216 conclusion
foods is the cause of degenerative disease is disproven by the fact that
tribal cultures whose dietary staple is grain—widely considered to be
acidic because of its high level of phosphorous—are generally healthy
and long-lived.
In fact, the real problem with domesticated grains is that, introduced
into the diet at a fairly recent date in human history, not everyone’s
digestive system has had time to adapt to them.
When we eat a form of protein that our digestive system can’t han-
dle, it ends up as undigested acid waste. Acid waste creates an acid-
alkaline imbalance by increasing blood levels of stress-related hormones
such as cortisol and estrogen.
Balancing organ function and avoiding degenerative disease depends
upon generating as little acidic waste as possible. The fi rst priority is to
avoid misconceptions as to what constitutes a healthy diet. Before the
1960s, when the cholesterol mania began, planning a diet around a
“balanced” meal—protein, carbohydrates, and fat—was the gospel
preached by the medical establishment. This credo not only fooled the
public into assuming that a standardized diet was good for everyone, it
also ignored the fact that refi ned fl our and sugar and canned, over-
cooked food, all part of this so-called balanced diet, had very little
nutritional value.
The diet of the hunter-forager, a way of life now practically extinct,
was the ideal. Eating animals and plants that grew wild in nature, much
of it raw or, in the case of meat and fi sh, barely singed over a wood-
burning fi re, provided enough enzymes to convert the exact amount of
digested food molecules needed for the repair and rebuilding of the
body’s cells, and no more. This guaranteed a slim and healthy body.
But emulating the diet of the hunter to the extent that it is possible
in today’s world is only part of the answer. The other part is fi nding
foods that your body can handle. Testing yourself to fi nd out what
types of protein and vegetables you should eat and, when necessary,
testing for food allergies is a good start, but awareness of how your
body reacts to the foods you eat is even more important. The key to
good health is to keep track of the foods you ate before you began to
feel unwell and avoid them in the future. Only then can you be sure
that your body is not producing too much acidic waste—the cause of all
degenerative disease.