THE RISK

No doubt you've heard of the increasingly popular "raw food" and "whole food" diets. Why are people so interested in eating raw food or whole food? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid accumulation in your body.

Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow an excessive amount of nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

In both instances, the result is obesity. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body converts the excess glucose into fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive tract, where it becomes increasingly acidic. To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body converts the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.

Chemical additives in processed foods make the situation worse. These chemicals confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we've had enough to eat. Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remnants of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste.

THE DAMAGE

Acid waste that is not converted into fat remains in the bloodstream, where it sticks to the blood vessel walls and blocks the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients headed for the body's cells. The body's metabolism becomes sluggish, and the result is weight gain and obesity.

If the metabolism continues to grow sluggish, all of the body's organs are potentially affected. Degenerative disease sets in. Cells die, acid continues to accumulate, and the cycle repeats on a more damaging scale.

The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more prevalent. Undigested food allergens will continue to be deposited in fat cells, leading to greater obesity. Because acidity disrupts the body's chemistry, the hormones needed to convert fat into fuel also fail to function properly, so the obesity persists no matter how healthy your diet becomes.

THE BENEFITS OF A BALANCED pH

To stop this vicious circle in its tracks, you need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize the acid already accumulated in your body. You also need nutrients that will help restore your body's hormonal balance. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods in the right sequence can help.

It's also important to restore your enzyme balance so that your digestive system will work properly again. Proper digestion means that you will crave less food, accumulate less acid waste, convert less of your food intake into fat cells, and create additional digestive enzymes.

To set this positive spiral in motion, you need to identify and eliminate the foods that cause acid elevation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. This will help restore the pH balance in your digestive system and will make a significant contribution to your overall health.

If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself you need to take a proactive approach. Don't expect to feed your body processed foods, not exercise, then pop a pill and be all better? it just doesn't work that way. If you want to bring your body into pH balance then you need a complete approach. A great place to start is the Immersion Kit, you can learn more by going to http://www.pH-health.com