pH Testing

Using pH strips is helpful when following an alkaline diet. Keep in mind, saliva and urine values do not give you the pH of your whole body. These values are merely used as diagnostic tools to help you understand how your body is reacting to your diet.

pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. The pH of different cellular compartments, body fluids, and organs is usually tightly regulated in a process called acid-base homeostasis. The pH of blood is usually slightly basic (alkaline) with a value of pH 7.4. This value is often referred to as physiological pH in biology and medicine. Enzymes and other proteins have an optimum pH range and can become inactivated or denatured outside this range. The most common disorder in acid-base homeostasis is acidosis, which means an acid overload in the body.¹⁵

Saliva Test

Tear off about 1/2" paper. Work up saliva in your mouth and build it up on your tongue. Touch the paper to the saliva on your tongue, then compare the color produced on the pH paper strip to the chart that comes with the paper. A reading of 7 is neutral, while values below 7 are acidic and above 7 are alkaline.

Test your saliva pH one hour before you eat and then again ten to fifteen minutes after you eat. Make sure you do not have any food particles remaining in your mouth before doing the test. To get an average, do this test at every meal for two to three days in a row.

The pH number should go up considerably after you eat. That is normal. If the pH value stays the same after you eat, then you have a slight pH imbalance in your body. In people dealing with some ailments, the pH value taken after you eat will drop. This is an indication that something abnormal is going on in your body or that something you just ate or drank is highly acidic, like coffee, soda, sugary foods, or alcohol.

Urine Test

Urine pH is not a very accurate indicator as urine is a waste product, and tends to be acidic when following the pH protocol. But if you want to test your urine pH, do it first thing in the morning, when you haven't eaten or drunk anything for at least for eight hours. Empty your bladder only halfway, then take a reading with the paper. You will be using about 2-3 inches of paper for this test. Compare the strip against the chart on the pH paper package.