The Acid-Alkaline Food Guide: A Quick Reference to Foods & Their Effect on pH Levels (Paperback)

by Susan E. Brown (Author), Larry Trivieri Jr. (Author)
Key Phrases: alkalizing foods, acidifying foods, alkalizing effects, The Acid-Alkaline Food Guide, Listing of Basic Foods, The Consequences of Acid-Alkaline Imbalance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Over the last five years, there has been an explosion of bestselling acid/alkaline based diets. These have ranged from weight loss to diabetes management. While hundreds of thousands of people have gone on this diet that balances the pH level of your body, they have had to put up with the limited food guides contained in each book. Now, health experts Dr. Susan Brown and Larry Trivieri have created a complete resource for people wanting to widen their food choices. The Acid/Alkaline Food Guide offers dieters an easy-to-follow guide to the most common foods that influence your body’s pH levels.

The book begins by explaining what the acid/alkaline of your body has to do with the acid/alkaline influence of foods. It then explains how the pH of foods, once eaten, may change in your body—as citric acid fruits, once digested, become alkaline. As complicated as this process is, the authors provide the guidelines for the analysis of the foods covered in the book. This section is then followed by a listing of thousands of foods and their acid/alkaline ranges. Included are insets and groups that can help the reader better direct their food searches.

This is the first complete acid/alkaline food guide to include today’s modern diet. It will quickly become the first resource to turn to when preparing meals or ordering food.

About the Author
Susan E. Brown, Ph.D., CCN is a medical anthropologist and New York State Certified Nutritionist. Dr. Brown is a clinician, researcher and author. She has over twenty years experience in clinical nutrition, bone health research and lay and health professional education. Susan E. Brown directs the Osteoporosis Education Project, non-profit Corporation, and the Nutrition Education and Consulting Service. Both organizations are located in East Syracuse, New York.

Larry Trivieri, Jr. is a leading writer and editor in the field of holistic and alternative medicine. He is the founder and publisher of 1HealthyWorld, as well as its online weekly publication, The Health Plus Letter. Trivieri served as editor and principal writer of the landmark volume, Alternative Medicine. In addition, he is also the author of Health on the Edge (Tarcher/Putnam, Jan, 2004), The American Holistic Medical Association Guide to Holistic Health (John Wiley & Sons, Spring, 2001), and co-author of The Complete Self-Care Guide to Holistic Medicine (Tarcher/Putnam, Fall, 1999).

Product Details

• Paperback: 194 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers; 1 edition (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757002803
• ISBN-13: 978-0757002809
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

216 of 221 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource, January 9, 2007

By	James H. Beauchamp "James Beauchamp" (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gives a concise description of what pH balance is, how it affects your health, and the possible consequences of not keeping ones system "in balance". pH means "potential for hydrogen", a term used in chemistry, which indicates whether a solution, fluid or compound is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. pH can be measured in our bodies by testing saliva and urine or blood (pH strips are available for the first 2 tests), and if we have a heavy concentration of hydrogen in our systems, we are "acid based". The scale goes from 0 to 14; to be healthy, we should have slightly alkaline, oxygen-rich arterial blood (7.365 to 7.45 is ideal) - a reading of 7.0 is neutral.

Oxygen rich systems (alkaline based) neutralize formation of acids which might prove to be harmful. To help us stay in the neutral zone, our bodies use calcium and protein from bones, and possibly other places, to pump more alkaline to our systems in order to neutralize formation of acids, so as to keep us in balance. After the passage of time, if we fail to keep our systems in balance, and we become acid based, our bone formation will be reduced, calcium will be lost in our urine (leading to kidney stone formation), proteins will breakdown causing our muscles to waste away, our systems will be unable to repair cells, tissues and organs fully, our systems will age at an accelerated pace, more free radicals will be produced, we will be subject to increased fluid retention, and so forth.

The American diet is centered around foods that create acid-base systems. Dr. Brown lists about 70 pages of foods we eat, and rates them according to whether the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming. The first time I read through the list, I determined that I could not eat any food without running the risk of forming more acids in my system. To remedy this, Dr. Brown suggest that we eat more dark green vegetables than any other food group. She doesn't require me to give up meat or eggs or nuts, so long as 2/3rd of my plate contains foods that are alkaline-forming (such as kale, collard greens, mustard greens, asparagus, snap green beans, etc.).

Dr. Brown explains the basis for her conclusions. Our bodies have 3 methods of getting rid of unwanted "poisons", or acid forming chemicals, all of which are filtered through our bodies:

First, our lungs supply our bodies with much needed oxygen (as we breathe in), and dispel (exhale) carbon dioxide (the "burned" waste from our system - an inference might be made that aerobic exercise helps cleanse our system, because it requires lots of heavy breathing, which gives us a double dose of oxygen; in turn the CO2 expels the oxidized stuff we don't need);

Second, our kidneys filter unwanted sugars, and other waste products which we don't need (we rid our systems through urine - a preventative measure we can take is to drink lots of pure, and hopefully ionized or ozone rich water, which will keep our kidneys healthy, as well as supply needed oxygen to our systems); and

Third, our skin filters out other things, through our perspiration (which is also produced through exercise).

With the information in this book, we will understand the importance of pH balance, have a list of foods and corresponding indicators as to whether the foods produce acid or alkaline with our systems, and gain a better appreciate of the components of good health.

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear & Excellent, August 30, 2007

By	HolisticOne (California) - See all my reviews

This little book is nearly perfect. Starts with 75 pages of theory & then 100 pages of tables of foods. It is short enough to be immediately useful, scientific enough to please fussy me, and complete enough to make me wish I hadn't read "The pH Miracle" (the pH Miracle fails on being scientific).

Not too hot, not too cold; just right!

57 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars dissapointed, November 27, 2007

By	guineapig (sf, ca) - See all my reviews

ok, first off, im not dissing the system. im a big believer in the acid/alkaline balance and its relation to health. my beef with this book, is that besides being terribly organized(charts are redundant, and no actual ph numbers are given), theres some information thats actually incorrect: every other book ive read and chart ive looked at has listed figs as one of the most alkaline foods out there, yet the authors list it in the acid catagory. as well, millet, which is generally considdered the only alkaline grain, they have listed once again in the acid catagory. i just got the book the other day, and i really havent had a chance to go thru it very thoroughly, but if a basic perusal turns up these two glaring errors, it makes me not trust any of the information contained within. i guess ill just have to stick to cross referencing websites, and make my own chart...