imbalance, unfortunately, is frequently maintained. 3. Cravings that result from an acid-alkaline imbalance are usually very strong, and almost impossible to resist. An excess of alkalizing food, such as fruit, salad, vegetables, and potatoes, will create a demand for acidforming foods as balancers. If someone on a highly alkaline diet is eating no acid-forming meat, fish, fowl, or eggs, and very little grain, if any, then the need for acid-forming sweets will demolish all willpower. That need will not be satisfied entirely with sweet fruits, for these are also somewhat alkalizing; only the baked goods, the honey cakes, the natural or unnatural ice cream and candy bars will fill the bill. Many followers of yogic disciplines ciplines are familiar with this condition. It can be rectified simply by adding enough acid-forming whole grains, beans, and flour products to the diet, which will eliminate the craving for sugar.
It’ s interesting that the acid-alkaline balance will override the expansive-contractive relationship: Alkalizing, expansive fruit will not eliminate desire for the equally expansive honey or sugar-sweetened goodies— because they are acid-forming, and the alkaline demands it. The same holds true with contractive foods: A high intake of acid-forming grain, bean, or animal foods still creates a desire for salt, which is alkalizing, even though it is also highly contractive. Expansive but alkalizing vegetables, on the other hand, do not awaken a craving for salt, whose contractiveness would indeed balance the expansiveness of the vegetables, but, more important, would only alkalize the system further. This is why salt-free diets rely on them so heavily. Dietary approaches that emphasize one kind of food( protein, grain, fruit / salad) and ignore the power of the acid-alkaline system, rarely work in the long run: Cravings will arise for an opposite or complementary food or drink( coffee, sweets, fish, alcohol, sugar) to create the needed balance.
CRAVINGS THAT BALANCE ONE-SIDED DIETS
DIET CRAVINGS
High meat( contractive, acid-forming)
Alcohol, sugar( expansive) Coffee( alkalizing)
High grain( contractive, acid-forming) Salad, coffee( expansive, alkalizing) High fruit, salad( expansive, alkalizing)
Salty food( contractive) Sweets( acidforming)
Protein( contractive, acid-forming)
4. Energetic imbalances that can be explained with the Five-Phase model sometimes show up as an attraction to unusual food combinations, yet not necessarily unhealthy foods. My own favorite instances of funny eating are the time when I decided I liked roasted red peppers for breakfast( Fire food), and a few days when I mostly ate whole wheat sourdough bread, sauerkraut, and beans( Wood and Water). If you want to find out what it is you’ re doing in terms of Five-Phase energetics, it’ s a good idea to consult with a health counselor who is familiar with that system. Meanwhile, you can trust yourself to balance the Five Phases automatically; as long as you stick with fresh, natural, wholesome food, you can follow your inclinations for variety with a fair degree of confidence. Just make sure to consume a different kind of bean and a different kind of grain every day.
CRAVINGS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM