How to Test Your pH
You don’t have to go to a doctor or clinic to test your pH.
Simple litmus strips or sticks can be purchased at your local drugstore, online, or you can make your own.
You can test saliva and/or urine; pH will differ between the two but both will give you a fairly clear picture of what’s going on inside your body.
Urine reflects acid levels after foods have passed through the liver and kidneys, so is an indication as to how well your digestive system is working and the acid level of your blood.
Consistent average pH will let you know if you’re internally acidic or alkaline and you can adjust your diet accordingly.
Urine pH Test
- Urinate into a clean glass jar for your first and second urinations of the day. Test each by dipping a pH test strip into the urine and noting the color (a color chart that indicates the pH level will be included in the box of test strips).
- Test your urine before going to bed. You may also test once during the day.
- Normal urine pH is between 6.0 and 6.5 in the morning and 6.5-7.0 at night.
Saliva pH Test
- Do your first test first thing in the morning. Don’t brush your teeth for at least 30 minutes prior to the test. Swallow a few times to clear the mouth and stimulate new saliva.
- Either drop some saliva into a spoon and wet the test strip from the spoon or spit directly onto the strip (don’t touch the pH paper with your tongue).
- Compare the color of the wet pH paper with the color chart provided with the test.
- Test again in the afternoon and before bed; make sure you don’t eat within 2 hours before performing the pH test.
- Saliva is more acidic than blood. If your saliva stays between 6.8 and 7.2 pH all day, your body is functioning within a healthy range. The optimal pH for saliva is above 7.
Perform a pH test once or twice a week and keep a log of your pH at different times of day over the course of several weeks to get a clear picture of your pH profile.
After eating, saliva pH should rise to 7.8 or higher. If not, the body may have alkaline mineral deficiencies (primarily calcium and magnesium).
It is possible to have a body environment that is too alkaline, called alkalosis. This is much less common than acidosis and is rarely a chronic condition. Alkalosis poses much less of a health threat than its opposite.
Alkalosis can be caused by anxiety, fever, aspirin overdose, pain, and low oxygen levels in the blood (often caused by hyperventilation). (3)
Bottom Line
Knowing your body’s pH and making any adjustments to ensure it stays within healthy parameters will help to stave off disease. Junk food is a huge contributing factor to acidosis and is detrimental in every way.
A bag of chips and a soda may taste good for the moment but they can cause great harm in the long run.