So it's 2am last night. My brilliant hubby leaps out of bed with a "brain fart": he thinks my diet is too acid.

I'd had the MixTo facial lasering 3 weeks ago, and am still crawling out of a hole from a severe adverse reaction to the anti-viral drug, Valtrex, that was given to me prior to the treatment.

Now I am plagued with "cankles" (BIG, FAT - not Greek - swollen ankles and feet) and an odd, nasty-looking rash all down my neck and onto the chest. I have been feeling fatigued, and all together, these symptoms could be lymph-related.

But I have also been having far more acidic foods and beverages that I should: pizza with tomato sauce, lemonade, eggs, fresh berries, pineapple, even fish (yes, it's supposedly acid-producing once digested).

I would be curious to know if anyone out there - particularly if you have an auto-immune condition - watches your diet carefully to balance acid with alkaline foods?

I have printed out 4 charts of acid/alkaline foods from various health web sites, and am utterly dismayed to see HUGE disagreement among them as to what foods are to be eaten, and which to be avoided. How am I supposed to sort through all this?

Also, I read an intriguing bit that it isn't the food's initial ph level that counts so much as the "ash" or residue left over AFTER it is digested. So, believe it or not, lemons are considered alkaline-producing fruit! Even tomatoes and grapefruit are considered ok; bananas borderline; blueberries VERY acid-producing.

If anyone has experience or knowledge to share here, I'd be very, very grateful. I am focusing all my positive energy on MONDAY, June 7th, as the END of my odd rash. Dammit I want a date. And I want it done with.

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I Bug U

Hmmmm. Lots of food for thought here, Shaz. First off: my HUGE condolences for your current health condition - which I bet WILL improve dramatically once you get that Candida monster tamed. I think nearly everyone over 50 has a problem with that! And many years ago, when I was in my late 40s, I had a lot of symptoms on the Candida list. That's one of the things that prompted me to do the daily nasal rinse and take my probiotics. I am trying to keep GOOD bugs alive where they are needed (in my gut) and bad bugs OUT (nasal, sinus, etc.,).

For anyone with auto-immune condition, anything that goes in the mouth has to be carefully monitored. It's like the body goes into attack mode, which is triggered by any kind of imbalance of body chemistry. So you manifest your problems in the thyroid and skin (fatigue, rosacea), and I manifest mine in my SKIN, damn skin. It has always been my most troublesome "organ" - and I think the medical community actually classifies skin as the largest human organ now.

Antibiotics are a necessary evil! I could not have clawed my way out of that staph infection on my skin, infected eye and high fever that I had last month without Keflex; but the rise in their use (along with chemotherapy) has lead to outbreaks of drug-resistant Clostridium Difficile bacterium in all hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and yes, I'm even thinking my plastic surgeon's operating/recovery room!

I will be very curious to see the results of major blood work I'm having done in July. And I'm getting so impatient, I'll probably reschedule the app't to sooner, the faster I can get on to treating any problems that crop up. The human body can be remarkably resilient in so many instances (accident, trauma, disease), which is why it just discourages me so NOW as I battle these annoying, incessant health probs I'm having.

I am hoping BarbieGirl will chime in. Good luck to YOU on the upcoming treatment. Explore ALL avenues for your quality of life. There is no price tag that can be put on it.

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I Bug U

OK, this is GREAT! I've printed out a copy and will read it shortly. I had just this morning found out about the connection between foods and our ph level (in saliva and urine). So hubby is off to the pharmacy to buy some ph strips - I GOTTA have a baseline here! I feel like I'm just under siege right inside my own body.

I've seen you mention countless times about your veggie/fruit diet; today that very food pyramid was on the Dr. Oz TV show. He puts dairy at the tiny, tippy top of the pyramid, with fruits and veggies at the bottom.

Other fact I'd learned this morning was how acid-producing RICE is. So I am already changing my dinner menu tonight to snapper, roasted root veggies and a salad. Even potatoes are better than rice - high in potassium and alkaline in nature.

Thanks for that paper Kosmeds! I will have my work cut out for me this afternoon.


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I Bug U

I was just reading an article on the Huffington Post about low acid diets. Evidently, they are also good for naturally building bone. There is a resource for the diet in the book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup, MD
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christiane-northrup/osteoporosis-treatment-a_b_585528.html

I don't know if you can identify common WEEDS but there are some very common WEEDS that are good for the skin. Like curly DOCK, plantain and comfrey. These things are all over the place. Another WEED that's nice to eat (like spinach) is called "Lamb's Quarters" and as you probably know already; dandelion greens. Those also help cleanse the liver. I also mentioned red clover which is also somewhat of a WEED. Lots of WEEDS out there with healing ability.

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Can hardly walk. Need hip replacement.

Hey guys - especially people who know stuff about diets like MissJ and Kosmed -

I have a lot of doctor friends, had them as housemates and also dated a few - and all these dudes eat meat - not a lot of meat - but about three times a week - high quality, low fat meat from Wholefoods (so without hormones or antibiotics) and my surgeon who operated on my meniscus was very upset when I told him I was vegetarian - he said that on every level (skin, bones, joints, glands etc.) the body heals much better when eating meat - so I started eating red meat once or twice a week and I noticed a big change in my vitality levels and my health - I slept better, my skin looked younger, eyes brighter etc. etc. and yes my knee healed - now that I have a foot injury I am thinking of doing a modified kind of Atkins diet - but in no way as extreme as that - I will eat salads, legumes (with a bit of rice) and red meat 3-4 times a week - cutting out extra sugar, bread, pasta, ice cream - lets see what happens -- As an aside I do think people can do as well on vegetarian diets but they have to make sure they get all the amino acids - and even-- then heme iron (which you get from meat)and is very important for the body is missing - I think that we (western folks) don't do as well on vege diets as subcontinent Indians as they have been "programmed" for hundreds of years to be vegetarian and so maybe the cells in their bodies adjust to this variation in diet and compensates for it - I have a few Brahmin Indian friends who are vegetarian and have a legacy of it - like in the year 1100 their ancestors were vegetarian - I think all those years of being vegetarian make it "safe" for them to be vegetarian - but people living in Cambridge,Mass who are vegetarian or even worse vegan - will suffer in the long run from some vitamin deficiency -

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Hotels in Cleveland

Very clean and handy listing of all the main foods here! I appreciate that. And it's easy to use, cuz as your scientific paper points out, the HIGHER the PRAL number, the more I should avoid that item. Parmesan - MAMA! How'm I gonna live without ya?! So curious how things like apple cider vinegar score low.

Figs and raisins. That's what I'm needing now in large quantities! Thanks for sharing.


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I Bug U

I like that idea! I have a fabulous Breville juicer that needs to come on out of the closet and get juicing! Will add fennel and beet to my shopping list today. And red clover tea ... sounds intriguing! Thanks for the tip!


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I Bug U

Bug -

To lose weight, atleast for me - I have to cut out a lot of carbs - which are bread, pasta, icecream sugar - and so if you call that a modified Atkins then so be it - but bottom line it works for me -

Westerners may ostensible look like they don't have a problem with vegetarian diets but somewhere down the line - maybe after 55 or 60 they start to have vitamin deficiencies - JMHO

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Hotels in Cleveland

Yes, you are absolutely right about cutting out a lot of the bread, pasta, ice cream and sugar - so if that's watcha call "modified Atkins" ok! Just as long as you keep the meat, fish, eggs and cheese at NO more than 20-25% of your total food intake, you'd probably have a good, healthy diet.

Now oddly enuf, my mother-in-law, (American as apple pie!) has lived in India since 1949 - on a largely vegetarian diet. She is now almost 85, and has no major health issues (heart, arthritis, other organ prob). Pretty dang remarkable.

But I have also known a few sworn "vegans" and "vegetarians" from their 20s to their 50s. IF they can add sufficient protein and have a balanced intake, they are athletic and healthy. But some have constant colds, are skinny and just never peppy, like their immune system is shot. My guess is that they do not have a balanced diet.

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I Bug U