You can control how acidic or alkaline your body is via diet. You may need to do this to offset the effects of certain medicines or to combat a health issue like kidney stones. If so, the acid-ash diet may be helpful. Always consult your health care provider before trying the acid-ash diet.
Identification
Foods are classified as acid-ash or alkaline-ash, based on how they influence your urine pH, according to the "Nutrition and Diet Therapy Reference Dictionary," by Rosalinda T. Lagua and Virginia Serraon Claudio. Acid-ash foods are acid-forming, meaning they decrease pH of urine. Alkaline-ash foods are basic-forming, meaning they increase urine pH. Acid-forming elements in food include phosphorus, sulfur and chloride. Alkaline- or basic-forming elements in food include potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium.
Significance
An acid-ash diet, or an alkaline-ash diet, may be used in conjunction with acidifying or alkalinizing drugs. Acid-ash urine may help you excrete kidney stones that consist of magnesium and calcium phosphates, oxalates and carbonates. This diet also may enhance effects of medicines that are prescribed for urinary tract infections. The acid-ash diet often is recommended for folks who need a low-phosphorus diet to treat edema or prevent UTIs and kidney stones.
Types
The acid-ash diet emphasizes acid-forming foods and restricts your intake of alkaline-forming foods. In general, protein-rich foods and cereals generally have acid-forming elements, whereas fruits, veggies and milk have more basic-forming elements. That's why an acid-ash diet consists of eggs, meat, fish and cereal, with limited amounts of cheese, milk, fruits and vegetables.
Considerations
There are some foods that are exceptions to the rule on the acid-ash diet. For example, cheddar cheese and cottage cheese are known for creating the acid-ash effect, notes the Diet Spotlight website. Plums, cranberries and prunes also are allowed on this diet, along with corn and lentils.
Features
You may have to swap out some of your usual foods to follow an acid-ash diet that's meant to reduce phosphorus foods, advises the National Kidney Foundation. For example, swap cream-based soups for water-based soups, ice cream for sherbet, peanuts for popcorn, and oatmeal for cream of wheat.
