Foods are categorized as acidic or alkaline based on the way they change the pH, or potential of hydrogen, level in your body once digested. The pH scale ranges from zero to 14, with a value of seven signifying neutral balance. Carefully choosing your foods aids in preventing pH imbalance. Problems related to high acidity includes limited cell energy production, increased vulnerability to illness and improper absorption of nutrients.
Fruits
The majority of fruits are low in acidity and fall under the category of alkaline, which is ideal for maintaining balanced pH. Fruits considered highly acidic in a natural state, such as lemons are actually metabolized by your body in alkaline-form. According to Paleodiet, the PRAL, or "potential renal acid load of a food" per 100 grams rated on the pH scale indicates that negative ranking signifies low acidity level. Oranges are low acid, ranked as -2.7, raisins are extremely low acid and high alkaline at -21.0. Bananas, blueberries and watermelon range between -1.9 to -5.5 PRAL. Canned fruits are generally higher acidity, due to the preservation process and should be avoided if you are trying to eat low acid foods.
Vegetables
Vegetables contain low acidity, especially the green hued types. Spinach is ranked as -14.0, broccoli is -1.2 and lettuce varieties rank at -1.6 to -2.5 per 100 grams. Carrots, celery and tomatoes range from -3.1 to -5.2 and other commonly preferred vegetables such as mushrooms, potatoes and onions are low in acidity, ranging from -1.4 to -4.0. Vegetables with a higher alkaline range, which also means low to no acidity includes beets, zucchini and olives.
Beans and Nuts
Legumes, lentils and nuts are ranked as low acid depending on the type consumed. Hazelnuts rank at -2.8, however, walnuts are moderate acidity at 6.8. Green beans are the lowest acidity at -3.1 and peas rank at low to moderate acidity of 1.2 on the scale. As a rule of thumb, beans and nuts are generally lower acidity than other protein sources such as meats and dairy, which range from 0.5 to 34.2 on the high end of acidity. Meat tests as alkaline before digestion, however after metabolizing in your body, meat turns acidic. Try to maintain a ratio of 60 percent alkaline-forming foods to 40 percent acid-forming foods in order to maintain a healthy pH level.
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