Eating a healthy diet during pregnancy helps ensure that you and your baby get the nutrition you need. A pH-balanced diet works with the pH levels of your body as a way to monitor whether you are at optimal health during your pregnancy. Some experts, like Esme Stevens, the founder of Raw Food Europe, believe that following a pH-balanced diet can reduce some negative pregnancy symptoms, like feeling tired.

Pregnancy pH-Balanced Diet

Time Frame

In 1933, William Howard Hay, a New York-based doctor, wrote a book in which he claimed a pH imbalance was the cause for all illnesses, according to the Natural Health School website. Later, research supported this claim, including the research Dr. Theodore A. Baroody conducted and used for his 1991 book, “Alkalize or Die.”

Significance

You can use pH, which stands for potential of hydrogen, to measure how acidic or alkaline your body is. In a healthy human body, the pH levels should range from 6.2 to 7.0, with an optimal level of 6.4, according to Dr. Mark Hopkins, an applied kinesiologist with Complete Wellness Associates in Houston, Texas. On a pH scale, 7 is neutral, which means it has a perfect balance of acidity and alkalinity.

The Process

You can test your pH level every morning to determine whether your body is in balance. Hopkins recommends testing your urine between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. each day. You can use a pH level strip to do so. If your body is in the proper range, your diet is allowing your body to maintain its balance. If your pH level has shifted one direction, you can make adjustments for the current day’s diet to help return it to the optimal range.

Foods

Foods that make your body more alkaline after your body digests them are alkaline foods, while foods which make your body more acidic after digestion are acidic foods. Some foods known as acids, like lemons, actually help raise your pH level, making them alkaline foods. According to The Best of Raw Food website, there are seven alkalizing food groups, including leafy, green vegetables; fresh herbs; sea vegetables like kelp; grasses like wheat grass; sprouts; wild edibles like dandelions; and mushrooms like shiitake.

Warnings

Maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight is an essential part of pregnancy, according to the National Academy of Medicine, the organization that establishes the weight gain guidelines for pregnancy. Before you switch your regular diet to a pH-balanced diet, talk with your health care provider.