tell me more
and more
and then some more

and after that
more theories
then some examples

and reasons why
how many people prescribe to an alkaline diet, here?

also, i would like some charts
i gave my book away
and it had a chart on it

darn it!
it had stuff in it that i hadn't memorized
cuz i'm a poor memorizer

just know basics

This is a good site with some basics
[www.acid-base.de]

And here is your food table!
[www.acid-base.de]

If you prefer the pdf (easier to read, I think)
[www.acid-base.de]

hey arugula,

i appreciate the above links
the second link was helpful
because it affirmed that all nuts were acid

however, it raised an eyebrow ( or two) for me
regarding the acidity, basicity of certain fruits and veggies

because according to that chart
ALL fruits and veggies are alkaline

and i know that simply is not true

I appreciate it nonetheless

Does anyone have a chart that is constructed from a raw point of view?

the chart on the pdf, would say that tomatoes are alkaline as well
when, i've been told time immemorial that they are acid

i know its all relative

does anyone have sapote's chart?

or what was the name of his book?

does cousens's have a chart like that?

>because according to that chart
>ALL fruits and veggies are alkaline

>and i know that simply is not true

And how do you know this? What is your criterion?

arugula

you're asking the wrong person
i'm the one here trying to get clarification
from the little that i have read and heard

same question stands
can anyone recommend a good book on this issue written from a raw point of view?

i saw one recently ( not from a raw point of view)
but it was kinda confusing

the woman that wrote it claimed that
zen buddhists think that avocado and bananas are acid
while westerners feel that it is alkaline

think i posted this on the other thread
so, you can see how this confuses me

which is why i'm posting this

Acid - alkaline charts

[www.rense.com]

hi lilianswan

thanks for taking the time to post this site
only problem is that the computer says that the site cannot be found
thanks anyhow

i guess it's time for me to take a trip down to the book store
and get a book(s) on it

It must have been accessed too much that day, it can be seen now! I like the chart at the bottom best. I had seen it years ago, and a few weeks ago I wanted to try to find it and I spent hours searching for this particular chart. I like the way it's laid out in kind of a U shape with the foods grouped into PH groups.

hey lilianswan

THANKS A BUNCH!!!!!!
I'M definetely gonna print this out
gotta question though

i actually did go to a bookshelf
and one thing kindaconfused me
one book said that lemons were very acidic
but i've always heard how it was alkaline

i believe it is alkaline
but why would that book say lemons ( which are high profile for being alkaline)
be"acidic"?

i understand tomatoes straddling the line
but lemons?

anyone got any clues on this?

i'm gonna get rid of pecans from my diet
don't really need it
maybe will soak almonds instead
if i want that kindaprotein

thanks again lilianswan

One of the reasons the whole acid/alkaline thang can be so confusing is that different nutrition writers approach it from two different angles. Some approach it from the acidity or alkalinity of the food itself and some approach it from the relative acid or alkaline effects on the body.

Lemons are a good example: They are an acid fruit that has an alkalizing affect on the body. Bananas on the other hand are a more alkaline fruit that tends to have a slightly acidic affect on the body. This only seems to apply to raw fruits and veggies. Cooking changes the acid/alkaline affects of foods and meat, which is highly acidic, remains highly acidic in the body.

Confusing? You bet! But it does correspond in principle to "natural law" found most clearly discussed in macrobiotic philosopy which states that all things tend to turn into their opposites. This is why an overly yin diet tends to promote yang diseases and vice versa.

In my opinion, given a high or totally raw vegan diet, the acid/alkaline balance "problem" is moot. We need both acid and alkaline fresh, raw fruits and veggies. Acidic food only becomes a problem when a person is consuming junk, processed foods and too much cooked or "changed" food and/or too much meat. However, if you are transitioning from the SAD its not a bad idea to avoid acidifying foods for awhile until your system cleans out and becomes more PH balanced.


Just my take,

Kathleen

Maybe that explains some of the questions that have been floating around in my head - like why does every chart that I see have lentils (just one of many examples) in a different column? Nobody seems to agree. Thanks for at least shining some light into the subject!


Life Is Good!

alive!

Well everything has to pass through the stomach and the HCl in the stomach is a pH of 2 so everything coming out of your stomach and into the rest of the digestive system would be acid but then it's neutralized later for the protection of the other organs so from a chemistry stand point it wouldn't exactly matter what the pH of your food is unless you have acid reflux problems. So technically neutralizing your stomach would be a bad idea since it's is your body's defence against harmful bacteria and such.

Ya Vej, lentils are the least acidifying of the legumes as is millet in the grain category and yet ALL grains and legumes are more acidic than alkaline.

Again, if you are eating 100% raw these distinctions are not as critical. If you are cooking your lentils instead of sprouting them, then you may be concerned to have your legumes with alkalizing vegetables to balance things out...but lentils are overall pretty gentle on the system as long as one doesn't overeat them.

~khale

I had a severe, debilitating acid reflux problem, now I don't thanks to eating mostly fruits and a little bit of nuts and greens.

hey khale
thanks for explaining the lemons
i'm not a big fan of bananas
but lemons... i like em

How does cooking a veggie make it more acid? That's a confusing one.

Vej asks:

"How does cooking a veggie make it more acid? That's a confusing one."

Anything you do to food changes its chemistry. Carrots are somewhat different grated than they are sliced. Baked potatoes have a lower glycemic index than do mashed potatoes. Tomatoes are much more acidic cooked into a sauce than they are raw. How this happens or even why I can't technically explain but once you become aware that it does happen you can see and taste and feel it happening with your own food.

khale

well when you cut up veggies they may oxidize and those bonds may change the pH but I've found that basic substances are more nasty than acid ones (chem class anyway). Mashed potatoes commonly contain butter or milk etc. so this fat increase may lower it on the glycemic index chart. Sauces also contain more ingredients than just tomatoes too. I agree with you though because some of the basic minerals are being lyched or destroyed in the food. But I just made that up, but it makes sense to me but I don't have a scientific experiment to back that up. lol

Thanks Khale

Yeah but no. Mashed potatoes, no milk no butter, are still higher in glucose than a baked potato, no milk no butter. The process of boiling and mashing changes the potatoes composition. My guess is that this has more to do with what happens to the fiber than anything else, but that's just a guess. Same goes with tomatoes. A raw tomato is less acidic than a cooked tomato. Period. Whether you add anything else or not.

Anything that we do to our food changes it. Even washing your fruits and vegetables changes the vitamin content. A carrot is not the same grated, sliced or juiced; it's still a carrot but the way the body uses it and assimilates it is different in each case.

khale

khale says:

<<Anything that we do to our food changes it>>

what happens if i stare at a pear for one hour?
will it make it less acid?
that's just a basic question, right?
don't get acidic on me
just answer it

La_Veronique asks:

"what happens if i stare at a pear for one hour?
will it make it less acid?
that's just a basic question, right?
don't get acidic on me
just answer it "


too funny!

Nevertheless, if you do stare at a pear for one hour something will definitely happen. Whether or not the pear becomes less or more acidic is completely up to you.

khale

lol I second that. I don't totally understand pH but I'll take your word for it cuz it makes sense. Oxidization, physical changes etc.