Obesity is at an all-time high in the United States, and there is no indication that the numbers will decline. Diet products and programs abound because people are obsessed with losing fat. There are over 300,000 diet books on the market. Fad diets and gimmicks are all over television and the Internet; some of which work short term, but to lose fat you need to understand the root cause of weight gain.

If you look at the function of fat, you will find that a moderate amount of fat is not the enemy, you actually need some body fat, in fact it may be saving your life. Body fat is essential for the normal and healthy functioning of many of the body’s systems, such as the organs, bone marrow, nervous system, and muscles. Body fat is also used for energy.

Body acidity and body fat are closely linked in a way that is generally unknown to most people. Fat is one of the main defenses of the body that is used to protect the pH of the blood. PH is a measure that determines the level of acidity or alkalinity. Your blood must maintain a pH of 7.3 to 7.4 to sustain life. And when your body’s overall pH level is off, there is a low oxygen supply to cells, creating an environment where disease thrives, setting the stage for many normally healthy processes to become destructive.

To maintain proper pH levels, the body flushes and removes as many acids and toxins as it can through sweat, urination, and defecation. When there are more toxins / acids than the body can eliminate, it produces toxic waste storage cells (fat cells) to store. So you see, fat cells perform an important health function when they store toxins and excess acid. You may not appreciate the extra fat, but if your pH is out of balance, you may need these fat storage cells to sustain life.

This is an important concept to understand … If you ingest toxic chemical food ingredients, such as artificial sweeteners, monosodium glutimate (MSG), hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or processed foods, or are regularly exposed to other poisons and chemicals, such as chemical-based sunscreens, bug sprays, and body care products, as well as environmental toxins, then your body is working overtime to produce more and more fat cells to store these excess toxins. That may be the answer to why diet, exercise, and discipline don’t solve your weight problems. When it comes to weight loss, you and your body may not have the same goal.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently performed fat biopsies on 400 people. Each and every person tested contained toxins stored in their fat cells and more than 100 different toxic chemicals were discovered.

Do you want the fatty acids in your body to stick to the walls of your arteries? Probably not. But, when the blood shifts to the acids, the fatty acids, which would normally be negatively charged, change to positive. Since opposites attract and the walls of your arteries are negatively charged, you now have fatty acids that are attracted to the walls of your arteries.

Regulation of insulin and blood pH Another aspect of the connection between acidity and fat is that the pH of the blood controls the effectiveness of insulin … and the regulation of insulin is one of the most important keys to maintaining proper body weight.

Do you think your weight gain may be related to a thyroid problem? You are probably right. Iodine is crucial for proper thyroid function, but iodine requires a near perfect pH level to be assimilated. Without adequate levels of iodine, the thyroid will not function at peak performance, opening the door to all kinds of health problems, such as weight gain, diabetes, depression, low energy, heart attacks, and more.

Conclusion Excess acidity puts healthy processes in a destructive mode. The body must neutralize and rid itself of excess acids / toxins in the blood or risk major health problems.

In essence, one of the healthiest and most effective ways to start fat loss and maintain a balanced weight can be to detoxify your body and normalize your body’s pH. Acid / alkali will always be a balancing act. Your body will constantly remove toxins and acids from your system as part of normal function. But remember, it is the excess of toxins and acids, beyond what the body is able to handle naturally, that turns into fat cells, causing what is sometimes inexplicable and difficult to lose weight.

How do you know if you are alkaline or acid? A healthy body pH range is between 6.0 and 7.5. A pH of 5.0 would be considered very acidic, and any pH above 7.5 would also be outside the healthy alkaline range. There are many products on the market that test saliva or urine so you can measure its pH level. Ask your local health food store or visit the website to find a reliable pH meter or test strips. It is possible to get too alkaline, so you don’t want to be above 7.5.

Here’s a quick, general reference to the various effects of acidic / alkaline pH levels on the body:

PH level -0 7.0 to 7.5 – Optimal health and energy 6.8 – Onset of metabolic acidosis 6.4 – Impaired digestion, difficulty losing weight 6.0 – 10 times less oxygen for cells 5.5 – Extreme acidosis, cancer and degenerative disease 5.0 – 100 times less oxygen to cells and threatens life

As you can see, maintaining proper acid / alkaline levels in the body is essential for good health.

Here are some common symptoms of excess acidity:

• Low energy, frequent colds, flu infections
• Dehydration
• Candida
• Excess mucus production and nasal congestion.
• Mood, nervous, irritable
• Joint pain, arthritis, and muscle pain.
• Hives and rashes
• Weak and brittle nails, dry hair and skin, psoriasis
• Leg cramps
• Acid indigestion, heartburn, nausea
• Nutrient malabsorption

So where do you start?

You can successfully correct body acidity with diet and lifestyle changes that include eating healthy natural foods, taking supplements that help alkalize your system, and incorporating some form of oxygenating exercise into your routine.

If you make some changes to your eating habits and lifestyle, and pay attention to consuming foods and products that are particularly alkalizing, your body will naturally retain the proper balance and there will be no need to produce these unwanted protective fat cells. Don’t kid yourself, food additives are toxins, they are chemicals, and your body sees them as toxins. This is why processed foods are so dangerous.

Drinking plenty of fresh purified water will help your body rid itself of toxins as they will be expelled in your urine. Sweating also helps eliminate toxins.

You must live on a diet of 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods. There are many books and charts available that list alkaline and acid-forming foods to help you choose the best foods. All vegetables are alkalizing, especially green leafy ones.

Investing in a quality juicer with the ability to squeeze veggies is a great way to get more alkalizing veggies. You can use the leftover pulp in soups or salads (a couple tablespoons of pulp is a great way to add texture to an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing).

If you don’t have time to drink juice, there are many green products on the market, such as Vital Greens from Vital Earth Minerals. For added help in alkalizing the body and flushing out toxins before they turn into fat cells, Vital Earth Minerals Fulvic Mineral Complex is a powerful and all-natural alkalizing and detoxifying agent. Fulvic rapidly destroys acids in body fluids and increases the body’s ability to absorb oxygen.

The benefits of an alkaline body are powerful. The benefits of maintaining an alkaline pH outweigh those of weight maintenance alone. Viruses and diseases cannot survive in an alkaline environment, such as arthritis, cancer, and diabetes.

Because this is a very complex topic, our goal with this report is to stimulate your interest in the topic and encourage you to explore it further. There is a lot of information available online, as well as many excellent books on acids / alkalis. Good health is all about balance, and pH levels are something that can have an immediate and positive effect on your health if you push yourself.