By Barbara Lockwood

Years ago when I was doing all that I could to support my body with alkaline food and ionic water I thought that I was succeeding and as I felt good, I thought that it was the end of the matter. I went to a Health Seminar and found that a photo if my iris showed up large amounts of acidity in my body (low pH). So in spite of my expensive ionic water machine, my diet and a range of superior supplements I was acidic.

I had purchased a pH chart using the work of Dr Baroody “Alkalize or Die” fame and tried to follow that when choosing my meals. The chart shows how to choose balanced meals and goes a long way towards establishing a healthy eating style and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a simple way to check the alkaline/acid value of the food they plan to eat at any given meal. It recommends an 80/20 food combination, sets out intelligent goals and is invaluable to anyone establishing good dietary habits. Details on how to order are at the bottom of the page.

Many of the foods we think are good for us are in fact quite acidic.

People swear that prunes eaten every day are good for digestion and bowel movements, yet when we look at the acid/alkaline food chart we find that prunes contain acid forming benzoic and quinic acids. Prunes may help somewhat in moving fecal matter but in the overall picture they create an acidic environment which leads to bad digestion which is not conducive to healthy evacuation.

Here is another pet theory that we feel good about.

Brown sugar: we think that it is much better for us than white sugar and it possibly has the benefit of not having been bleached but on the scale of acid forming foods it is high. Avoid all sugar like poison, because that is what it is to your body. Artificial sweeteners and are the very worst items to take in. I can’t even classify them as food. They contain cancer forming agents. Don’t go near them. In the pasts nursing mothers were recommended molasses to stimulate breast milk production and supply Vitamins. Molasses un-sulphured and organic is full of iron but fairly acid forming so a little goes a long way. Cheese, mild and crumbly is mucus forming while cranberries contain, like prunes and plums, those acid forming benzoic and quinic acids. Moderation in all things is the key word to health.

Here is a criterion the chart uses to rate food as either alkaline or acid.

It starts at pH 4.0 as neutral and works up to pH 7.5 as the optimal level and down the scale at 0.5 as extremely acid forming.

The Neutral Zone

We have butter, cream fresh and raw, oils (except olive) whey, yoghurt and cow’s milk and margarine all in the neutral zone. (Personally I don’t eat margarine) Here are a few more foods that may startle you. Lamb, pork, goat & beef at 1.0 (actually all meat is acidic so that is not such a surprise) though chicken rates less at 1.5 and so does turkey deer and rabbit. It may also shock you to learn that wheat germ, oats, buckwheat and tapioca, along with potatoes, basmati rice and brown rice come in at 2.5. Lentils are a disappointment at 3.0 and amazingly sunflower seeds have the same acidic value.

The Alkaline Zone

Moving along to the alkaline side of the chart there is great misunderstanding about the imagined acidity of citrus fruits. People who will avoid a lemon because they think it is acidic. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is the most alkaline of foods. The next in line is watermelon which seems to make no sense at all when you compare it to lemon on the alkaline scale. Watermelon even feels alkaline where lemons certainly don’t. But lemons become alkaline in the body and a warm glass of water with the juice of half a lemon first thing in the morning will do much to enhance your system. It can also be taken if there is mild digestive distress after a meal. Alkaline foods are mostly vegetables and fruit (with some exceptions) and best eaten fresh and ripe.

Avoid Excess Acid Waste

The most important thing in keeping your body in a state of alkaline/acid balance is to avoid excess acid waste. It is the cause of many ailments. If your diet is composed of largely meats, fish, cheese, breads, white flour foods, white sugar foods, greasy take-aways, chocolate, coffee, wine, beer and cigarettes you may suffer from acidic complaints. Once your body is in this state it takes months if not years of diet and alkaline water to correct the condition.

New Faster Balance is Possible

What is becoming more apparent as we learn more about our bodies is that an overload of not only acidic food but heavy metals and chemical toxins contribute to this acidic state. We have found that removing heavy metals using a gentle chelating agent, Activated Liquid Zeolite brings the body into alkaline/acid balance much more quickly than anticipated. A person may have worked for years, using all types of detox methods and cleanses to restore the alkaline/acid balance. It is now much simpler to get the same or better results in a much shorter time. A few drops taken three times a day in water moves the body from highly acidic to alkaline in a few short weeks in most cases. It is safe, gentle and suitable for all ages and can be tested for efficacy by using a heavy metal test before and after the detox.

The author of this article is Barbara Lockwood, a Bowen Therapies Practitioner and Holistic and Nutritional Supplements Advocate. Barbara has helped herself to escape the unpleasant prognosis of a wheel chair bound life to enjoy vibrant health end energy and likes helping others to have better health. To find out more regarding the Activated Liquid Zeolite or to order the alkaline/acid food chart or heavy metal test kit call 0402 204942 or got to www.barbshealthshop.com , Email: Zeolitequeen@optusnet.com.au