WHAT IS AN URINE pH LEVEL TEST?
A urine pH level test verifies or checks the alkalinity and acidity in a urine sample. The things that affect your urine’s basic or acidic nature solely depend on your diet, the pharmaceuticals you consume, and the sicknesses or diseases that you suffer from.
For instance, having a high or low alkaline level could mean that there is a high tendency that you could develop kidney stones. To remedy this, you could try altering your diet to strike a balance in your urine pH level.
This shows how essential your urine pH is as it’s one such medium to check your overall health.
FACTORS THAT CAN INCREASE URINE pH LEVELS?
As earlier mentioned, there are a number of things that affect your urine pH levels and we will be looking at them one by one.
Dieting: Your set of eating habits are one of the most essential factors in determining your urine pH level. Reaching and maintaining a neutral pH can be done by balancing your diet. While the foods such as dairy, fish, meat, and grain increase the level of acids that the kidney has to filter into the urine, the majority of veggies and fruits produce alkaline compounds in the body, which diminishes those acids. Additionally, insufficient consumption of protein and grain sources can keep the acidic level down, but when excessively consumed, there can be a significant increase. These facts prove that a balanced diet is essential in reaching optimal urine pH levels.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): One of the common causes of increased urine pH levels is a urinary tract infection. Many of the organisms that cause this infection produce an enzyme called urease. This enzyme is responsible for the breakdown of the urea compound, separating it into carbon dioxide and ammonia. Through this process, your urine pH level increases.
Certain medications: Many drugs affect urine pH levels, so it's best for medications to be taken under medical supervision.
IMPORTANCE OF REACHING OPTIMAL URINE pH LEVEL
Reaching an optimal urine pH level is quite important because it serves as a good health indicator and preventive measure against a number of diseases.
The optimal range for a urine pH level is between 6 and 7. Preventing the development of illnesses and diseases such as kidney stones, metabolic syndrome, UTI and so many others is dependent on striking an essential balance and reaching optimal urine pH levels.
WAYS TO REACH OPTIMAL URINE pH LEVELS
Maintaining an appropriate pH balance in your body is equivalent to optimizing your overall wellbeing and health. Attaining a pH balance is your best defense against diseases and sicknesses. It significantly improves health and vitality.
Achieving or reaching optimal urine pH levels is not difficult or as complicated as it sounds. Food’s pH effect largely depends on the mineral content the food contains as well as the ash, which remains as soon as the food gets processed within the body. Some foods could leave acidic ash while some could leave an alkaline ash.
Simply put, alkaline foods are fresh vegetables and fruits. Protein sources, dairy products, and grains have an acidic effect on the body. Moreover, noise, lack of physical exercise, and stress can also increase the body’s acidification.
Subsequently, every human being is different and reacts differently to this change. While some people are more susceptible than others, your goal in your diet should be to include vegetables, fruits, seeds and legumes, and certain amounts of other food groups such as grains, nuts, meats, and dairy products.
Aside from food, always remember to engage in regular physical exercise to aid in attaining and maintaining a balanced urine pH level.
DIET TIPS FOR REACHING OPTIMAL pH LEVEL
- Add a vegetable side dish or salad near your meat, poultry, or seafood dish.
- Enrich your salads with grains and nuts.
- Create healthy options such as yogurt + fruit in your snacks.
- Consume nuts in your snacks.
- Add cheese to your breakfast.
- Make an energy smoothie with fruit and milk.
- Combine your legumes with grains like brown rice.
BALANCED MENU EXAMPLES
- Sweet potatoes with steak.
- Legumes alongside brown rice and salad
- Broccoli, buckwheat, and almond salad
- Cauliflower, sautéed broccoli with chicken
FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, the urine pH level is one essential indicator of good health, and it is ideal if it stays within the optimal range at all times.
