I checked this book from the library and knew I had to have my own copy. The information is clearly and intelligently written. It explained to me many questions I had but had no one to ask. If anyone is looking for a health book, this one is most excellent.

The pH Miracle for Diabetes

By Robert O. Young, PhD, and Shelley Redford Young

Warner Books

© 2004



All persons who are diabetic, whether Type 1 or Type 2, or pre-diabetics ("impaired fasting glucose", meaning, BG readings from 110 - 126) like me, want to lead normal lives, eat "normal" things, be lethargic, and go about their business without regard to their BG readings. To place ourselves in such an arena, we all want a magic pill which will make us fit in with the lifestyles of 5/6th of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, no one has found such a pill, even though more and more books are written about the virtues of more and more pills, and new and improved dietary supplements.



Before I review this book, I must first give you a mini-review of The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, by Dr. Susan E. Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr., Squareone Publishers, © 2006. This book gives a much more concise and better description of what pH balance is, how it affects your health, and the possible consequences of not keeping ones system "in balance". pH means "potential for hydrogen", a term used in chemistry, which indicates whether a solution, fluid or compound is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. pH can be measured in our bodies by testing saliva and urine or blood (pH strips are available for the first 2 tests), and if we have a heavy concentration of hydrogen in our systems, we are "acid based". The scale goes from 0 to 14; to be healthy, we should have slightly alkaline, oxygen-rich arterial blood (7.365 to 7.45 is ideal) - a reading of 7.0 is neutral.



Oxygen rich systems (alkaline based) neutralize formation of acids which might prove to be harmful. To help us stay in the neutral zone, our bodies use calcium and protein from bones, and possibly other places, to pump more alkaline to our systems in order to neutralize formation of acids, so as to keep us in balance. After the passage of time, if we fail to keep our systems in balance, and we become acid based, our bone formation will be reduced, calcium will be lost in our urine (leading to kidney stone formation), proteins will breakdown causing our muscles to waste away, our systems will be unable to repair cells, tissues and organs fully, our systems will age at an accelerated pace, more free radicals will be produced, we will be subject to increased fluid retention, and so forth.



The American diet is centered around foods that create acid-base systems. Dr. Brown lists about 70 pages of foods we eat, and rates them according to whether the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming. The first time I read through the list, I determined that I could not eat any food without running the risk of forming more acids in my system. To remedy this, Dr. Young would have me become a vegetarian, but Dr. Brown has an easier solution: eat more dark green vegetables than any other food group. She doesn't require me to give up meat or eggs or nuts, so long as 2/3rd of my plate contains foods that are alkaline-forming (such as kale, collard greens, asparagus, snap green beans, etc.).



Dr. Brown explains the basis for her conclusions. Our bodies have 3 methods of getting rid of unwanted "poisons", or acid forming chemicals, all of which are filtered through our bodies:



First, our lungs supply our bodies with much needed oxygen (as we breathe in), and dispel (exhale) carbon dioxide (the "burned" waste from our system - an inference might be made that aerobic exercise helps cleanse our system, because it requires lots of heavy breathing, which gives us a double dose of oxygen; in turn the CO2 expels the oxidized stuff we don't need);



Second, our kidneys filter unwanted sugars, and other waste products which we don't need (we rid our systems through urine - a preventative measure we can take is to drink lots of pure, and hopefully ionized or ozone rich water, which will keep our kidneys healthy, as well as supply needed oxygen to our systems); and



Third, our skin filters out other things, through our perspiration (which is also produced through exercise).



With this background in mind, we can have a better understanding of what Dr. Young advocates in his book. He noticed the correlation between acid based systems and diabetes, and concluded that if our systems are neutral, or slightly alkaline, our blood sugars would be "normal". As I have been checking my pH balance every morning, which I do before checking my BG reading, I can generally predict what my BG readings will be. If my system measures 7.0, which is neutral, my BG readings are pretty good (98 to 107). If my pH balance is 6.5, my BG readings will be higher (113, 114).



Although Dr. Young's book does not explain the chemistry involved in the process, he nonetheless makes a very persuasive argument that by eating lots of green vegetables, and drinking pure water mixed with green powder (the "green drink"), diabetics can improve their BG readings. Throughout the book, there are very interesting testimonials, given by both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics; all of them reported a marked improvement in their BG readings - once they began drinking green drinks, stopped drinking carbonated beverages, and changing their eating habits.



The "green drink" is simply a mixture of oxygenated water (which can be produced with an ozone machine, or by adding sodium chlorite drops to pure water) and a teaspoon of green drink powder (which is nothing more than powdered, ground vegetables). I usually have two drinks a day, instead of an extra cup of coffee in the morning and a Diet Coke in the afternoon (which I have now given up).



Dr. Young also requires us to exercise. He prefers aerobic exercise to anaerobic exercise. I have no quarrel with his observations, especially since I have a better understanding of the benefits of having more oxygen pumped through my lungs. Oxidation is a good thing as far as I am concerned, because it neutralizes unwanted hydrogen ions and other viruses. As a side note, I have switched from the treadmill to an elliptical trainer, which gives me a better, complete body workout in less time.



Half of Dr. Young's book consists of recipes, which are all vegetarian in nature. We have not tried any of them, for a number of reasons. First, Dr. Young assumes that food budgets are unlimited, even for those of us who do not live in California. Thus, we cannot eat avocados three or four times a day. Second, the ingredients used in the recipes (even by California standards) are very expensive.



As I am writing this review, I can report that my pH readings do bear some correlation with my BG readings. When my pH is 6.5, my BG readings are a bit higher than when my pH is 7.0 or higher. Because of the changed variables (new exercise regimen, taking 2 green drinks a day, watching my intake of fatty foods, eating more green vegetables), I cannot isolate one component as causing the improvement in my BG readings.



It would be wonderful to learn that an adjustment to our diets could rid us of the need for insulin, metformin, Avandia, and other such drugs. None of the books I have reviewed suggest that we remain idle - all of the authors want us to exercise regularly (which may turn out to be the most important component of all - a recent report indicated that the best preventative for Alzheimer's Disease was to do 3 hours of aerobic exercise a week - oxygen is needed in your brain, you know).



Dr. Young's book is worth owning. Before you purchase this recommended book, I suggest that you consider reading other resources on ph balances.

The pH Miracle for Diabetes
By Robert O. Young, PhD, and Shelley Redford Young
Warner Books
© 2004

All persons who are diabetic, whether Type 1 or Type 2, or pre-diabetics ("impaired fasting glucose", meaning, BG readings from 110 - 126) like me, want to lead normal lives, eat "normal" things, be lethargic, and go about their business without regard to their BG readings. To place ourselves in such an arena, we all want a magic pill which will make us fit in with the lifestyles of 5/6th of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, no one has found such a pill, even though more and more books are written about the virtues of more and more pills, and new and improved dietary supplements.

Before I review this book, I must first give you a mini-review of The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, by Dr. Susan E. Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr., Squareone Publishers, © 2006. This book gives a much more concise and better description of what pH balance is, how it affects your health, and the possible consequences of not keeping ones system "in balance". pH means "potential for hydrogen", a term used in chemistry, which indicates whether a solution, fluid or compound is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. pH can be measured in our bodies by testing saliva and urine or blood (pH strips are available for the first 2 tests), and if we have a heavy concentration of hydrogen in our systems, we are "acid based". The scale goes from 0 to 14; to be healthy, we should have slightly alkaline, oxygen-rich arterial blood (7.365 to 7.45 is ideal) - a reading of 7.0 is neutral.

Oxygen rich systems (alkaline based) neutralize formation of acids which might prove to be harmful. To help us stay in the neutral zone, our bodies use calcium and protein from bones, and possibly other places, to pump more alkaline to our systems in order to neutralize formation of acids, so as to keep us in balance. After the passage of time, if we fail to keep our systems in balance, and we become acid based, our bone formation will be reduced, calcium will be lost in our urine (leading to kidney stone formation), proteins will breakdown causing our muscles to waste away, our systems will be unable to repair cells, tissues and organs fully, our systems will age at an accelerated pace, more free radicals will be produced, we will be subject to increased fluid retention, and so forth.

The American diet is centered around foods that create acid-base systems. Dr. Brown lists about 70 pages of foods we eat, and rates them according to whether the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming. The first time I read through the list, I determined that I could not eat any food without running the risk of forming more acids in my system. To remedy this, Dr. Young would have me become a vegetarian, but Dr. Brown has an easier solution: eat more dark green vegetables than any other food group. She doesn't require me to give up meat or eggs or nuts, so long as 2/3rd of my plate contains foods that are alkaline-forming (such as kale, collard greens, asparagus, snap green beans, etc.).

Dr. Brown explains the basis for her conclusions. Our bodies have 3 methods of getting rid of unwanted "poisons", or acid forming chemicals, all of which are filtered through our bodies:

First, our lungs supply our bodies with much needed oxygen (as we breathe in), and dispel (exhale) carbon dioxide (the "burned" waste from our system - an inference might be made that aerobic exercise helps cleanse our system, because it requires lots of heavy breathing, which gives us a double dose of oxygen; in turn the CO2 expels the oxidized stuff we don't need);

Second, our kidneys filter unwanted sugars, and other waste products which we don't need (we rid our systems through urine - a preventative measure we can take is to drink lots of pure, and hopefully ionized or ozone rich water, which will keep our kidneys healthy, as well as supply needed oxygen to our systems); and

Third, our skin filters out other things, through our perspiration (which is also produced through exercise).

With this background in mind, we can have a better understanding of what Dr. Young advocates in his book. He noticed the correlation between acid based systems and diabetes, and concluded that if our systems are neutral, or slightly alkaline, our blood sugars would be "normal". As I have been checking my pH balance every morning, which I do before checking my BG reading, I can generally predict what my BG readings will be. If my system measures 7.0, which is neutral, my BG readings are pretty good (98 to 107). If my pH balance is 6.5, my BG readings will be higher (113, 114).

Although Dr. Young's book does not explain the chemistry involved in the process, he nonetheless makes a very persuasive argument that by eating lots of green vegetables, and drinking pure water mixed with green powder (the "green drink"), diabetics can improve their BG readings. Throughout the book, there are very interesting testimonials, given by both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics; all of them reported a marked improvement in their BG readings - once they began drinking green drinks, stopped drinking carbonated beverages, and changing their eating habits.

The "green drink" is simply a mixture of oxygenated water (which can be produced with an ozone machine, or by adding sodium chlorite drops to pure water) and a teaspoon of green drink powder (which is nothing more than powdered, ground vegetables). I usually have two drinks a day, instead of an extra cup of coffee in the morning and a Diet Coke in the afternoon (which I have now given up).

Dr. Young also requires us to exercise. He prefers aerobic exercise to anaerobic exercise. I have no quarrel with his observations, especially since I have a better understanding of the benefits of having more oxygen pumped through my lungs. Oxidation is a good thing as far as I am concerned, because it neutralizes unwanted hydrogen ions and other viruses. As a side note, I have switched from the treadmill to an elliptical trainer, which gives me a better, complete body workout in less time.

Half of Dr. Young's book consists of recipes, which are all vegetarian in nature. We have not tried any of them, for a number of reasons. First, Dr. Young assumes that food budgets are unlimited, even for those of us who do not live in California. Thus, we cannot eat avocados three or four times a day. Second, the ingredients used in the recipes (even by California standards) are very expensive.

As I am writing this review, I can report that my pH readings do bear some correlation with my BG readings. When my pH is 6.5, my BG readings are a bit higher than when my pH is 7.0 or higher. Because of the changed variables (new exercise regimen, taking 2 green drinks a day, watching my intake of fatty foods, eating more green vegetables), I cannot isolate one component as causing the improvement in my BG readings.

It would be wonderful to learn that an adjustment to our diets could rid us of the need for insulin, metformin, Avandia, and other such drugs. None of the books I have reviewed suggest that we remain idle - all of the authors want us to exercise regularly (which may turn out to be the most important component of all - a recent report indicated that the best preventative for Alzheimer's Disease was to do 3 hours of aerobic exercise a week - oxygen is needed in your brain, you know).

Dr. Young's book is worth owning. Before you purchase this recommended book, I suggest that you consider reading other resources on ph balances.

The pH Miracle for Diabetes
By Robert O. Young, PhD, and Shelley Redford Young
Warner Books
© 2004

All persons who are diabetic, whether Type 1 or Type 2, or pre-diabetics ("impaired fasting glucose", meaning, BG readings from 110 - 126) like me, want to lead normal lives, eat "normal" things, be lethargic, and go about their business without regard to their BG readings. To place ourselves in such an arena, we all want a magic pill which will make us fit in with the lifestyles of 5/6th of the U.S. population. Unfortunately, no one has found such a pill, even though more and more books are written about the virtues of more and more pills, and new and improved dietary supplements.

Before I review this book, I must first give you a mini-review of The Acid Alkaline Food Guide, by Dr. Susan E. Brown and Larry Trivieri, Jr., Squareone Publishers, © 2006. This book gives a much more concise and better description of what pH balance is, how it affects your health, and the possible consequences of not keeping ones system "in balance". pH means "potential for hydrogen", a term used in chemistry, which indicates whether a solution, fluid or compound is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. pH can be measured in our bodies by testing saliva and urine or blood (pH strips are available for the first 2 tests), and if we have a heavy concentration of hydrogen in our systems, we are "acid based". The scale goes from 0 to 14; to be healthy, we should have slightly alkaline, oxygen-rich arterial blood (7.365 to 7.45 is ideal) - a reading of 7.0 is neutral.

Oxygen rich systems (alkaline based) neutralize formation of acids which might prove to be harmful. To help us stay in the neutral zone, our bodies use calcium and protein from bones, and possibly other places, to pump more alkaline to our systems in order to neutralize formation of acids, so as to keep us in balance. After the passage of time, if we fail to keep our systems in balance, and we become acid based, our bone formation will be reduced, calcium will be lost in our urine (leading to kidney stone formation), proteins will breakdown causing our muscles to waste away, our systems will be unable to repair cells, tissues and organs fully, our systems will age at an accelerated pace, more free radicals will be produced, we will be subject to increased fluid retention, and so forth.

The American diet is centered around foods that create acid-base systems. Dr. Brown lists about 70 pages of foods we eat, and rates them according to whether the food is alkaline-forming or acid-forming. The first time I read through the list, I determined that I could not eat any food without running the risk of forming more acids in my system. To remedy this, Dr. Young would have me become a vegetarian, but Dr. Brown has an easier solution: eat more dark green vegetables than any other food group. She doesn't require me to give up meat or eggs or nuts, so long as 2/3rd of my plate contains foods that are alkaline-forming (such as kale, collard greens, asparagus, snap green beans, etc.).

Dr. Brown explains the basis for her conclusions. Our bodies have 3 methods of getting rid of unwanted "poisons", or acid forming chemicals, all of which are filtered through our bodies:

First, our lungs supply our bodies with much needed oxygen (as we breathe in), and dispel (exhale) carbon dioxide (the "burned" waste from our system - an inference might be made that aerobic exercise helps cleanse our system, because it requires lots of heavy breathing, which gives us a double dose of oxygen; in turn the CO2 expels the oxidized stuff we don't need);

Second, our kidneys filter unwanted sugars, and other waste products which we don't need (we rid our systems through urine - a preventative measure we can take is to drink lots of pure, and hopefully ionized or ozone rich water, which will keep our kidneys healthy, as well as supply needed oxygen to our systems); and

Third, our skin filters out other things, through our perspiration (which is also produced through exercise).

With this background in mind, we can have a better understanding of what Dr. Young advocates in his book. He noticed the correlation between acid based systems and diabetes, and concluded that if our systems are neutral, or slightly alkaline, our blood sugars would be "normal". As I have been checking my pH balance every morning, which I do before checking my BG reading, I can generally predict what my BG readings will be. If my system measures 7.0, which is neutral, my BG readings are pretty good (98 to 107). If my pH balance is 6.5, my BG readings will be higher (113, 114).

Although Dr. Young's book does not explain the chemistry involved in the process, he nonetheless makes a very persuasive argument that by eating lots of green vegetables, and drinking pure water mixed with green powder (the "green drink"), diabetics can improve their BG readings. Throughout the book, there are very interesting testimonials, given by both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics; all of them reported a marked improvement in their BG readings - once they began drinking green drinks, stopped drinking carbonated beverages, and changing their eating habits.

The "green drink" is simply a mixture of oxygenated water (which can be produced with an ozone machine, or by adding sodium chlorite drops to pure water) and a teaspoon of green drink powder (which is nothing more than powdered, ground vegetables). I usually have two drinks a day, instead of an extra cup of coffee in the morning and a Diet Coke in the afternoon (which I have now given up).

Dr. Young also requires us to exercise. He prefers aerobic exercise to anaerobic exercise. I have no quarrel with his observations, especially since I have a better understanding of the benefits of having more oxygen pumped through my lungs. Oxidation is a good thing as far as I am concerned, because it neutralizes unwanted hydrogen ions and other viruses. As a side note, I have switched from the treadmill to an elliptical trainer, which gives me a better, complete body workout in less time.

Half of Dr. Young's book consists of recipes, which are all vegetarian in nature. We have not tried any of them, for a number of reasons. First, Dr. Young assumes that food budgets are unlimited, even for those of us who do not live in California. Thus, we cannot eat avocados three or four times a day. Second, the ingredients used in the recipes (even by California standards) are very expensive.

As I am writing this review, I can report that my pH readings do bear some correlation with my BG readings. When my pH is 6.5, my BG readings are a bit higher than when my pH is 7.0 or higher. Because of the changed variables (new exercise regimen, taking 2 green drinks a day, watching my intake of fatty foods, eating more green vegetables), I cannot isolate one component as causing the improvement in my BG readings.

It would be wonderful to learn that an adjustment to our diets could rid us of the need for insulin, metformin, Avandia, and other such drugs. None of the books I have reviewed suggest that we remain idle - all of the authors want us to exercise regularly (which may turn out to be the most important component of all - a recent report indicated that the best preventative for Alzheimer's Disease was to do 3 hours of aerobic exercise a week - oxygen is needed in your brain, you know).

Dr. Young's book is worth owning. Before you purchase this recommended book, I suggest that you consider reading other resources on ph balances.

The book, greatest purchase that you can have. It has helped out in the balance of food that can be eaten, it's simple to follow and it even stastes good. I have always had a problem with what to cook for myself, that is the toughest part about a diabetic. With this book you are watching the sugar intake, the acid intake and more. I do wish there were more recipes to choose from that are just as good as these. I want to thank Dr. Young and his wife for doing all the research and providing everyone with facts. I have been a diabetic for 22 years and the change in my food without the acid is unreal to believe. This was a blessing for me. Thank you so much.

Justina Perez