Naturopathy : 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 Cakes Oatmeal | Chicken Peas Confections Rice Corn Sugar Chorolate Sea Foods Coffee Tea Nuts except almonds |
| 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 Coconuts Celery | Pumpkins Cottage Cheese Radishes Cucumbers Raisins Dates Spinach Figs ( Fresh and Dry) Soyabeans Grapes Tomatoes Lemons Turnips Lettuce Pineapple Potatoes |
