So I was off the diet, and the effects are s howing. The other day my bp was a wopping 179/109 (not my highest, but definately dangerous.) My left leg and foot swollen bad, light headedness and of course all my weight is back on.
Since I was up due to the headache, I spent most the night researching. Mind you my previous experience with the south beach proved to work in lowering my bp drastically, so yesterday I revamped and went on a modified phase 1. Modified because my research showed that certain fruits help to lower the bp.
In my "panic" I decided to contact a nuropathy (I think thats what they are called) and he talked a bit over the phone, and i'm headed in next monday for a consultation.
Here on the South Beach we eat dairy (limited of course), red meat (lower in fat of course), and eggs, lots of them. These three I was told are no no's as they are "acidic" in how the body absorbs them. I was even informed that red meat causes colon cancer.
I was wondering if anyone here knows anything about all this?
Also, I'm not big on sea food, though I do eat fish once or twice a week. So with no red meat, I KNOW I'll get bored with chicken and fish constantly. What the hay am I supposed to eat then?
Your body is quite effiecient at keeping your blood and body fluids at the proper ph. Your blood is maintained at a slightly alkaline ph and is aided in this by the kidneys and respiratory system. Certain foods could make the urine for acid or alkaline, but that is one of the ways the body maintains itself in the proper state. I did some research on the internet on the testing of ph and you may be interested to read this from Quackwatch.org:
Urine/Saliva pH Testing:
Another Gimmick to Sell You Something
Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Some "nutritionists" and other fringe practitioners use a nonsensical urine/saliva test as the basis for evaluating a person's health and prescribing dietary supplements to fix it. The most visible modern proponent of this test was Gary Martin, who, during the 1980s, operated the American College of Nutripathy, a nonaccredited correspondence school that granted "degrees" in nutrition. One of the school's brochures described nutripathy as "the condensation of most all natural healing and counseling techniques available today . . . . the basics 'boiled' from literally hundreds of different therapies and techniques."
Martin claimed that nutripathic tests could detect "imbalances which, if left to mature, must ultimately manifest as some form of disease process." and "discover the root cause of the disease while it is still in the prediagnosable stage."
The most notable of these tests was the urine/saliva test developed about more than 50 years ago by Cary Reams (1910-1985), a self-proclaimed biophysicist who was prosecuted during the 1970s for practicing medicine without a license. Reams, who also claimed to be guided by God, devised "a mathematical formula for perfect health, based on the biophysical frequencies of living matter." The formula, which Martin called "your Nutripathic Portrait," looks like this:
According to Martin's book, Nutripathy: The Final Solution to Your Health Dilemma, the first three numbers represent sugars excreted in the urine and the acidity (pH) of the urine and saliva, and indicate how much "energy input" you have. The other numbers, said to represent your "mineral salts index, urine debris index and nitrate nitrogens over the ammoniacal nitrogens index," indicate how much energy your metabolism is using. "A low energy input and high energy drain," says the book, "means degeneration, rot, decay and death." To fix these alleged problems, Martin and his followers offered a large variety of supplement products.
This urine/saliva test and its associated trappings are utter nonsense.
Acid-base status is commonly measured at hospital admission for many diseases, but it is extremely unusual to find acidosis or alkalosis of the blood or extracellular fluid in the early stages of any major disease except kidney disease. Moreover, no food is acidic or alkaline enough in a mixed diet to produce long-lasting changes in the body's acid-base balance.
As one who's family has been gravely affected by colon cancer I think I can comment on the "Red Meat causes colon cancer" comment. Beef, in the general sense does not cause colon cancer. According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, "diets high in red and processed meats are associated with higher risk of colon cancer. AICR recommends limiting consumption of red meat to 3 ounces per day." Many discussions with many doctors have left me with the understanding that red meat can be included in your diet, if you have a family history of colon cancer, but it must be used sparingly. (read: once every 10 days or so). And when you have it, it should be lean cuts, just as SBD recommends. As far as other things to add to your diet for meat, buffalo is a great meat that's becoming more readily available. Also, pork loin and boneless pork chops are a great addition to the meat rotation. I'd also recommend shrimp.
Good luck, I hope you feel better soon!
If I were going to go to any doctor ,it would be an M.D. period.
I used to run borderline to high blood pressure for almost 20 years. There were times when my blood pressure was normal, usually as a result of extra sodium in my diet. In the fall of 2005, after a period of illness, I realized that my blood pressure was normal because, of all things, I wasn't drinking all of my diet soda. Now, the first thing that I thought was the sodium; again, because of my past experiences, and although they say there is neglible sodium in diet soda, there is some. However, what I realized that helped bring my blood pressure down not only to normal ranges but really great normal ranges (average now is 115/72) is that I gave up caffeine.
So, after switching to diet soda that is decaffeinated and really watching how often I have caffeine in other foods or medicines (read labels for that) I have been able to keep my blood pressure at my present numbers and I have for 18 months. I wish someone would have told me that then because I am sure that it did do some damage to my kidneys, etc. because of how long it was high. And, no, I was never put on any medication. I was told "to watch it".
As for the lower limb swelling, again, I think, that if you reduce your sodium and caffeine intake, you will see that disappear. I got one of those B/P wrist testers and for a long while I took it every day and then after eating certain foods. Invariably, if I have had a meal like delivery pizza, Chinese and/or fast food, my B/P will rise significantly.
Knowledge (self knowledge especially) is power! Be aware of how your body handles certain foods and elements. You will be able to then make educated( self-awareness) decisions regarding your health and not feel so panicky that you end up going to someone who will take your money and possibly your health as well.
Alkaline vs Acidic
Save your money as Anne says
