when your system is in an alkaline state
First, a brief chemistry lesson: pH balance is a measure of acidity. Anything below a pH of seven is considered acidic, and anything above seven is alkaline or base. Water, for example, has a pH of seven and is neither acidic nor alkaline. To sustain human life, your blood needs to remain in a slightly alkaline state, research shows. Proponents of alkaline diets say the stuff you eat can lower your body's acid levels, which in turn could help or hurt your health.