Diet by PH Balance?

[limewave]

I was just reading a book about the PH balance of our diet and in food sources. I don't know much about it, but I did a little surfing of the internet to discover that there are some diet plans out there based on alkaline or acidic levels of food.

I was just wondering if there was anyone on the forum that pays attention to PH levels when they do their meal planning. And if they could tell me a little more about it from their personal experience.

Thanks!!!

[ccnyc]

Personally, I don't pay much attention to acid/base balance (I'm a Nutritionist, BTW). I eat mostly Paleo/Primal and make sure I get at least 5+ servings of vegetables daily.

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very acidic - lots of grains and dairy products, not enough green, leafy vegetables. So, eat your veggies! Lots of them!

You can test your urine first thing in the morning with a pH test strip if you want to check your acidity. Most pharmacies have them.

Link with some info:
http://thepaleodiet.com/nutritional-tools/acid-base-balance

HTH.

[OakLeaf]

I feel the same way, although I'm a long way from eliminating grains and beans from my diet. I'm basically done with reductionist approaches to health, in any form. Minimize animal products and grains, maximize the percentage of calories you're getting from vegetables, and pH will be ONE of the reasons you'll be healthier and feel better.

[goldfinch]

The science behind the pH claims:

http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/your-urine-is-not-a-window-to-your-body-ph-balancing-a-failed-hypothesis/

[OakLeaf]

Citations to more scientific articles and a qualified approval by Dr. jane Brody:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/health/24brod.html

[Chicken Little]

Working in the ICU, I would have given anything to alter the pH of my patients. This is hooey.

[OakLeaf]

Um... If you actually read it, the point is not that your pH changes, it's what your body has to do to maintain its pH balance when your diet is doing everything you can to acidify it.

[Chicken Little]

I read it. Go for it.
I am completely prepared to eat my words, should the need arise.

[limewave]

I don't tend to fully embrace certain diets. I'm more of a take-it-with-a-grain-of-salt, everything-in-moderation kind of a gal. There is room for a lot of improvement in my daily diet. I just thought this was interesting.

As far as healing through diet goes . . .
I will say that my GP told me I would be on anti-depressants for my entire life, that I needed thyroid prescription to manage my hypothyroidism, she prescribed me sleep aids to help with my insomnia, and stimulants to help with my chronic lethargy. I was on 6 prescription drugs at the age of 22. My pediatrician put my daughter through 3 sets of tubes for her chronic ear infections.

And then I finally saw a naturopath who said all those things could be cured by diet. My GP and Pediatrician were very alarmed by this and said it was impossible.

But guess what, it's worked. No more ear infections for DD. No more prescription drugs for me and I feel infinitely better than I ever did on all those drugs. So . . . who knows.

[ccnyc]

CCNYC, Im glad to read that you promote a paleo/primal diet, which is what I mostly follow. I do, however like a few cups of greek yogurt a week or grass fed cottage cheese. Maybe a serving or two a day of dairy. Do you suggest clients give up dairy? And if so why? (Im just curious...).

I have lots of clients who eat Greek yogurt (with fat) and some other dairy on a regular basis. Some people just don't do well with dairy, especially if they have autoimmune diseases, are addicted to it (like me!) and of course those who are lactose intolerant, so it's different with each client. And of course some people just refuse to give up dairy even if it makes them sick.

I'm not against eating a small amount of dairy. I'm against eating the poor quality stuff.

[shootingstar]

But guess what, it's worked. No more ear infections for DD.

I always found it intriguing that some families are more prone to ear infections than others. I'm sure a doctor has a simple explanation.

When I grew up and with 5 siblings, ear infections were extremely rare amongst us all. If I ever had one then, I was too young to remember. I don't remember anything earlier than age 4.

Because I'm the eldest, I had dim memory of memorable illnesses among siblings. Ear infections were incredibly rare amongst us. Same with cold sores around the mouth. My mother had a Chinese herbal soup for mouth sores inside the mouth. Whether or not it was a placebo effect, or what, but it helped us. (even it didn't taste great. We were obedient kids..)

Not that all naturopathic treatments work.