A Complete Handbook Of Nature Cure by H.K.

Bakhru
Miracles Of Alkalizing Diet

The human body is composed of various organs and parts, which are made up of tissues and cells.
These tissues and cells are composed of 16 chemical elements.
The balance or equilibrium of these chemical elements in the body is an essential factor in the
maintenance of health and healing of disease. The acid-alkaline balance plays a vital role in this
balanced body chemistry. All foods, after digestion and absorption leave either an acid or alkaline
ash in the body depending on their mineral composition. The normal body chemistry is
approximately 20 per cent acid and 80 per cent alkaline. This is the acid-alkaline balance.
In normal health, the reaction of the blood is alkaline and that is essential for our physical and
mental well-being. The preponderence of alkalis in the blood is due to the fact that the products of
the vital combustions taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. Carbohydrates and fats
form about nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. IN normal health, this great mass of material
is converted into carbon dioxide gas and water. Half of the remaining one-tenth fuel is also converted into the same gas and water. This huge amount of acid is transported by the blood to the
various points of discharge, mainly the lungs. By virtue of alkalinity, the blood is able to transport
the acid from the tissues to the discharge points.
Acidosis
Whenever the alkalinity of the blood is reduced, even slightly, its ability to transport the carbon
dioxide gets reduced. This results in the accumulation of acid in the tissues. This condition is known
as acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood. Its symptoms are hunger, indigestion, burning sensation
and pain in the pharynx, nausea, vomiting, headache, various nervous disorders and drowsiness.
Acidosis is the breeding ground for most diseases. Nepthritis or Brights disease, rheumatism,
premature old age, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, skin disorders and various degenerative
diseases are traceable to this condition. It seriously interferes with the functions of the glands and
organs of the body. It also lowers the vitality of the system, thereby increasing the danger of
infectious diseases.
The main cause of acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood is faulty diet, in which too many acid
forming foods have been consumed. In the normal process of metabolism or converting the food
into energy by the body,. various acids are formed in the system and in addition, other acids are
introduced in food. Whenever there is substantial increase in the formation of acids in the system
and these acids are not properly eliminated through the lungs, the kidneys and the bowels , the
alkalinity of the blood is reduced, resulting in acidosis.
Other causes of acidosis are depletion of alkali reserve due to diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera etc.,
accumulation of carbon dioxide in asphyxia and anoxia as in circulatory and pulmonary diseases and
accumulation of acetone bodies resulting from starvation, vomiting and diabetes millitus.
Acidosis can be prevented by maintaining a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the diet.
Certain foods leave alkaline ash and help in maintaining the alkalinity of the food, while others leave
highly acid ash and lower the alkali reserve of the blood and tissue fluids to a very large extent.
Eggs do the same but less strongly than meats. Cereals of all kinds, including all sorts of breads are
also acid-forming foods , though much less than meats. All fruits, with exceptions like plums and
prunes and all green and root vegetables are highly alkaline foods and help to alkalinize the blood
and other tissue fluids.

Thus , our daily diet should consist of four-fifth of alkaline-forming foods such as juicy fruits, tubers,
legumes, ripe fruits, leafy and root vegetables and one fifty of acid-forming foods containing
concentrated proteins and starches such as meat, fish, bread and cereals. Eating sensibly in this
manner will ensure the necessary alkalinity of the food which will keep the body in perfect health.
Whenever a person has acidosis, the higher the ratio of alkaline forming foods in his diet, the
quicker will be the recovery. Acids are neutralised by alkalies. It is, therefore, imperative that
persons suffering from various ailments are given adequate alkaline ash foods to offset the effects
of acid-forming foods and leave a safe margin of alkalinity.
The most agreeable and convenient means of alkalizing the blood are citrus fruits and fruit juices.
The alkalizing value of citrus fruits are due to large percentage of alkaline salts, mainly potash,
which they contain. Each pint of orange juice contains 12 grains of potassium, one of the most
potent of alkalis. Lemon juice contains nine grains of the alkali to the pint and grape seven grains.
Diet in Disease
In the diet during disease, breakfast may consist of fresh fruits, lunch may comprise raw vegetables
with acid and sub-acid fruits, and for dinner raw and cooked vegetables, or light starchy vegetables
like beet, carrot, cauliflower, egg-plant and squashes may be taken. Sweet fruits may be added to
this diet after seven days.
Foods are classified as acid-producing or alkaline-producing depending on their reaction on the
urine. Calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium present in foods contribute to the alkaline effect,
while sulphur, phosphorous and chlorine contribute to the acidic effect. Depending on the predominating constituents in a particular food, it is classified as acid-forming or alkaline-forming.
The effect of food stuffs upon the alkalinity of the blood depends upon their residue which they
leave behind after undergoing oxidation in the body. It is an error to presume that because a food
tastes acid, it has an acidic reaction in the blood. For instance, fruits and vegetables have organic
acids in combination with soda and potash in the form of acid salts. When the acids are burnt or
utilised in the body, the alkaline soda or potash is left behind. Hence the effect of the natural fruit
acids is to increase the alkalinity of the blood rather than reduce it.
Based on the above observations, the following charts show the common foods with acid and
alkaline ash :
A - Foods Leaving An Acid Ash
(One-Fifth Class)
Barley

Eggs

Bananas (unripe)

Grain Foods

Beans

Lentils

Bread

Meats

Cereals

Nuts except almonds

Cakes

Oatmeal

Chicken

Peas

Confections

Rice

Corn

Sugar

Chorolate

Sea Foods

Coffee

Tea

B - Foods Leaving An Alkaline Ash

( Four-fifths class )
Almonds

Melons

Apples

Milk

Apricots

Onions

Banana (ripe)

Oranges

Beets

Parsley

Cabbage

Peaches

Carrots

Pears

Cauliflower

Pineapple

Celery

Potatoes

Coconuts

Pumpkins

Cottage Cheese

Radishes

Cucumbers

Raisins

Dates

Spinach

Figs ( Fresh and Dry)

Soyabeans

Grapes

Tomatoes

Lemons

Turnips

Lettuce

This page will provide you with: interesting facts about healthy eating including chemicals in
food, pesticides in fruit, pesticides in vegetables, food additives, acidic and alkaline diet, eating
organic, alternatives to organic foods and
***4 Healthy Eating Tips you need to know to enjoy good health.
What's wrong with the average diet?
Eat Certified Organic/Bio dynamic Food
Use of pesticides in agritculture
Level of pesticides in fruit and vegetables / chemicals in food
Alternatives to buying organic / minimise exposure to chemicals in food
Maintaining the pH balance
Food Additives
What's wrong with the average diet?
Today it is common to eat foods that are highly processed with minimal nutritional content,
containing many artificial colourings, flavourings and pesticide residues. In fact many foods
today have been so highly processed that vitamins and minerals need to be added back to the
food after the processing has removed them. Fortification of food is a very common practice,
with most breads, cereals, milks and other foods containing added vitamins and minerals.

The typical diet has

Too Much Fat

Too Much Protein
An excess of Refined Carbohydrates
A lack of Fibre
An Acid/Alkali Imbalance
Food Additives and Pesticide Residues 1

All of these can result in serious health problems.

A review article in the British Medical journal (December 1998), Diet and the Prevention of
Cancer', stated that up to 80% of bowel cancer and breast cancer may be preventable by
dietary change (these are two of the most common cancers today). 2
Whilst research has shown the importance of diet in relation to disease prevention for many
years, it is continually being ignored and not effectively conveyed to society. The following
statistics are indicative of this:
The current US estimate for persons age 2 years and older who consume at least two daily
servings of fruit is 28%. The current US estimate for persons age 2 years and older who
consume at least three daily servings of vegetables, with at least one-third being dark green
or deep yellow vegetables is 3%. 3
The health promotion and disease prevention objectives for the year 2010 set by the US
Department of Health and Human Services are to increase these percentages with the aim to
reduce preventable death and disability. 4
Research over the last 40 years has shown that a healthy diet especially one rich in fruits and
vegetables coupled with regular prolonged, vigorous exercise and some strength-building
exercise can both prevent and treat many age-related diseases. 5

The B Toxic Free motto is Nature knows best.

*** Healthy Eating Tips : Tip No. 1: Your diet should be made up of as much unprocessed,
whole, properly constituted, certified organic/bio-dynamic food.
This means eating food that is as nature intended. Brown Rice, lentils, chickpeas, beans, nuts,
and deep sea fish are some examples of unprocessed, whole, properly constituted foods.
These foods contain no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives.
Minimise the cooking of food as heat destroys enzymes, and nutrients. Grains are best soaked
prior to cooking as this makes it easier for your body to digest them and changes the
nutritional properties of the grains, by making them more alkaline forming in the body. Fresh
fruit, salads and freshly squeezed juices are a good way to get raw food with living enzymes
into your diet.
Frying food causes fats to oxidise, resulting in the release of free radicals. The safest oils to fry
with are those that don't create trans fatty acids (and thus free radicals) these include butter,
coconut oil and palm kernel oil, which can all withstand cooking above 375 F. The downside
though is that these contain saturated fats which are not good for our health. Hazelnut, olive
and sesame oil can withstand a moderate heat of 325 F. Polyunsaturated Oils such as Flax,

Hemp, Canola, Soy and Walnut should not be heated due to oxidisation. Steaming and grilling
are better methods of cooking. These methods of cooking will minimise oxidisation (free
radical damage) and the loss of nutrient content.
An example of a highly processed food devoid of naturally present vitamins is white bread.
"When grain is made into refined, white flour, more than 30 essential nutrients are largely
removed. Only four of those nutrients are added back into process called enrichment'. Says Dr
Cranton." 6
Buy breads made from wholemeal flours with no additives. Another good idea is to buy a
bread maker and make your own.

Eat Certified Organic/Bio dynamic Food

*** Healthy Eating Tips - Tip No. 2: Eating organic food is an essential key to maintaining
optimum health. Organic farming cares for the environment, without relying upon synthetic
chemicals and other unnatural interventionist approaches to farming and food production.
Organic farming means no artificial pesticides, no herbicides, no hormones, no growth
promoters, and no GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms). All of these things have a
questionable effect on our aim to maintain healthy bodies. Organic farming uses natural
biological and environmentally friendly approaches, conserving natural ecosystems.
The first family of pesticides to be widely employed were organochlorines. However, these
chemicals were found to be highly toxic and non-biodegradable such that they were banned
and replaced with the current family of pesticides known as organophosphates
The problem is that organophosphates are not all that dissimilar from organochlorines and
exhibit many of the same destructive propensities.
Forty per cent of pesticides now in use are proven to be cancer promoting, linked to birth
defects and decreased fertility. Pesticide exposure is also connected to depression, memory
decline, destabilisation of moods and aggressive outbursts, Parkinson's and according to
Professor William Rea asthma, eczema, migraine, irritable bowel and rhinitis. 7
In his 1974 book Atoms in Agriculture, Dr Americo Mosca, Brussels World Fair prize winner for
chemistry, states that
toxic genetic chemicals, (herbicides, insecticides, hormones, steroids etc.) cause damage
equal to the atomic fallout from 145 H-bombs of 14 megatons each, or in terms of atomic
bombs - from 72,500 atomic bombs of Hiroshima type. For this reason, disease of all kinds
and the birth of mentally retarded babies have increased tremendously in the United States in
the last 10 years. The damage to plants, crops, soil fertility and water pollution are practically
incalculable. If use of these toxic genetic chemicals persists in agriculture and on food, this
will cause the destruction of the American people. 8

Use of pesticides in agriculture

(Above graph 'Use of Pesticides in Agriculture, years vs million kg's of pesticides' taken from "Organic and
Natural Living", Issue One. Australia).

A New Zealand family from Christchurch is pursuing legal action after their son was born with
no eyes and a cleft palate. The mother was exposed to the chemical Benlate (fungicide) whilst
working as a city council parks worker. Two other children born to council park workers also
suffered birth defects. 9

Level of pesticides in fruit and vegetables / chemicals in food

Most produce at the supermarket has been commercially grown and has most probably been
exposed to various amounts of pesticides or other chemicals. The fruits and vegetables listed
below are in order from the least contaminated with pesticides / chemicals to the most
contaminated with pesticides / chemicals.
Pesticides in Vegetables
LEAST
CONTAMINATED

broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, green onions, onions

potato, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato / yam
artichoke, asparagus, beets and beet greens, cabbage, carrots, dandelion
greens, eggplant, endive, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, parsley,
parsnips, peppers, pursland, radish, seaweed, squash, swiss chars, tomato,
turnips and turnip greens, watercress

MOST
CONTAMINATED

capsicum, celery, cucumbers, spinach

Pesticides in Fruit

LEAST
CONTAMINATED

avocados, bananas, grapes (grapes can be sprayed with preservative 220),

plums, watermelon
blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cassava, cranberries, figs,
gooseberries, grapefruit, guava, honeydew, kiwi, lemon, lime, lychee fruit,
mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, passion fruit, pears, persimmons,
pineapple, pomegranates, raspberries, rhubarb, star fruit, tangerines

MOST
CONTAMINATED

apples, apricots, cantaloupe, cherries, peaches, strawberries

Another problem with chemical exposure is bio-magnification. This is the process whereby
chemicals become more concentrated as they move up the food chain. This process also
explains why chemicals like chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide dichloro diphenyl dichloro
ethane (DDD - a relative of DDT) that were banned many years ago can still be found in
humans today.
Bio-accumulation:This is the process whereby compounds accumulate in living things faster than they
are metabolised and excreted.
Bio-concentration: A process of chemical collection from the surrounding environment that creates a
concentrated form.
Bio-magnification: The process that results in larger chemical concentrations to be found in a living
living organism than in the food it eats. i.e. chemicals can become more concentrated as they move up
the food chain. 10

(Bio-magnification. This example illustrates the potential harm of over use of chemicals in our
environment. Concentration of DDD increases as it moves up the food chain. Above diagram is
based upon information contained in the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, page 48. DDD
was applied to Clear Lake, California, USA, 1954. DDD has since been banned).
Whilst organics may be more expensive the food tastes better, contains higher levels of
nutrients and is better for the environment. How much is your health worth?
Scientists in Denmark have found that organic food contains significantly higher levels of a
powerful antioxidant called quercetin. 11
Research by the Organic Advisory Service of the Organic Retailers & Growers
Association of Australia (ORGAA) compared nutrient content of organic and conventionally
grown vegetables. Four vegetable varieties, tomatoes, beans, capsicums and silver beet, were
grown on a certified organic farm using compost and soil regenerative techniques and were
later analysed for vitamin and mineral elements. A similar range of vegetables grown
conventionally were sampled and analysed from a supermarket. Results showed significant
differences in mineral levels in favour of the organic produce. Calcium levels in some produce
increased by eight times, potassium by ten times, magnesium by seven times and zinc by five
times. See "Food with Attitude", Permaculture International Journal (March-May 2000, No.
74, ISSN 1037-8480), p.27.
--Calcium (Supermarket)
Calcium (Organic)
Potassium (Supermarket)
Potassium (Organic)
Magnesium (Supermarket)
Magnesium (Organic)
Sodium (Supermarket)
Sodium (Organic)
Iron (Supermarket)
Iron (Organic)
Zinc (Supermarket)
Zinc (Organic)

Beans
40
480
260
1900
26
240
<1
<10
0.6
<5
0.38
3.4

Tomatoes
6.7
67
200
300
10
89
2.4
26
<0.5
<5
0.19
1.2

Capsicum
4.7
84
150
1600
11
700
<1
20
<0.5
<5
0.13
2.5

Silver Beet
6
1600
450
2600
69
1700
180
1800
1.4
9.4
0.57
130

Supermarket produce, Organic/revitalized soil, levels measure in mg/kg Australian

Government Analytical Laboratory 12
Alternatives to buying organic / minimise exposure to chemicals in food
'I can't afford to buy organic'
For some buying organic food is too expensive. To minimise exposure to chemicals in food as
much as possible try these alternatives:
Buy organic food in season or on special, organics in season can be the same price as conventional
fruit and vegetables.
Buy organic food in conversion, some supermarkets now stock organic produce that is in conversion,
this is normally cheaper especially if it is in season (I have seen organic oranges cheaper than non organic
imported oranges in the same supermarket).
Grow your own fruit and vegetables. Even if you don't have a garden their are easy and cheap
alternatives. You can use pots to grow some vegetables and fruit trees. Other options include growing
sprouts in your own kitchen. Its super cheap and very easy. The following book Sproutmsan's Kitchen
Garden Cookbook Sproutman's Kitchen Garden is great for the alternative health enthusiast.
Next best thing to organic is free range produce, e.g. free range eggs, free range chicken.
Try to eat fruit and vegetables that are least contaminated see pesticides analysis above.
Wash all fruit and vegetables thoroughly
Peel or skin fruit and vegetables where possible
Seek a local grower who uses minimal chemicals / pesticides

Where to buy organics. Click here to check out where to buy organics in your location
(Australia).
For more information about why you should eat organic instead of conventional click here.

Maintaining the pH balance

*** Healthy Eating Tips - Tip No. 3: An excellent dietary guide to follow is the alkaline/acid
balance. Following the alkaline/acid balance is easy.
The absolute foundation of sound nutrition is to maintain the correct acid/alkali balance in the
body. If we have the correct acid/alkali balance, then much of our health as far as nutrition is
concerned falls into place. 13

Ph is the measure of acidity/alkalinity. Ph of 7.0 is neutral. Above 7.0 is alkaline and below 7.0 is acidic.

The body maintains a constant blood Ph between 7.35 and 7.45. Even small fluctuations can
have life threatening results. Buffering is the body's mechanism to prevent this.
Separate to the Ph of the blood, the body's tissue fluids may vary in regard to Ph with relative
significance.
Once foods are eaten they are metabolised/processed by the body. Once processed the foods
have either an alkaline, or acid forming effect on the body's tissue fluids.
Confusion often arises around the topic of foods being either acidic or alkaline (or sometimes
very occasionally neutral). For example an orange is definitely acidic by itself. Even when it is
eaten its juices are acidic to the stomach. However once the orange has been metabolised its
effect on the body fluids is alkaline forming (leaving alkaline residue). The citric acid in the
orange is broken down into carbonic acid which is excreted by the body through the breath as
carbon dioxide leaving a residue of alkaline minerals. 14
Generally all animal products, dairy and meat, are acid forming, fruits and vegetables on the
other hand are alkaline forming. For a more detailed list of alkaline and acid forming foods see
Dr Hulls Web 75/25 Eating Plan. The typical Australian diet is often the other way around75% acid forming i.e. heaps of dairy and meat and 25% fruit and vegetables. This needs to
change if we want to enjoy better health.
Check out Dr Janet Starr Hull's sample Alkaline/Acid balancing diet.
ftp://ftp.sweetpoison.com/ph75-25plan.pdf
Based on the total weight of your daily food intake, Dr David Collison recommends that fruits
and vegetables should make up 75% or more. 15
If the Ph of the body's tissue fluids changes greatly from the ideal Ph e.g. becomes acidic then
the the body utilizes minerals contained within including the removal of calcium from the
bones to maintain a constant blood Ph. 16

A chronically acidic environment over many years will cause a severe depletion of mineral
from the body, resulting in dangers of kidney exhaustion (too much ammonia production and
acid damage), osteoporosis, internal deficiency diseases, and then the auto-immune problems
brought on by excess acid lodged in the joints and cartilage, such as arthritis and a host of
other complaints. 17
"A body that is very acidic, and therefore in a toxic state, is prone to inflammatory conditions
like colds and eventually degenerative states such as arthritis and similar." 18
In her book The Wright Diet , Celia Wright describes the over-acidic person as being grouchy,
sensitive and exhausted, inclined to aches and pains, headaches, problems with sleeping and
acidity of the stomach. Smokers have been found to have a high acid level in their urine,
cravings appear to reduce on a more alkaline diet. 19
Nobel Prize Winner Dr Otto Warburg, noted that alkaline bodies absorbed up to 20 times more
oxygen than acidic bodies. He found that diseased bodies were acidic bodies which repelled
oxygen. Warburg worked with almost 50 species of animals and was able to induce cancer in
animal tissue simply by acidifying the body and driving out the oxygen. Experiments with
ulcerated breast mass and other tumour material show categorically that malignant cells grow
prolifically in acidic, anaerobic environments, but shrivel and die in calcium oxygen rich alkalis.
20

So what's the message?, eat A LOT MORE (certified organic/bio dynamic or organic home
grown) fruit and vegetables.

Food additives
Discovering you are allergic to a particular food additive can be a difficult task. A process of
elimination is required. All suspect food types should be removed and then introduced back
into the diet one by one.
*** Healthy Eating Tips - Tip No. 4: Conclusive evidence on many food additives and their
combined effect isn't likely to be available anytime soon. Therefore it is best to use a common
sense approach and avoid all food additives as much as possible.
Here are some interesting facts about food additives:
There are four different artificial colours in one of Australia's most popular chocolate biscuits.
102, 110 (yellow), 129(red), 133 (blue), all of which are implicated in negative food reactions.
These additives have been banned in a number of countries. Hyperactive Children's Support
Group (HACSG) has recommended the elimination of these and many other chemical additives
from the diet of children. It is interesting to note that many additives are banned in some
countries and not in others. This is because studies have shown many additives to cause birth
defects, acute reactions or may even cause cancer.
See the following URL's for more details.
http://www.foodag.com/en/100.htm

http://www.the-south-asian.com/Food_Colours.htm
http://wwwscience.murdoch.edu.au/teach/env222/lec_5_food_addi_contam.pdf

Foods that contain large amounts of additives are not always obvious for example;
A typical artificial strawberry flavor, contains the following 49 ingredients:
amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl
isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil,
diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl
methylphenylglycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin,
hydroxyphrenyl-2-butanone (10 percent solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate,
isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate,
methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone,
methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter,
phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, y-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent. 21
Avoiding food additives is a sensible choice. Your diet should be made up of mostly
unprocessed unrefined certified organic/bio dynamic foods.