Mostly minor changes here - a little add'l info, also re-formatted for the
SF-LiFE newsletter.

Tom Billings
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****BEGIN POST***



ACID/ALKALINE BALANCE AND OTHER FOOD SELECTION SYSTEMS


The following is an update of material originally posted to the e-mail list,
veg-raw. 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!

Tom Billings