FWIW, a dose of baking soda in water can bring rapid correction if you become so acidic as to feel really ill, as happens to me occasionally

This would definitely neutralize stomach acids, and so relieve heartburn and such, but does it actually effect the body ph?  I say this because many of the most alkalizing foods are strongly acidic.  For instance, grapefruit juice does wonders (or lemon or lime, but grapefruit has some other cool properties, for instance they don't serve it in hospitals because when you take it with vitamins or medication it increases the absorbtion rate so much as to make it dangerous and potentially lethal with certain medications).

http://www.healsa.co.za/Essential_Health_Book.doc
or
http://www.healsa.co.za/Essential_Health_book.pdf

Limukala, thank you thank you for linking this!

And the staggering amounts of MSG, aspartame and other excitotoxins in our food supply make me wonder if pH may be affected by them.

FWIW, a dose of baking soda in water can bring rapid correction if you become so acidic as to feel really ill, as happens to me occasionally.

If my pH is too low, forget about getting anything done... energy low, motivation low, mood low. Complete opposite with proper pH.  I think there is something more going on than just chemistry, but rather some exotic physics effect where the increased negative ion concentration due to the alkalinity does something to bring in extra etheric energy.

I also found coffee to be strongly alkalizing, or maybe it's just the caffeine, contrary to what most pH food charts say... some of these charts are put together willy nilly based on what foods are known to be "politically correct" versus not, so find a chart that matches your own results. If you eat something that is alkalizing, be prepared to feel more energized and awake. But if you start feeling tingly in your hands and lips as though hyperventilating, then you overdosed. I've only gotten that a few times with salads laced with onions and lots of apple cider vinegar.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that traditional cultural foods seem designed to maintain pH. Like take German food... it often includes pork, which is quite acid-forming, but counters it with vinegar, onions, and rye bread. The foods that are completely against pH balancing are modern junk foods and white breads, which come from social engineering, industrial waste reprocessing, and corporate profit maximization instead of time-tested tradition.

You are misunderstanding what is being referenced here.  Yes, lemons other citrus fruits are very acidic, but, counterintuitively they are among the most alkalizing foods available.  To determine the effect it will have on your body chemistry, you need to look at the ph of the ash, not the fresh food, to understand what the ph will be once the food has been metabolized.  One of the main acidifying agents is sugar, and so the sweeter the fruit is, the weaker the alkalizing effect will be.

What isn't realized by the people touting alkalizing diets though, is that breath and posture are more important to body ph than diet.  A full explanation would be long and complicated, so here is a link that explains this in detail (I posted this earlier, so some of you are already familiar, but if not, I HIGHLY recommend this short ebook, it is profound and easily applicable)

http://www.healsa.co.za/Essential_Health_Book.doc
or
http://www.healsa.co.za/Essential_Health_book.pdf
depending on what format you prefer (or is least painful for you)

Speaking of dorks, I bought a pH tester last year for seeing how I was doing.  I'll relay my experiences in a minute but first this from the BLEEP's Dr. Gordon:

Note - what he's saying here might fly in the face of conventionaly just a bit.  That is, the common belief that veggies = good = higher pH and most meat and everything else = bad = lower pH.  So we may have a bit more leeway to work with if Dr. Gordon's a bit closer here.

My own experience: I actually have correlated a lower saliva pH to a worse mood, and vice versa.  Example:
- On Sept 29 with no food for 2.5+ hours, and being in a bad mood, I tested 5.65 Saliva pH.
- On Sept 30 with no food for 2.5+ hours, and a noticeably better mood, I tested 6.46 Saliva pH.  Still low though...

I just tested myself now and am at 6.7 pH Saliva, and I actually did a urine test and was 5.82.  Still a ways to go for me to get to to 7.4 and 6.4!  But just thought I'd share... it really does seem to correlate to how you feel!!

After finding the above link I went out and bought a pH "kit" thing, which includes the roll of pH paper, and an informative booklet (from Wild Oats Market).  Also purchased a book about the Acid / Alkaline thing, which outlined the diseases and ailments that happen to the body when it's drowning in acid wastes.  What an eye opener!   

I really do recommend looking into this, there's definately something to alkalizing your body.  I notice a physical / mental change as well when I alkalize, like what montalk mentioned.  It's also trippy to watch your pH fluctuate drastically (when using the test strips), depending on what you eat.

I've tried the pH balancing diet and am amazed by how well it works.

Yes, there are some precautions as Murphy outlined earlier, like discrepancies among charts of what's alkalizing or acidifying, and allergies/sensitivities to take into account. Plus don't forget about the blood type diet suggestions which work well with the pH balancing program. For me, it's as simple as eating more fruits and vegetables and cutting down on my starches and sugars.

Results I noticed of being alkaline:  more energy, clearer head, better mood, more pep, more consistent sleep, and flying abilities. Just kidding about that last one.