The foods we eat are digested and oxidized forming a residue of ash that are acidic, alkaline or neutral to body fluids and organs. Knowing which foods leave behind an acidic ash can be useful in balancing your diet. There are many versions of acid/clkaline food charts available to assist you in striving for the ideal balance of 80% alkaline and 20% acidic foods in your diet.
Animal Products
Animal proteins are at the top of the acidic food list, including beef, corned beef, pork, bacon, sausage, turkey, veal, venison, lamb, rabbit and all organ meats. Seafoods are also acidic: fish, carp, clams, cod, haddock, lobster, mussels, oyster, pike, salmon, sardines, scallops, shellfish, shrimp and tuna. Chicken, at times, falls on the acidic side of the food list.
Dairy Products
Cheese and cheese products, including processed cheeses, ice cream and ice milk, are acidic. Butter, milk (including organic), yogurt and eggs are considered to be neither acidic nor alkaline to the body by some nutritionists.
Grains and Grain Products
These include bread, amaranth, barley, oat and wheat bran, corn and cornstarch, white and wheat flour, hemp seed flour, crackers, kamut, macaroni, noodles, oatmeal and rolled oats, quinoa, all rice, rice cakes, rye, spaghetti, spelt, wheat germ, and wheat.
Beans, Legumes and Nuts
These include black beans, chick peas, green peas, kidney beans, lentils, pinto beans, red beans, soy beans, white beans, almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk. Cashews, legumes, peanut butter, peanuts, pecans, tahini and walnuts.
Fruits and Vegetables
There are a small number of fruits and vegetables that are considered acidic to the body: corn, lentils, olives, winter squash, blueberries, canned and glazed fruits, cranberries, currants, and sometimes prunes and plums.
Processed Foods
All processed foods are acid forming. This includes but is not limited to canned foods, frozen foods and boxed foods. Processed foods generally lack fiber, which is needed to control blood sugar and improve bowel health. In addition, they contain white flours, white sugars and modified fillers (including modified soy lecithin), which all contribute to the acidifying effect of these foods.
Miscellaneous
Fats and oils are acidic: avocado oil, canola oil, corn oil, flax oil, hemp seed oil, lard, olive oil, safflower oil sesame oil and sunflower oil. All artificial sweeteners are acidic. Soft drinks, coffee, black tea, beer, hard liquor, spirits and wines are acidic. Cane sugar, carob, corn syrup, vinegar, pepper, mustard, cocoa and catsup are on the acidic the list as well. All drugs, tobacco, chemicals, herbicides and pesticides are acidic to the human body.
Cooked Foods
Raw food purists would claim that all cooked foods are acidic to the body. It is well-known that cooking food changes the structure of the food: minerals can be leached and natural enzymes destroyed, all contributing to making foods unmetabalizable in the complex process of digestion. In comparison, raw foods are easily recognizable to the body and directly metabolized.
Member Comments