Invaluable for people with sensitive systems !

I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue some years ago, and I have been suffering from bad digestive problems, insomnia and various other ailments for a long time.
This book has made a huge difference to my life. I came to it thinking I knew quite a lot about diet and nutrition, but it has opened my eyes. Most importantly, it has made me understand why some "healthy" foods that many nutritionists insist are "really good for you" make me feel unwell.
Of course asparagus, onions and garlic are "really good" for many people, but sadly they're not good for me. I feel unwell when I eat them, and Vasey is the first person who has given me an explanation that feels right: they are sulfurous vegetables, and sulfur being an acid, they can be hard to handle for a system that's become as weak and sensitized to acids as mine.
There were many other revelations. You come across so much conflicting advice, sometimes it's hard to know what to believe. Some people tell you to eat lots of fruit "because they're alkalizing". Others, like Young, tell you not to eat them "because of the sugar". Who do you believe ? Well, neither advice made sense to me because my own experience was different. How could fruit be alkalizing when I felt so unwell after eating most of them ? Yet how could it be because of the sugar since I was doing well on "sugary" bananas ?
Again, it is Vasey who has given me the answers: for some people fruit are alkalizing, for others they are acidifying. It depends on the person. Some people's systems aren't able to metabolize fruit acids, and therefore eating fruit can acidify them even more, but since the banana's acid content is too weak to cause acidification it is usually well tolerated by them. I believe Vasey is right because of personal experience. Tomatoes, too, make me feel unwell, and he confirms that they're very acidic. The list goes on.
In fact, this book has been one long confirmation of my "gut feeling". What a relief to finally find someone who's spelling out what my body has been telling me for years ! I just wish I'd listened to it sooner. Vasey is a godsend, and I believe he really knows what he's talking about.
So I'm puzzled by some of the other reviews here. One reader even claims that Vasey says soy is alkaline. Did we read the same book ? Vasey in fact says soy is a potent acidifier, it only becomes alkalizing if it is sprouted. It is Young who champions soy, not Vasey.

The supplement section in this book is indeed useless. The author is Swiss, and there is a tradition of taking alkalizing powders in continental Europe, where you can find them quite easily in the shops. It's not so easy here. I did try the mail order addresses mentioned, but the products didn't work for me. I even wonder how much Vasey actually had to do with the mail order addresses for the American edition of his book, as he would never have approved of some of the products on offer there. He would never have approved of a product that includes lots of phosphorus, for example, as it's simply too acidic for a sensitive system to cope with. So yes, this section is a weak point. It's not that big a deal, though. We have excellent calcium/magnesium citrate supplements in the shops here, and they do the trick for me.
It's also true that this book doesn't give you detailed eating plans and recipes the way some books do. What it does give you is a lot of invaluable information. Vasey understands that there will never be a "one size fits all" diet that works for everyone. Every'body' is different, and ultimately you have to find out for yourself what works for you. Nobody can do that for you.
Of course not everything in this book will be right for you, I don't eat dairy, for example. But Vasey has given me the information and confidence I needed to work out the right diet for ME.
The most important thing of all: listen to your body !

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Didn't Al Kaline Play For Detroit?

The book is dry without miraculous cures or backbiting scandals - Vasey defines pH & proceeds to qualify almost every food as alkaline or acidic (although their translated variations become alkalinizing & acidifying??) - He further quantifies the same as slightly, mild, or strong. Apart from food selection, he mentions alkaline salts to remove excess acid.

Some of Vasey's information contradicts earlier texts - For example, he claims millet is the most acidic grain, whereas every other book I've read speaks of millet as the most mucusless,alkaline grain (along with buckwheat). Who knows who is right?

There is enough new information to recommend this book, just don't expect to be dazzled - I originally encountered Vasey via his website & product line of alkaline supplements which are excellent...

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useless

I bought this book because I have Interstitial Cystitis and am supposed to cut acid foods out of my diet and still get enough vitamins. I need to better understand acid and acidifying foods, and find alkalinizing foods and recipes. What I got was useless information with no scientific evidence as far as I can tell from someone with a definite agenda.

***I can sum up the entire book for you right here: Every ailment you have, from joint pain, to fatigue, to anxiety is caused because you eat too many acidic and acidifying foods. The solution is to eat only certain colored vegetables. Eggs, meats, fruit, rice, bread, refined sugars and any beverage other than mint tea is a no-no on your diet because they produce acid-of course there is no evidence presented for this.***

This is also a very dry read; he repeats himself several times. I felt like I was in a special ed. class. Much of the information contradicts what my doctor and nutritionist told me. For example, he says soy is an alkaline food, but I know for a fact it is an acid food. When you are on a diet like this you need nutrician which includes red meat for vitamin c and eggs, a very safe PH food, for many essential nutrients. He labels these foods as acid and acidifying. I recommend finding another book for information. This was a waste of $10.

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