Acid/Alkaline
balance and other food selection systems
by Tom Billings
The terms acid and alkaline, when used in reference to food, normally refer
to the pH (acid or alkaline) of the ash that results when the food is burned.
As your digestive system is a kind of fire, the inference is that alkaline ash
=> alkaline in digestion, and in its effect on your body, with similar comments
applying to acid ash food. This results in a class- ification of foods into
the categories: acid, neutral, alkaline.
Most raw-foods diets are predominantly alkaline forming foods, though many fermented
foods (raw sauerkraut, seed cheese, raw pickles, etc.) are very acid forming.
Sprouting and soaking reportedly reduce the acidity of seeds and nuts.
The idea behind using acid/alkaline as a guide is to balance (or manage) the
pH of your system. Excess acidity is regarded as bad for you - can cause headaches
and stiff muscles. It is reported that your system "borrows" calcium
from your central nervous system* to compensate for excess acidity elsewhere.
Excess alkalinity is also reportedly bad - reportedly it can cause anxiety,
muscle spasms. (* the myelin sheath surrounding your nerves is rich in calcium.)
Gabriel Cousens discusses the topic of acid/alkaline balance in his book "Conscious
Eating". He suggests collecting a 24-hour urine sample (all urine passed
in 24 hour period) and testing it for pH, using pH paper. This is a way to monitor
the pH of your body. The idea of testing has some intellectual appeal, but the
logistical aspects of collection are not so appealing!
Acid/alkaline balance is one of a number of food selection systems that one
can use. A partial list of potentially relevant systems is as follows:
* eating to obtain a list of nutrients (Western nutrition) * acid/alkaline balance
* balancing yin-yang (Traditional Chinese Medicine) * balancing/controlling
the Ayurvedic humors - vata (air), pitta (fire), kapha (water) * eating to get
all 5-6 tastes (Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Med.) * food combining (Natural
Hygiene, other systems) * mono-eating: eating 1 food, or 1 type of food, at
a meal * sequential mono-eating, guided by senses (instinctive eating)
It would be nice if the above systems were consistent with each other, but life
is not that simple. What one can do is to choose/use a system for general guidance,
as you experiment to see which foods agree with you. The most important thing
is how you personally react to a particular food, not the general claims of
a particular system. Over time, you will learn which foods are good for you
and which don't agree with you.
I would also advise against being too strict or too dogmatic regarding adhering
to any particular system(s). Too many rules can make your eating stressful rather
than nourishing and nurturing!