Guillaume Belanger's Reviews > Sick and Tired?: Reclaim Your Inner Terrain

Robert O. Young is a research scientist who after studying the chemistry and biology of through live blood analysis under a high magnification microscope that does not kill bloods cells and constituents, and this for thousands of people over many decades, has come to a single fundamental principle: the body is alkaline by design and acidic by function. This then leads to two universal conclusions about human health and disease: there is only one disease---acidosis, and there is only one cure---an alkaline diet.

The issue at the heart of health and disease conditions is the pH of the blood, and the body's systems work continuously to keep it exactly at its optimal value of 7.365 by all means available. Any excess acidity must be neutralised either using alkalising salts like calcium, magnesium and potassium drawn from the bones if necessary, or stored in soft tissues throughout to body. At the root of all disease conditions are pathogenic microforms such as yeasts, bacteria, viruses and fungi, all of which thrive in acidic but cannot survive in alkaline environments. All cells are pleomorphic: they change their shape, form and function depending on their environment. In an acidic environment, healthy cells metamorphose into pathogenic microforms of various kinds in various stages. In an alkaline environment no pathogenic microform can survive and all cells thrive as healthy cells.

Therefore, to ensure optimal health and resistance to pathogenic microforms, we must ensure that the inner terrain of the body always remains alkaline, and this can only be achieved through the water we drink and the food we eat: we must eliminate acid-forming drinks and foods, and conversely, maximise our intake of alkaline-forming drinks and foods. The most acid-forming are simple sugars and then starches, and therefore all foods containing them. Almost all pathogenic microforms survive---and indeed thrive---on glucose, and in turn produce more acid. Cutting out their supply of glucose ensures their eventual death and disappearance, first from the digestive system where most live, and gradually from the blood, organs where they may have settled, and finally from the entire body. Next in line are animal proteins and then protein in general. Protein should always be eating in relatively small quantities because only a small amount can be used by the metabolism at any time, and accompanied by green vegetables and salads to offset their inevitable acid-forming effect. Finally, raw foods are always more alkalising than cooked foods, so should be eaten in the largest possible quantities in relating to cooked foods.

From these basic guidelines we find that this is, in fact, a ketogenic mostly-vegetarian and can-be-vegan diet (Young says that they eat fish sometimes) where the vast majority of calories come from fat in the form of olive oil, nuts and seeds, and avocados---the only high-fat content and moderate protein fruit that is alkalising, while the bulk of what is eaten consists of vegetables, mostly raw, and especially green and leafy vegetables. This is more or less how we eat except that we consume a lot of coconut milk and oil that I believe to be by far the best source of calories for anyone and everyone, as well as butter, raw cheeses and eggs---all organic, small scale, and of the best quality, of course, but that Young does not recommend, mostly because they are highly acidifying, but also because they are difficult to find in the form of uncontaminated and unadulterated high quality products.

And finally, maybe the most important element of the pH miracle is to drink a lot of alkaline and alkalising pure filtered water and green drinks. A lot means between 3 and 4 litres per day in total. And this is very important to dissolve and eliminate acid from the tissues. I supplement with unrefined sea salt to ensure proper balance of sodium and all other minerals in the blood. The proportion of salt to water is between a half and one teaspoon per litre depending on activity and taste. It is especially important to supplement with salt as eating low-carb tends to stimulate the excretion of sodium. So just eat lots of unrefined sea salt.