Hello, I have been eating exclusively living food for about a week now (I have been largely organic and vegetarian for about 2 years)and although I limit things I know are acidic (I have trouble with my stomach and interstitial cystitis) my stomach and bladder feel very acidy. I have tried various foods in an attempt to see if they make my stomach feel better but am still having this trouble. I have been eating mainly salads with various ingredients and occasionally some raw cheddar. I feel like I need something cracker or bread like or creamy to cut the acid. I have not invested in a dehydrator yet...
I am expecting that my stomach and i.c. issues will clear up after more time on all living foods but until then I am in need of help. Does anyone have any ideas or tips for me?? It would be greatly appreciated!

This site
[www.energiseforlife.com]
lists cheese as an acidic food. That could be a factor. Are you using vinegar in your salads? I still use some occasionally, but am rather sparing.

You may want to read more about foods that are acid forming. Here's a site that explains it well:
[www.angelfire.com]

I got started eating raw foods to combat acid reflux. My symptoms were so severe that it took a few months to subside. It was either surgery or dietary changes. I seriously doubt that that will be the case for you, but like you, I experimented with different foods to see which ones bothered me and which were okay. I find that foods high in fat and high in protein are harder for me to digest and I do much better when I keep my percentage of fats and proteins about 10% each.

Hope you find what works best for you soon.


My favorite raw vegan

P. S.: You may want to eat more fruit. Have you tried green smoothies? I was turned off by the idea initially, but I am a convert now.


My favorite raw vegan

Green smoothies, I second this.
And proper food combining is a very good idea. You may not have to do that forever but it sure is a good way to get things straightened out.

Where do I learn about food combining?

i like this site that explains food combining quite well , lessons 22,and 23 [www.rawfoodexplained.com]

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

quite often heart burn and acidicy stomach feeling is actually from low stomach acid, low stomach acid is much more common than excess stomach acid but doctors seem to prescribe ant-acids and proton pump inhibitors which effectively make things worse.

give digestive bitters a shot if it keeps up, they help digestion greatly whilst strongly cleansing the liver.

Eating zuccinis, celery, cucumbers, red peppers and greens should calm down the acid. Cereals will increase it. If making salad dressing use oranges rather than lemon for a while.

You are probably detoxing the acids from your cooked life...the breakdown of inferior tissue and exit from the body takes months or years.

Try juicing and smoothies more in the beginning as you need to build up the correct enzymes/bacteria for digesting cellulose walls of plants.

im sorry but there is no such thing as detoxing the acids from your cooked life.

Hi violetrevo,

Just in case you don't yet know, it's surprisingly true that although many fruits generally have an acid pH, they are actually alkaline-forming when eaten. According to the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetics Association, "Surprisingly, acidic foods like citrus fruits do not contribute to an acidic potential of food. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, cheese, and grains are the primary contributors of acid-ash. Alkaline-ash producing foods include fruits and vegetables except prunes, plums, and cranberries."

The article goes on to say that research indicates that bone health is affected by diet pH, since the bones will release minerals to compensate for a high acid-forming diet. Over time, this can lead to problems like osteoporosis, whereas "the high potassium and magnesium content of fruits, berries, and vegetables with their alkaline ash makes these foods useful dietary agents for inhibiting bone resorption".

So, the moral of the story is, don't be afraid to add lots and lots of fruits to your diet. I've found for myself and my husband that citrus fruits and tomatoes can easily be eaten with or after green salads, but certain other fruits like apples or bananas can cause gas when eaten with/after greens. You might have to experiment for yourself to see what agrees with you best.

You might also consider asking to be referred to a lab for testing to see if you have parasites. I had terrible acid indigestion for a long time, and it turned out to be from an amoeba.

And of course regular exercise is great for strengthening the digestion!

Hope you're feeling better soon!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2010 10:48PM by suncloud.

I agree - do not eat grains, no salts, no vinegars, no sweeteners.

FRUIT AND GREENS, hon!!

powerlifer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> im sorry but there is no such thing as detoxing
> the acids from your cooked life.

Heavy metals, fatty plaques, transfats, GI plaques, inferior and cancerous cells, yeasts, bad bacteria, stagnant toxic lymph, tars, food additives, carcinogens...

As the body breaks down and releases the old sick body acid is produced, as the cooked food body is an acid body, toxicity is generally acid.

see:
The Fasting Path, Stephen Harrod Buhner

Janabanana Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> powerlifer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > im sorry but there is no such thing as detoxing
> > the acids from your cooked life.
>
> Heavy metals, fatty plaques, transfats, GI
> plaques, inferior and cancerous cells, yeasts, bad
> bacteria, stagnant toxic lymph, tars, food
> additives, carcinogens...
>
> As the body breaks down and releases the old sick
> body acid is produced, as the cooked food body is
> an acid body, toxicity is generally acid.
>
> see:
> The Fasting Path, Stephen Harrod Buhner


most of what you mentioned have very little to do with acid. The body keeps a very narrow PH range at the best of times so that this theory that acidity is the cause of all diseases then we'd all be suffering from acidiosis.

Infact bad bacteria, yeasts, fungal overgrowth are kept incheck via various acids such as lactic acid that your good bacteria produce.

powerlifer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> low stomach
> acid is much more common than excess stomach acid

(citation needed)

violetrevo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> (I have been largely organic
> and vegetarian for about 2 years)

That makes it difficult to ever detox. Vegetarian diets are good transitional diets but if meat is replaced by dairy, there is generally no reason to expect any improvements in digestion.

> I
> limit things I know are acidic

Unfortunately dairy is VERY acidifying. Cow milk pH is alkaline but the human body requires high levels of HCl to try to break down the fatty and proteinaceous cow dairy so it ends up being acidifying.

> (I have trouble
> with my stomach

Your stomach is fine/responding normally. What is the trouble with your diet though?

> stomach and bladder feel very acidy.

As did mine for the first 35 years of life when mixing animal fat with vegetables.

> I have tried
> various foods in an attempt to see if they make my
> stomach feel better

Usually it is a matter of EXCLUDING specific foods. The tens of thousands of species of fruit, sprouts, flowers, leafy greens are alkalizing and digested well though.


> I have been eating mainly salads

This is grooming the digestive system.

> with
> various ingredients

Uhhh ohhhh...

> and occasionally some raw
> cheddar

BINGO! There is the culprit- concentrated dairy is always acidifying. Avoid dairy, especially if you have a stomach ache.

> I feel like I need something cracker or
> bread like or creamy to cut the acid.

Refined grains including crackers and bread are acidifying. Most unrefined grains are too. And cream is alkaline until it gets in the human stomach, at which point, high amounts of HCl are required to try to digest it. Even citrus is less acidifying than dairy.

> I am expecting that my stomach and i.c. issues
> will clear up after more time on all living foods

It depends on the food classes you integrate. If you maintain the mixed diet, your stomach problems will only become more bothersome.

Hfructose,

In case powerlifer doesn't reply:

[altmedicine.about.com]

Note the symptoms--all generally considered signs of excess stomach acid(which would be a serious disorder, if you think about it). Heartburn is typically a sign of insufficient digestive acid; the food rebounds up the esophagus because it isn't being thoroughly digested. This is the main reason the elderly, whose stomach acid production decreases naturally as they age, are sometimes prescribed hydrochloric acid as a digestive supplement, and why taking an antacid will make gastric reflux worse because it further inhibits hydrochloric acid production.

violet,

I'd just stop eating things that make me feel poorly and stick to the ones that don't. I'd absolutely cut out fat, even plant based, at least at first. No one's stomach ever got acidy from a lack of cheese, right?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2010 09:15PM by Tamukha.

Tamukha Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Heartburn is

'Heartburn' isn't the specific complaint of the original post, although it was vague. But in the case of both heartburn and 'interstitial cystitis' acidifying foods (not alkalizing/fibrous fruit) burn bacterial flora with acidity and cause putrefaction dysbiosis.

> typically a sign of insufficient digestive acid;

Heartburn occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus. This is more likely when humans consume foods that have low transit time (lacking fiber) or consuming foods that are high in protein or especially fat (usually the same foods that are fatty also have high protein). And both acidifying food products and fatty/proteinaceous food products have low transit times. This is one reason more HCl is required to be able to break down the food products that can trigger acid reflux. The problem isn't typically 'insufficient digestive acid' but of choosing food products that require digestive acid levels that humans in general are not optimized to produce in conjunction with a long- short intestine/sacculated colon not suited for animal products, refined grains or refined sugar so relatively high (for humans) HCl is produced while the same acidifying products triggering this increase in acid do not transit quickly through the digestive tracts of humans.

Humans are grazers, absorbing nutrients best in small doses, often. Taking cheese, especially at night is disastrous to esophagus and potential for acid reflux among other health conditions, as the contents of the stomach can put pressure on the valve to the esophagus causing the high acidity created from the proteinaceous and fatty foods to go back up, especially when you lie down. When humans try to consume cheese, it just sits there... Fibrous foods don't typically trigger the reflux and fibrous foods produce less stomach acid to reduce the likelihood of any burning sensation resulting from potential reflux in the first place. Those who are habituated to acidifying foods and consume antacids, are more likely to actually get acid reflex as a side effect. A lot of OTC and prescription meds and medical treatments for long term acid reflux result in acid reflux as a side effect.


High-acid foods may contribute to bladder irritation and inflammation. Eliminating various items from the diet and reintroducing them one at a time may determine which, if any, affect a person’s symptoms’ Saudi J Gastroenterol. 2008 October; 14(4): 183–186. doi: 10.4103/1319-3767.41741.

> the food rebounds up the esophagus because it
> isn't being thoroughly digested. This is the main
> reason the elderly, whose stomach acid production
> decreases naturally as they age, are sometimes
> prescribed hydrochloric acid as a digestive
> supplement'

The poster is not among the elderly but you bring up a good point that elderly have even more time trying to digest cheese and other such acidifying foods than younger people... One more sign that human milk is optimal for babies not adults.

, antacid will make
> gastric reflux worse because it further inhibits
> hydrochloric acid production.


True. Long term use of antacids for poor diet and chronic acidosis do cause problems with acid production and have as their symptoms acid reflux and weakening of the esophagus.


> I'd
> absolutely cut out fat, even plant based, at least
> at first. No one's stomach ever got acidy from a
> lack of cheese, right?


Agreed... As the article points out above, an elimination diet can help identify the culprits one by one...

C.

well let me be clear on some of what is bothering me...I was diagnosed with ibs and interstitial cystitis...the ibs is certainly getting better. however I'm very sensitive to acid(or something that is in acidic foods) and can feel it in my bladder. I do get very bad heartburn frequently also.
I will cut the dairy for a week and see how I do. I did try the orange juice on my salad trick and it was quite yummy. I think my body just needs time to adjust.
I await my new juicer with childlike excitement! Then I'm going to invest in a good dehydrator and sprouter!
Thank you all for advice and input! There is much to learn in this new adventure for me!

If it truly is IBS then, IBS has been linked to low levels of good flora.

cheers for linking tamukha.

its the reason why the elderly commonly have "heartburn/acid reflux", as stomach acid production declines with age, and once stomach acid is reduced nutritional deficiency sets in which is dependant on acid for absorbtion, which is a key reason why osteroperosis happens due to lack of silica being absorbed.

violetrevo,

Interstitial cystitis is a very curious condition that seems to have no specific pathology; I have a friend who has it and when she showed me the list of foods to avoid, I was like, "There's no common thread here," and she agreed(she is an engineer and is very precise about stuff). I did some digging, and there seems to have been no clinical method to the exclusion list--they just sort of look at what the majority of people that have this seem to respond unfavorably to and put it on the list.

Considering that you have this condition, but also heartburn and IBS, I agree that it seems to be systemic acidosis, which is to say, you're body's out of balance. An elimination diet that also does not include things that are acidifying, many of which are allowed on the IC diet, would help, as would replenishing bacterial flora. How do you tolerate fermented foods, like kombucha and kimchee? You might consider these, and also any enzyme rich tropical fruit that you can tolerate.

Hope we haven't succeeded in confusing you further, and that you heal up soon: )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/03/2010 11:43AM by Tamukha.