For those people facing health challenges who have tried everything to gain relief, this book may contain a great solution. Robert O. Young, a microbiologist and nutritionist, brings forth a most interesting concept. He calls it the “new biology.” Dr. Young puts forth his theory that our illnesses need not be separated into classic disease categories. Those of us who are sick suffer from one disease: overacidity. Our blood’s normal pH is 7.365 on the pH scale. That is just slightly alkaline. When our blood becomes too acidic, it falls below 7 on the pH scale. Our bodies then try to get rid of the acid through normal means of excretion. When we become too acidic, our bodies are unable to remove the excess acid, so they store acid in fat tissues. Thus, Dr. Young brings forth his theory that we are not overweight, but overacidic. The solution? We can bring our bodies into the normal alkaline range by eating a diet high in alkaline foods such as green, yellow, and red vegetables. Included would be spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and the like. Also included would be sprouts and grasses. The best way to eat these foods is either raw or juiced. Dr. Young describes an energizing “green drink,” which you can either make as a juice or purchase as a powder to dissolve in water. Going organic on this diet is important, as is superhydrating our bodies with lots of water--at least 3-4 liters of pure, alkalinized water per day. When on this diet, our bodies are fueled by good fats, oils such as olive, flax, or borage oil, or a blend of several oils. Omega 3’s for brain health are also included. Good fats reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol as well, so we get several benefits from eating them. Since it takes alkaline materials 7 times the amount of acid to become neutral, just adding alkaline foods to our diet is only part of the solution. We must also eliminate acidic foods from our diets. Acidic foods include all meats, though small amounts of fish are allowed, bad fats such as hydrogenated oils, and all sugars or foods that convert to sugar easily (examples would be white rice or pasta).
Basically, the all-American diet. Fast food is out, and ice cream is the kiss of death. But you can eat at restaurants by choosing alkaline foods such as salads and vegetable based soups. Included throughout the book are personal stories of people who made this life style change and have improved their health and energy. These people suffered from fatigue, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and any number of ailments and now feel refreshed and healed. The last section of the book contains many recipes created by the doctor’s wife Shelley and himself, as well as by people who were on the diet. They range from healthy snacks to dinner’s main course and even desert. Dr. Young is quick to point out that this really is not a diet, but a life style change, and if you go back to eating acidic foods, the health benefits go away. However, people who have made the change feel that the longer they stick with it, the easier it gets. Also, it’s important to transition into this life style slowly, to give your body time to adjust. Dr. Young’s theories are certainly revolutionary, especially from the perspective of traditional medicine. Also, I have only touched the surface. There is much more information in the book than can be covered here. Several theories regarding how our blood changes are quite extraordinary. For people who take a holistic approach to their health, or for people who really want to change the way they feel, this life style change really is doable.