“Alkalize or Die” by Dr. Theodore A. Baroody Review
Posted on 18. Aug, 2011 by Lora in Alkaline Diet Tips, Blog
I came from a family of “happy eaters”. You know the kind where every meal is like a party and people eat and talk at the same time. We ate a lot and talked a lot during meals. Maybe because we were a big family, that’s why. Anyway, by the time I was 17, I had hyper acidity and high cholesterol. I tried to go on a diet and go with less sugar and meat. By the time I got married, my stomach pain was bothering me a lot and my blood pressure was constantly fluctuating.
When I first heard about the alkaline diet, I got curious and started to research about it. I also started drinking alkaline water which in itself was helpful in treating my stomach pains. While surfing through Amazon I came across Dr. Baroody’s book “Alkalize or Die” so I decided to give it a try.
At first, I found the book boring with all of Dr. Baroody’s rambling about his experiences and beliefs. Most of the time he didn’t present any references to support his statements in the book. I did try to continue reading with an open mind because as I understood it, Dr. Baroody came up with the theories and principles in the book after many trial and errors. I believe it was more a personal journey for him than a scientific one. However, it would have been easier to digest all his theories if he had presented more hard evidences instead of “feeling” statistical data.
What I do appreciate about the book is his approach to healthy living with each individual’s unique biochemistry in mind. He acknowledges that each person may experience varied results with each dietary preparation. This principle of individual metabolism has long been held by many health practitioners in the past and had been the topic of scientific discussions for a long time now.
On the other hand, I am very uncomfortable with his propensity to present metaphysical teachings of eastern mysticism as facts. Although Dr. Baroody did express that his viewpoint is founded on healing philosophies from the ancient Chinese, Tibetan, Hindu and Greco-European, it would have been easier for me to be keep an open mind if he had dealt with this issues more as a gray area that needed more studies or a belief system that affects people’s health and healing process so much like a placebo.
One example of this metaphysical belief of his that I found really hard to swallow can be seen when he advised people to stop eating red meat as “the destructive emotion of slaughter is assimilated by the person who eats flesh.” (pg. 63). No matter how hard I try not to, his explanation abut why red meat is bad sounded too fantastic for me. I’m sure many people would also find this as “too spiritual or religious” more than “scientific.” Anyway, everybody knows why too much meat intake is bad. One word – cholesterol.
I do agree with him though that sugar is poison. What with diabetes now on the rise in the country. Sugar and other sweeteners are very pervasive in our society nowadays and I don’t think that the existence of so many illnesses now is just a coincidence.
But what I think really saved this book and made it worth buying is Dr. Baroody’s chart of foods with a corresponding rating to show their acid-forming or alkaline-forming properties. His list is exhaustive and easy to understand. The author used his own pH scale that he had developed. Dr.Baroody’s scale is on page 38 and ranges from 0.5 to 7.5 with foods having a range of 4.0 and above as alkaline-forming and below 4.0 as acid-forming.
In summary, I believe that there are real and tangible benefits to having an alkaline-based diet and Dr. Baroody’s book can help readers identify the right foods for them. But, if you read this book with a strictly scientific view, meaning you are looking for footnotes and references then this book may disappoint you. The same goes for those with s ”god” issues. This book is not about entertainment and fun too. It’s all bout diet that can help some health problems and getting back to dietary basics of eating more plant based foods.
In saying that, I have come across another literature that has also helped me plan my meals. The newsletter I subscribed at thealkalinediet.org has also helped me learn more about the pH levels of certain foods. It has also helped me plan what to buy, what to cook and even how to prepare my alkaline-based meals. It also keeps me updated about alkaline-diet in general.
If you think Baroody’s book is just too bulky for you or you are too busy to leaf through the pages of the book then you can simply subscribe to our alkaline diet newsletter below to get all the juicy alkaline tips to boost your energy level and revitalize your health.
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