake:

Breakfast

• 1 cup of rolled oats (8g) – measured dry
• ¼ cup raspberries (2g)

 Lunch

• ½ cup qunioa (2.5g)
• ¼ cup lentils (4g)
• ¼ cup raw carrots (1g)
• ¼ cup lightly steamed broccoli (0.5g)
• ½ avocado (6.5g)

Snack

• ¼ cup soaked raw almonds (3g)

Dinner

• 100g chicken (0g)
• 2 cups spinach (2g)
• ½ cup sweet potato (4g)

Total fiber = 33.5g

If you are unable to eat enough fiber through real food, try psyllium husks to supplement your fiber intake. Freshly ground flax also works well, especially for those with more sensitive bowels. Pectin is a pricier fiber supplement option, but it is a great for smokers or former smokers as it helps bind to and pull out heavy metals like mercury from the body. With any of these supplements, increase the dosage over time. Start with ½ teaspoon mixed into water and go up to a maximum of 1 tablespoon, or 2 tablespoons for ground flax.

Eat for Complete System Health

Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet each day will do your health a world of good. Fiber promotes a good bacterial balance in your intestinal system and helps to regularly eliminate toxins from your bowel. If you aren’t pooping a couple times a day then you definitely need more fiber and probably water as well. Both of these main benefits will help to improve your energy, performance, and overall health.

Delicious ways to eat more vegetables:

6 Seasonal Side Dishes for Summer

References:

1. Hill, M J, “Intestinal flora and endogenous vitamin synthesis,” European Journal of Cancer Prevention 1(1997):43-45.

2. Hoban, A. E., et al., “Regulation of prefrontal cortex myelination by the microbiota,” Translational Psychiatry 6(2016):e774.

3. Jensen, B. Dr. Jensen’s Guide to Better Bowel Care, 1998, MgGraw-Hill.

The post Are You Eating Enough Fiber? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This meal is packed with good fats like omega-3s from the walnuts, which are also anti-inflammatory and great for the brain. The walnuts and lentils provide protein and fiber to keep you satisfied and aid in digestion.

Even if you believe that meat is the ideal protein, we should all strive to cut down on our consumption due to the vast amount of CO₂ the meat industry contributes to our atmosphere. Adding a few vegetarian meals to your meal plan each week will not only help your digestive system, but also the environment.

Walnut and Lentil Tacos

[Photo courtesy of Josh Graham]

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 3-12 hours if soaking walnuts)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 tacos

Ingredients:

• 2 cups walnuts
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup lentils
• Cabbage
• 1 onion, julienned
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish
• Salsa and guacamole

Method:

1. Soak the walnuts in water for 3-12 hours, changing the water every few hours.
2. Add the dry lentils to a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until tender, around 15-20 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté until softened.
4. While the onions and lentils are cooking, rinse and drain the walnuts. Add the walnuts, spices, and olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture has a consistency that resembles ground beef.
5. Once the lentils have cooked, drain and cool.
6. Carefully peel off a few leaves of the cabbage. Peel them off from the bottom near the stem to keep them intact. Wash and pat dry.
7. To construct your taco, add the lentils, onions, and walnut “meat” into your cabbage. Top with cilantro, salsa, and guacamole.

Note: Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge and are a delicious meat alternative for salads.

Need more vegetarian taco inspiration?

Sweet Potato Tacos

The post Meat-Free Mexican: Walnut and Lentil Tacos appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Human performance can be enhanced from a variety of ways. The most important piece is nutrition, not only because we eat multiple times per day, but also because as humans we want to live a long and healthy life. One of the best ways we can do this is by eating to become more alkaline.

Here we will explore what being acidic versus alkaline means, why you should care, and how you can eat to become more alkaline to improve performance and long-term health.

Fresh lemon juice is extremely acidic and can help keep your body’s pH closer to neutral.

The pH Scale

First, let’s discuss the pH scale. The pH scale tells us how many hydrogen ions (H+) or hydroxyl ions (OH-) are in a substance. The greater number of H+ ions, the greater the acidity. The greater the number of OH- ions means the substance is more alkaline.

An ion is unstable. It either has too many or too few electrons. If it has a positive charge like H+, it will steal electrons. If it has a negative charged OH-, it will want to give one away. This is why both acids and bases can cause chemical reactions.

The lower the number on the pH scale, the higher the acidity. The higher the number, the more alkaline it is. As you can see in the chart below, a pH of 7 is neutral.

Ideal pH in the Body

Your blood operates in a very narrow pH range, between 7.35 and 7.45 (slightly alkaline). If you go too far below or above this pH range, death will eventually be the result.¹ The human body does an amazing job at buffering pH and preventing your blood from going outside of this range because it wants to continuously be in that optimal alkaline state. Your muscles, like your blood, prefer to be in a slightly alkaline state. However, unlike blood, the pH of muscle is more variable.^2,3,4 This variability can have an effect on your physical performance.

Everything you eat influences your pH. However, the pH of your food doesn’t always correlate with the effect it has on the body once it is metabolized. Lemon, for example, is extremely acidic (pH of 2), but it has a powerful alkaline effect in the body. Foods that contain large amounts of nitrogen, chlorine, and phosphorus (e.g, meat) tend to be acid forming. Foods rich in calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium (e.g., leafy greens) tend to be alkaline forming.⁵

How Does pH Impact Performance?

Since your tissues have a more variable pH range, they can become acidic. This can happen due to the blood becoming more acidic (acidic diet, stress, improper breathing) and expelling excess acid into the connective tissue so the blood maintains a normal pH range and you don’t die. Acidity can also be caused by muscle tightness and knots (contracted sarcomeres), which do not allow proper blood flood and excretion of metabolic waste.⁶

Think about a hard workout and the feeling of your muscles burning. That muscle burn is caused by the production of anaerobic energy (without oxygen). This reaction causes the pH of your tissues to decrease, increasing acidity.² This increasing acidity causes temporary muscle fatigue, limiting contractile force.⁷ Therefore, if your muscles have a higher resting pH, it takes longer for you to feel the burn, which means you are able to work harder and longer for more potential output.

When your blood pH drops and your body becomes too acidic, your body will take calcium from your bones to buffer that acidity to become more alkaline. ⁸ Chronic acidity can lead to deficiencies in essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium⁹ that can lead to many short- and long-term health challenges. Maintaining adequate levels of minerals supports good health, proper nerve function, and adequate recovery from exercise.

Raising your pH increases mineral stores, including magnesium (Mg) levels,¹⁰ which is critical for performance because magnesium is needed for 300 different enzymatic reactions, including proper energy production and utilization. ATP cannot be used unless it is bound to magnesium, so magnesium is essential if you want enough energy to hit your training hard. Further, raising your pH increases adiponectin levels and decreases cortisol.¹⁰

Eat to Become Alkaline

Foods leave either an acidic or alkaline residue in the body after you eat them. A good food intake guide for athletes is 80 percent alkaline, 20 percent acidic. Check out the chart below for a guide of what foods leave what kind of residue.

Click on the image for a closer look.

Foods to Avoid: Limit white sugar, alcohol, and factory-farmed animal products. These foods are extremely acidic and must be buffered by your stored minerals. An occasional beer can be part of your 20 percent.

Morning Routine: Drink a tall glass of warm water with the juice from half of a lemon. This is a good way to raise your pH first thing in the morning, as your normal metabolic processes have been dropping your pH as you sleep. Lemon also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties that will help cleanse your digestive tract and stimulate the flow of gastric juices and liver enzymes. Rinse your mouth out with water after you drink it, as the lemon juice can eat away at your enamel.

Deep Breathing: Carbon dioxide is acidic, so you do not want large amounts of it in your body. Practice deep breathing to help expel excess CO2 and oxygenate your body.

Balance Your Nutrition

Eating for optimal acid and alkaline balance is a simple way you can improve your performance today and increase your ability to fight disease and illness in the long term. By knowing what foods have either an acidic or alkaline effect, you can eat in a way that encourages a proper balance.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing Reduces Exercise Induced Oxidative Stress
• Understanding Energy Systems: ATP-C, Glycolytic, and Oxidative
• Supplement Face-Off: Baking Soda Versus Beta-Alanine
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. Annemarie Colbin, Food and Healing. (New York:Ballantine Books, 1986).

2. Lisa Hermanen and Jan-Bjorn Osnes, “Blood and muscle pH after maximal exercise in man,” Journal of Applied Physiology, 32(1972):304-308.

3. K. Sahlin, R.C. Harris, B. Nylind, E. Hultman, “Lactate content and pH in muscle samples obtained after dynamic exercise,” European Journal of Physiology, 28(1976):143-149.

4. Kent Sahlin, Roger Harris, Eric Hultman, “Creatine kinase equilibrium and lactate content compared with muscle pH in tissue samples obtained after isometric exercise,” Biochemical Journal, 152(1975):173-180.

5. Patrick Holford, The Optimum Nutrition Bible (Berkeley, CA: Crossing Press, 2004).

6. Clair Davies, Amber Davies, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, 2013.

7. Shannon T Knuth, “Skeletal muscle fatigue: pH effects on contractile function and excitation-contraction coupling in single cells” (January 1, 2000). Dissertations (1962 – 2010) Access via Proquest Digital Dissertations. Paper AAI9977733.

8. DJ Chambers, Hunman, J, et al, “The effect of ionized calcium, pH and temperature on bioactive parathyroid hormone during and after open-heard operations,” Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 36(1983): 306-313.

9. Gerry K. Schwalkenberg, “The Alkaline Diet: Is there Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health?” Journal of Environmental Public Health (2012):727630. doi: 10.1155/2012/727630.

10. Ian Forrest Robey, “Examining the relationship between diet-induced acidosis and cancer,” Nutrition & Metabolism, 9(2012):72.

Photo 1 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

pH chart courtesy of Breaking Muscle.

Food impact chart courtesy of Air Water Life.

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