The Joy of Food: The Alkaline Way Guide Updated for 2008-2009 A guide to healthy living through acid/alkaline balancing, food substitutions, and behavior recommendations Functional lymphocyte response assays (LRA) are able to measure all delayed allergy responses. E L I S y A b / A A C R T L TTyyppee IIIIII:: IImmmmuunnee CCoommpplleexx T L IgG C R TTyyppee IIII:: A A TTyyppee IIVV:: RReeaaccttiivvee / A b TT CCeellll MMeeddiiaatteedd AAnnttiibbooddyy S y IgM I L E E L I y Type 1: IgA S b A Acute (IgE) / A A RAST (IgE) R C L T LRA by ELISA/ACT® is a true cell culture. Comprehensive, ex vivo, functional procedures have been proven in clinical outcome studies to provide superior, sustained improvements and long-term remissions in autoimmune and immune dysfunction conditions. Health Studies Collegium 2 Pidgeon Hill Drive, Suite 410, Sterling, VA 20165 Tel: 800.328.7372 (cid:127) Fax: 703.450.2997 DEDICATION To all those seeking enhanced health The editorial assistance of Jayashree Mani, Victoria Trocki, Michelle Ferris, and Kelly Potter is gratefully acknowledged. The helpful comments of physicians and colleagues, especially Marc and Joan Condren, Norman Schwartz, Beverly Goode, Norton Fishman, Bob Iafalice, and Claire Musickant are also gratefully acknowledged. Alkaline Way and LRA by ELISA/ACT are registered trademarks of RMJ Holdings LLC, 1990-2008. 1 TITLE PAGE The Alkaline Way Introduction - Part 1 Why is being acidic harmful? 5 What is The Alkaline Way and why is it beneficial to me? 5 The Five Principles of The Alkaline Way 8 Meal Suggestions for Eating The Alkaline Way 10 The Significance of Your First Morning Urine pH 12 Guidelines for Developing Your Alkaline Diet 13 Food and Chemical Effects on Acid/Alkaline Body Chemical Balance 14 The Importance of an Alkaline Diet 15 Appendices Appendix 1: Liquids-Only Nutrient Sufficiency Plan 16 Appendix 2: Reactant-Free and Organic Food Mail Order Resources 19 Appendix 3: Sulfite-Containing Foods (from FDA) 21 Appendix 4: Food Combining for Better Digestion 22 Appendix 5: Suggestions for Yeast/Mold Hypersensitivity 23 Appendix 6: Photobiology: Trigger of Brain Rhythms 24 Appendix 7: Low-Temperature Saunas 25 Appendix 8: Distress Busting: Central Health Promoting Actions 26 Appendix 9: Ascorbate (Vitamin C) Calibration 27 Appendix 10: Developing an Alkaline Diet 33 The Alkaline Way Program - Part 2 Wheat-free Eating Plan 35 Gluten-free Eating Plan 39 Corn-free Eating Plan 41 Dairy-free Eating Plan 43 Yeast-free Eating Plan 48 Egg-free Eating Plan 50 Alternatives to Soy 52 Alternatives to Sugar 52 Alternatives to Hydrogenated Oil 53 Healthful Enhancements 54 Notes 56 2 WELCOME An Introduction to The Joy of Food: The Alkaline Way Guide This comprehensive handbook has been designed to introduce the basic concepts of a valuable health restoration program called The Alkaline Way. The purpose of this handbook is to explain the various steps of alkalinizing your diet and to help you understand the important benefits of eating The Alkaline Way, why being acidic is harmful to your body, and what foods alkalinize the body more than others. Certain behavioral practices and lifestyle changes can significantly influence your health as much, if not more than, the food you eat. In The Alkaline Way handbook, you will find valuable information and protocols to help you successfully implement and maintain these proven practices and ultimately achieve optimum health. In addition, The Alkaline Way handbook is a quick and easy reference for healthy recipes, interesting diet options, and recommended food sources, which is very helpful and convenient for people with special dietary restrictions like gluten-free, corn-free and dairy-free eating. We hope The Alkaline Way handbook is a helpful and informative resource as you start on your journey to better health. 3 Part 1: The Alkaline Way Introduction First Morning Urine pH After Rest Excess acid Healthy Catabolic wears Repair / illness tears you out Restore you down Zone 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 Acidic pH Neutral pH Alkaline pH Dietary choice and delayed allergies are keys to your cellular chemistry's balance. Resistant ill health occurs when healthy chemical balance is lost. This guide can be key to bringing 4 you back to health and chemical balance. The Standard American Diet results in excess acid production when all the food has been broken down. What does this mean? Excessive acid may be produced in the body when: (cid:127) Your eating choices are too high in fat, protein, and simple sugars. When your body metabolizes fat, protein, and simple sugars, acid products remain. To reduce the acid burden, the body links these excess acids with alkaline minerals (like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and others) and excretes them. Over time, this can deplete the body of needed minerals and lead to a build-up of excess acids in your cells. This reduces the efficiency and effectiveness of your cells and tissues. (cid:127) Your body is constantly being exposed to foreign elements by way of infection, pollution, and improper digestion. This burdens the immune system. When the burden exceeds the body’s reserves, a continuous state of distress can emerge. As a consequence, the chemical messengers of distress (such as cortisol, Y adrenaline, and insulin) increase. The physiological response to these distress messengers is acid A enhancing, thus increasing the total acid load the body has to handle. W Why is being acidic harmful? (cid:127) With an excess acid load, the delicate machinery of your body does not work very well. This cellular E machinery is delicately balanced to work best within a narrow, slightly alkaline range (pH: 7.35 - 7.55). N I (cid:127) The efficiency of energy production in the cells is reduced with even slight excess of cell acid. This L induces loss of resilience and repair mechanisms, and you become more susceptible to fatigue, illness, A and pain. While your body tries to remove excess acid, critical minerals are lost as well. These K L minerals protect your kidneys, bladder, and ureter from acid damage. A What is The Alkaline Way, and why is it beneficial to me? (cid:127) The internal environment of your body is maintained at a pH between 6.5 - 7.5, which is alkaline. For E necessary cell reactions and functions to occur, our body must maintain this appropriate pH. While your H body can regulate pH, there is a limit to how much it can neutralize. Excess acids can accumulate from T one or more of the following conditions: 1. Acid-forming diet 2. Distress 3. Toxins (or their metabolites) that are acidic 4. Immune reactions (cid:127) The Alkaline Way is a program based on foods that are predominantly alkaline forming. This directly neutralizes excess metabolic acids and makes it possible to maintain sustained health and immune competence. (cid:127) Over time, eating The Alkaline Way can help restore your digestive and immune system competence so that it is possible to lose your sensitivities. You become tolerant to, and can once again eat safely, the items to which your body had previously reacted. 5 * pH is the chemical measure of an acid or alkaline (buffered) state. Going The Alkaline Way means to: (cid:127) Choose fresh, whole foods with certified organic and biodynamic being best choices. Examples are provided on the next page. Resources are provided in Appendix 2. (cid:127) Eat a wide variety of foods. Many Americans eat a limited variety of foods. A wider choice of foods is more interesting and helps to stimulate recovery. Rotation of foods may be advised by your physician, especially to help relieve a weakened digestive system. (cid:127) Drink lots of pure water. This will rapidly excrete soluble wastes rather than allowing them to accumulate in your body. (cid:127) Build your alkaline mineral reserves. This enhances energy production, efficient protein production, and tissue repair. Y A W E N I L A K L A E H T 6 ACID / ALKALINE FOODS* Alkaline Forming Acid Forming Fruit (Most) Meat Vegetables (Most) Fish Lentils (Pulses) Poultry Y A Spices Eggs W Herbs and Seasonings Grains* E N Seeds and Nuts Legumes (peas and beans) I L A For Health Restoration, it is recommended that your eating pattern be as shown below: K L A 80% of diet Alkaline-forming foods E 20% of diet H Acid-forming foods T For Health Maintenance, it is recommended that your eating pattern be as shown below: >60% of diet Alkaline-forming foods <40% of diet Acid-forming foods *Please refer to the chart on page 14 entitled, Food and Chemical Effects on Acid/Alkaline Body Chemical Balance, for more details. 7 The Five Principles of The Alkaline Way are explained below: 1. Eat high-quality, whole (preferably, organically grown) foods that serve as your fuel for life. We encourage you to eat what we call “lively foods,” which include fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, lightly toasted nuts and seeds, lightly steamed vegetables, sprouts of grains and beans, freshly-squeezed fruit, and vegetable juices. These foods retain active enzymes and other factors that enhance your digestion. These contain the largest fraction of delicate health factors that can be destroyed by too much heat or over-cooking. Goal: Eat an abundance of lively foods. 2. Restore health by eating 80% of your foods from alkaline sources; maintain health by eating 60% of your foods from alkaline sources. Looking at the Acid/Alkaline chart on page 14, you are encouraged to choose the majority of foods from the left-hand side (the alkalinizing foods). You will then be eating a wide variety of vital foods like Y vegetables, fruits, seeds, selected grains, and lentils. Eating this way makes your efforts more effective. A Goal: Eat well and amply from the healthy balance of your non-reactive foods. W 3. Make use of a wide variety of foods since each food has its own special qualities. Eating the same foods repeatedly limits nutrient intake. It also enhances the likelihood of becoming reactive to those foods if your digestion is distressed. Most overweight people lose weight effortlessly (even if they eat E N more calories) and enhance metabolism when they substitute for their reactors and eat The Alkaline Way. Since correcting body chemistry enhances protein synthesis and repair, many underweight people gain weight and I L lean body mass while on this program. A Goal: Consume as wide a variety of foods as possible. K L 4. Establish dietary balance as outlined below. A (cid:127) Carbohydrates (“carbs”): Unless your health practitioner instructs you differently, your Alkaline Way eating plan should be rich in complex carbohydrates from vegetables, beans, lentils, seasonings, spices, herbs, nuts, and seeds. E (cid:127) Protein: Eating The Alkaline Way will also ensure an adequate protein intake of approximately 50 to 60 H grams per day. Your requirements for high-quality protein may be higher if you have some specific T healing needs. Sources of protein may include organic eggs and deep and cold water fish like mackerel, sardines, tuna, and salmon. The complementary proteins found in mixed grain-legume (bean) or dairy- grain combinations can also give you high-quality protein. (cid:127) Fat: For The Alkaline Way dietary balance, an appropriate fat intake is necessary. The kind and amount are the critical features. As a nation, we consume as much as over 40% of all calories from fat. Half that amount is far healthier, tastier, reduces chronic disease risks, and is just as satisfying when eaten as suggested in this guide. However, many of us do not eat enough essential fatty acids (those necessary for health that our bodies cannot make). Goal: Enhance essential good fat intake. 8