Body pH – the Alkaline-Acid Foods

You may review this series of articles on Body pH here:

1. Body pH – a Guide to Health or Disease

2. How Does An Acid Body Lead to Disease?

3. What Causes pH Imbalance in My Body?

4. Body pH – What Should I Do Now?

Here’s a simple list of foods ranked by greatest alkaline producing effect in the body at the top:

70 to 80% of a person’s diet should be alkaline to preserve the correct balance for life. The table below shows the acidity/alkalinity of common foods after they are digested. The most alkaline producing foods are at the top. The most acid producing foods are at the bottom. In other words, there is a flow from most alkaline to most acidic as you proceed from top to bottom.

ACID ALKALINE

Raw fruits & vegetables

Cooked whole grains

Dried fruits

Frozen fruits & vegetables

Lightly steamed fruits & vegetables

Dairy products. (cheese, eggs, milk, etc)

Sugar & refined grains

Raw nuts (almonds, pecans, cashews, etc.)

White meat (Raw, Rare, Well Done) (fish, fowl)

Sprouted grains

Red meat (Raw, Rare, Well Done) (beef, pork, mutton)

Herbs, spices, condiments, spicy foods (garlic, hot peppers, onions, horseradish, etc.)

Fried food, coffee, tea, salt, alcohol

Drugs & medicines, tobacco

You may see many variations in the listing of alkaline or acid effect of the above foods, but this list gives you a simple guide to follow.

Some Misconceptions about Acid-forming and Alkaline-forming Food

Foods are classified as acid-forming or alkalizing depending on the effect they have on the body. An acid-forming food contributes hydrogen ions to the body, making it more acidic. An alkalizing food removes hydrogen ions from the body, making it more alkaline. It is important to note that this classification is based on the effect foods have on the body after digestion, not on their own intrinsic acidity or alkalinity (or how they taste to us).

A common misconception is that if a food tastes acidic, it has an acid-forming effect on the body. This is not necessarily true. Very often, an acidic-tasting food is alkalizing. Citric fruits are a good example. People say that lemons, for example, are “too acidic”; however, they are actually alkalizing because the minerals they leave behind after digestion help remove hydrogen ions, decreasing the acidity of the body. (Many people use the term “residue” or “ash” to explain the effect of a food on the body. A food with an acid ash after digestion contributes hydrogen ions, making the body more acidic; a food with an alkaline ash after digestion removes hydrogen ions, making the body more alkaline.)

Another misconception is that acid-forming foods are “bad.” This is not correct; acidity and alkalinity are opposites and one is not intrinsically better than the other. This misconception has developed because the North American diet is excessively acidic, which does result in health problems.

So, eat a diet that helps your body maintain the correct acidity-alkalinity balance. According to Airola, the ideal diet should have a natural ratio of four parts alkaline to one part acid. Others contend that while this is a good ratio for active people (exercise creates a lot of acid), less active people can handle a diet with a ratio of two parts alkaline to one part acid.

The Get Healthy Eating Plan in my cookbook, Dr. Jo’s Natural Healing Cookbook, helps you easily add more vegetables (alkalinizing) to your meals and automatically eliminates the acid forming junk food. Then adjust the protein in the meal to suit you metabolic type and pH balancing needs.

Getting rid of the acid accumulation in your tissues can be a stubborn problem. You have to stay tenacious and keep adding one small step at a time that returns your tissues to a healthy pH. If you try to do too much at once, you will be overwhelmed and will go back to old habits. So, keep taking one simple step at a time.

Implement some more of these steps by following the great tips in the next article.

Blessings,

Dr. Jo