NATURE CURE
Miracles of Alkalizing
Diet
The human body is
composed of various organs and parts, which are made up of tissues and
cells. These tissues and
cells are composed of 16 chemical elements.
The balance or equilibrium of
these chemical elements in the body is an essential factor in the
maintenance of health and
healing of disease. The acid-alkaline balance plays a vital role in this
balanced body chemistry. All
foods, after digestion and absorption leave either an acid or
alkaline ash in the body
depending on their mineral composition. The normal body chemistry is
approximately 20 per cent
acid and 80 per cent alkaline. This is the acid-alkaline balance.
In normal health, the
reaction of the blood is alkaline and that is essential for our physical and
mental well-being. The
preponderence of alkalis in the blood is due to the fact that the products
of the vital combustions
taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. Carbohydrates
and fats form about
nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. IN normal health, this great mass
of material is converted into
carbon dioxide gas and water. Half of the remaining one-tenth fuel is
also con- verted into the
same gas and water. This huge amount of acid is transported by the
blood to the various points
of discharge, mainly the lungs. By virtue of alkalinity, the blood is able
to transport the acid from
the tissues to the discharge points.
Acidosis
Whenever the alkalinity of
the blood is reduced, even slightly, its ability to transport the carbon
dioxide gets reduced. This
results in the accumulation of acid in the tissues. This condition is
known as acidosis or
hypo-alkalinity of the blood. Its symptoms are hunger, indigestion, burning
sensation and pain in the
pharynx, nausea, vomiting, headache, various nervous disorders and
drowsiness. Acidosis is the
breeding ground for most diseases. Nepthritis or Bright’s disease,
rheumatism, premature old
age, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, skin disorders and various
degenerative diseases are
traceable to this condition. It seriously interferes with the functions of
the glands and organs of the
body. It also lowers the vitality of the system, thereby increasing
the danger of infectious
diseases.
The main cause of acidosis or
hypo-alkalinity of the blood is faulty diet, in which too many acid
forming foods have been
consumed. In the normal process of metabolism or converting the food
into energy by the body,.
various acids are formed in the system and in addition, other acids are
introduced in food. Whenever
there is substantial increase in the formation of acids in the
system and these acids are
not properly eliminated through the lungs, the kidneys and the
bowels , the alkalinity of
the blood is reduced, resulting in acidosis.
Other causes of acidosis are
depletion of alkali reserve due to diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera etc.,
accumulation of carbon
dioxide in asphyxia and anoxia as in circulatory and pulmonary diseases
and accumulation of acetone
bodies resulting from starvation, vomiting and diabetes millitus.
Acidosis can be prevented by
maintaining a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the
diet. Certain foods leave
alkaline ash and help in maintaining the alkalinity of the food, while
others leave highly acid ash
and lower the alkali reserve of the blood and tissue fluids to a very
large extent. Eggs do the
same but less strongly than meats.
Cereals of all kinds, including all
sorts of breads are also
acid-forming foods , though much less than meats. All fruits, with
exceptions like plums and
prunes and all green and root vegetables are highly alkaline foods
and help to alkalinize the
blood and other tissue fluids.
Thus , our daily diet should
consist of four-fifth of alkaline-forming foods such as juicy fruits,
tubers, legumes, ripe fruits,
leafy and root vegetables and one fifty of acid-forming foods
containing concentrated
proteins and starches such as meat, fish, bread and cereals. Eating
sensibly in this manner will
ensure the necessary alkalinity of the food which will keep the body
in perfect health.
Whenever a person has
acidosis, the higher the ratio of alkaline forming foods in his diet, the
quicker will be the recovery.
Acids are neutralised by alkalies. It is, therefore, imperative that
persons suffering from
various ailments are given adequate alkaline ash foods to offset the
effects of acid-forming foods
and leave a safe margin of alkalinity.
The most agreeable and
convenient means of alkalizing the blood are citrus fruits and fruit
juices. The alkalizing value
of citrus fruits are due to large percentage of alkaline salts, mainly
potash, which they contain.
Each pint of orange juice contains 12 grains of potassium, one of the
most potent of alkalis. Lemon
juice contains nine grains of the alkali to the pint and grape seven
grains.
Diet in Disease
In the diet during disease,
breakfast may consist of fresh fruits, lunch may comprise raw
vegetables with acid and
sub-acid fruits, and for dinner raw and cooked vegetables, or light
starchy vegetables like beet,
carrot, cauliflower, egg-plant and squashes may be taken. Sweet
fruits may be added to this
diet after seven days.
Foods are classified as
acid-producing or alkaline-producing depending on their reaction on the
urine. Calcium, magnesium,
sodium and potassium present in foods contribute to the alkaline
effect, while sulphur,
phosphorous and chlorine contribute to the acidic effect. Depending on the
pre-dominating constituents
in a particular food, it is classified as acid-forming or
alkaline-forming.
The effect of food stuffs
upon the alkalinity of the blood depends upon their residue which they
leave behind after undergoing
oxidation in the body. It is an error to presume that because a
food tastes acid, it has an
acidic reaction in the blood. For instance, fruits and vegetables have
organic acids in combination
with soda and potash in the form of acid salts. When the acids are
burnt or utilised in the
body, the alkaline soda or potash is left behind. Hence the effect of the
natural fruit acids is to
increase the alkalinity of the blood rather than reduce it.
Based on the above
observations, the following charts show the common foods with acid and
alkaline ash :
A - Foods Leaving An Acid Ash
(One-Fifth Class)
Barley Eggs
Bananas (unripe) Grain Foods
Beans Lentils
Bread Meats
Cereals Nuts except almonds
Cakes Oatmeal
Chicken Peas
Confections Rice
Corn Sugar
Chorolate Sea Foods
Coffee Tea
B - Foods Leaving An Alkaline
Ash
( Four-fifths class )
Almonds Melons
Apples Milk
Apricots Onions
Banana (ripe) Oranges
Beets Parsley
Cabbage Peaches
Carrots Pears
Cauliflower Pineapple
Celery Potatoes
Coconuts Pumpkins
Cottage Cheese Radishes
Cucumbers Raisins
Dates Spinach
Figs ( Fresh and Dry)
Soyabeans
Grapes Tomatoes
Lemons Turnips
Lettuce
