Acid-alkaline Foods –
Edgar Cayce’s
Mantra for a Balanced Diet

Cayce often stressed how important

it was to maintain the right

acid-alkaline balance in our bodies.

Learning how is easy, and it can

make a big difference!

He was describing the way foods react within the body, rather than their intrinsic properties. For example, an orange may test acid with litmus paper, but inside the body, its reaction is highly alkaline.


Cayce explained that the proper acid-alkaline balance depended on an individual’s activity -- the more physically active, the more acid-producing foods the body could use. The more sedentary the lifestyle, the higher the percentage of alkaline foods was needed. Acid-alkaline levels varied, of course, for someone who was sick, with the system already out of balance. (See our Cayce cold cure page for more)


When you think about the fact that, according to Cayce, meats, starches and sweets are mostly acid-producing, and most fruits and vegetables are alkaline-reacting, it makes sense.


But if you ask conventional doctors about keeping the acid-alkaline balance in the body, you’ll often get blank looks, and some will tell you vehemently that it’s nonsense.


This happened to me once a few years ago with my doctor. So I asked her what she thought all those over-the-counter antacids were for, if not to restore the body’s
acid-alkaline balance? That’s what they advertise...


So what is the right acid-alkaline balance for you? In the Edgar Cayce diet, a sedentary person (no exercise) should eat only 20 percent acid-producing foods and 80 percent alkaline-reacting. But he gave the reverse for an very active person -- 80% acid, and 20% alkaline.


It’s really common sense. Look at it a different way – what’s the point of eating a big steak dinner, and then retiring to your den to type? Eat a nutritious salad and soup instead. Most people today who have any idea about health already know this, but knowing is different from doing. (We want what we want...)


ACID- AND ALKALINE-REACTING FOODS


So which foods are which? The list below is pretty standard wisdom on the subject, but there is some dispute about it, even today -- and Cayce didn’t always agree with the conventional view.
In our own experience, some foods don’t seem to have the reaction predicted (like blueberries), so keep the list in mind, but do your own self-health observation, too.

FRUITS – Mostly alkaline
Exceptions:

* Cranberries
* Plums
* Prunes (except small ones)
* Blueberries (Not in my experience)
* Olives (pickled)
* Anything that has been preserved or canned with sugar


VEGETABLES – Mostly alkaline
Exceptions:

* All dry beans and peas, including lentils and garbanzos
* White asparagus tips


MEATS – Mostly acid, including meat, fish and gelatin (But gelatin is an exception to the rule -- Cayce said it was good for everyone to take it, whether sick or well).
Exceptions:

* Beef juice, which Cayce often recommended for debilitation
* Bonemeal


DAIRY – Mostly acid
Exceptions:

* Yogurt and acidophilus milk
* Buttermilk
* Raw milk – goat, cow or human
* Whey
* Egg yolks

**** However, despite this, Cayce stressed that milk in all forms, whether raw, fresh, canned or dried, was close to a perfect food for the human body. Cayce also advised different milk choices for different people: some were to take only raw, others only canned, etc. He also implied that leaving the fat on the milk was a good idea, and treated real butter as very healthy in moderation.


GRAINS AND FLOURS – Mostly acid
Exceptions:

* Buckwheat, millet – in some dispute: either alkaline or neutral
* Amaranth
* Quinoa

SWEETENING – Mostly acid
Exceptions:

* Honey
* Maple syrup and maple sugar


So here’s the rub -- most of us aren’t nearly active enough to burn the foods we love most: pizza, roast beef, junk food, etc.


Everyone is different, of course. Some people have no difficulty altering their eating styles to adjust the acid-alkaline balance, and enjoy the change immediately. We haven’t been that lucky, but have found many ways of preparing the foods we should eat to avoid feeling deprived. You can, too!


On the A.R.E. website is a of most types of food. Compare it with your own diet, and see if there are any changes you might want to make. When you do find some, allow yourself to make those changes gradually. Remember “body, mind and spirit!”


Edgar Cayce’s diet recommendations were way ahead of their time, and they can still make a big difference to us today. Give them a try!

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