Ashley Moran wrote:

> This has been bugging me for a while.  Cordain has scared me
> half-to-death over the acid/alkaline imbalance being a source of
> calcium loss.  Now I'm not getting a calcium overdose (one glass of
> milk a day), I'm thinking all the time- "I hope this piece of
> chicken/beef/fish etc doesn't turn my kidneys to vinegar and make my
> bones go soft".  I hope I'm over-reacting.  Anyway here are a few
> observations and thoughts:

They've done studies, and the elderly people who ate the most meat
had the strongest bones.  (Sorry I don't have a URL).  A lot of the
propaganda about a high-meat diet destroying your bones comes from
the vegetarian faction.

>
> - Since soils are so depleted of minerals, can we get an adequate
> supply of them from eating a "paleo" quantity of veg?  I do like veg,
> but I increasingly enjoy variety more than quantity (except for onion
> family veg, which I can eat in huge amounts- apart from raw onions, of
> course).

What would be a "paleo" quantity?  It seems to me that in the summer and
fall
they would have eaten lots of vegetables and dug roots.  If you want better
vegetables, buy organic.

>
> - I have a low tolerance to vitamin C (500mg induces diarrhoea).
> Perhaps this is a sign that I don't need much veg?

Probably just a sign that you don't need a lot of vitamin C :-)

>
>
> So perhaps, bearing all this in mind, someone could set my mind at
> rest- do I need to worry about the acid/alkaline ratio of my diet?  How
> can I tell if I eat enough veg?  And do any of you have any interesting
> experiences that taught you what balance of meat/veg to eat?

Lately most of my meals are lots of veggies and a moderate portion of meat.
Tonight I had ground meat (cooked), a nice carrot, and a bowl of salad made
from fresh cucumber, tomato, parsley, and pepper.  Yum.  Fresh peaches for
dessert.  A meal like that makes me feel very good.  Lunch was a chef salad
with turkey and non-chemical pepperoni.

I supplement magnesium, but not calcium.  If I get too much calcium, I
get muscle
cramps.  Even cheese or ice cream do this to me, so it's not a hardship
to do without.  Osteoporosis is highest in countries that eat a lot of
dairy products.

If you feel good with what you're eating, that is the best guide.  Don't
worry so
much about what Cordain or somebody else said.

    Lynnet