Which Foods Are Acidic & Alkaline?

Acidic foods have a pH of under 7.0, while alkaline foods have a pH higher than 7.0. Anything around 7.0 is considered neutral. Most foods have an acidic pH, The digestive acids used to break down food in your stomach have a pH of around 2 -- in other words, highly acidic. Some evidence points to a consistently acidic diet leading to conditions such as osteoporosis.

Very Acidic Fruits

Citrus fruits such as lemons and limes are acidic. When you squeeze a drop of lemon juice onto your tongue, that sharp sensation comes in part from the acidic nature of the juice. Both lemons and limes have a pH of around 2.0 -- very similar to your stomach acids. Slightly less acidic fruits include cherries, peaches, apples and some berries. For example, Royal Ann cherries have a pH of around 3.8, while apples can have a pH as low as 3.3, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Food Safety and Health department.

Less Acidic Foods

Many foods have acidic properties, though don't have a pH as low as juicy fruits. Fruits such as bananas, for example, have a pH of 4.5 and above. Meat from a freshly killed animal tends to have neutral pH, much like muscles in the human body. However, as the meat breaks down, producing lactic acid, the pH may drop as low as 5.5 to 6.0, depending on the type of meat. Even dairy products stay slightly acidic, with milk between 6.0 and 6.8 pH.

Vegetables and Pickling

Most vegetables have a higher pH levels than fruits, though almost all still qualify as slightly acidic. Tomatoes and capsicums tend to have some of the lower vegetable pH levels, with numbers around 4.3 to 5.5. Carrots, potatoes, peas and beans have a pH ranging from 5.8 to 6.5. Experts from Health Services at Columbia University also point out that any foods pickled in vinegar, whether fruit or vegetable, have a low pH -- making pickled foods acidic.

Alkaline Foods

Very few foods are alkaline in nature. Some foods, such as eggs, have a relatively neutral pH or may be slightly alkaline at pH 7.5 to 8.0. Some food ingredients, such as baking soda are alkaline, even if the final food product isn't. In a study published in the "Journal for the International Society of Sports Nutrition," scientists found that eating a plant-based dietary supplement can raise your body's pH -- making it more alkaline overall.