Foods That Cause Acidic Urine

Diet is one of the factors that can promote or inhibit the formation of kidney stones. The food you eat affects the acidity and alkalinity of your urine. If you have recurrent kidney stones, specifically uric acid or cystine kidney stones, your doctor may suggest you limit your intake of foods that increase urine acidity.

Meat

The chloride, phosphorus and sulfur content of food increases your urine's acidity. The protein in meats contain high amounts of chloride, phosphorus and sulfur, which are primary contributors to acidic urine. Meats that increase urine acidity include beef, pork, bacon, lamb, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs. In order to balance the acidic urine, your body releases calcium to make the urine more alkaline. It has been theorized that a diet high in acidic foods increases osteoporosis. A 2009 meta-analysis study conducted by Tanis R. Fenton and colleagues at the University of Calgary in Canada and published in the "Journal of Bone and Mineral Research" reviewed five studies to assess the effect of an acidic urine on calcium balance and bone mineralization. The authors of the review noted that eating foods that increased urine acidity did not affect bone mineralization or increase risk of osteoporosis.

Meat Alternatives

The proteins in meat alternatives also increase urine acidity. Meat alternatives include foods such as cheese, peanut butter, peanuts, Brazil nuts, filberts and walnuts. Many popular diets suggest that eating foods that increase urine acidity also increase the acidity of your blood. However, the acidic juices in your stomach used to help you digest food are significantly more acidic than any food you eat. Consuming foods that increase urine acidity does not have an affect on blood acidity.

Starches

Starches also contain chloride, phosphorus and sulfur and therefore increase urine acidity. In fact, whole grains contain especially high amounts of these nutrients and have a greater impact on urine acidity than refined flours. Starch choices that increase urine acidity include whole wheat bread, cereal, crackers, macaroni, spaghetti, noodles and rice.

Vegetables

Most vegetables actually make urine more alkaline, with the exception of corn and lentils. A diet high in fruits and vegetables is considered healthy because it reduces urine acidity.

Fruits

Like vegetables, most fruits make the urine more alkaline with the exception of prunes, plums and cranberries. These fruits contain benzoic and quinic acid that are excreted as hippuric acid in the urine, according to the author's of "Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy."