To function properly, your blood and other bodily fluids need to maintain the right acid-alkaline balance, or homeostasis. Healthy, oxygen-rich arterial blood is slightly alkaline, with a value between 7.34 and 7.45 on the pH scale, while saliva, urine and gastric juices have individual healthy pH ranges that fluctuate throughout the day. The food you eat — especially the type of food you eat regularly — affects this acid-alkaline balance. All foods can be classified as neutral, alkaline-forming or acid-forming in your body.
Acidic Vs. Alkaline
With a value of 7.0 on the pH scale, pure water is neutral. Acidic substances have pH values of 6.9 or lower, while alkaline substances have pH values of 7.1 or higher. A food’s acid content doesn’t determine whether or not it's acid- or alkaline-forming after the body metabolizes it. Camembert cheese, for example, has a slightly alkaline pH, but is slightly acid-forming in the body. Likewise, devil’s food cake and sponge cake have alkaline pH values, but like all sugary desserts, they're highly acid-forming in the body. It's also possible for a food's acidity or alkalinity to match its effect in the body — cranberries are both acidic and acid-forming.
Water
Pure water is neutral and is neither acid- nor alkaline-forming in the body, but drinking water is rarely pure. The concentration of minerals in water can significantly alter its pH. European mineral water is highly mineralized and alkaline-forming, containing approximately 1,500 mg of dissolved solids per liter. The same amount of average tap water contains about 50 mg of dissolved solids. Most dissolved solids — especially in commercial mineral water — are alkalizing minerals such as calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate. High levels of chloride increase water’s acidity. A small concentration of acidic dissolved solids in drinking water isn’t significant enough to encourage acidosis, or an overly acidic body pH, according to “The Acid Alkaline Food Guide.”
Lemon Juice
Lemons have a low, highly acidic pH, which is attributable to their citric acid content. The acidity of a fresh lemon can vary between 2.2 and 2.4 on the pH scale, depending on the fruit's state of ripeness. Canned, unsweetened lemon juice has a consistent pH of 2.3. Compared to lemons, limes are slightly more acidic, oranges and grapefruit are slightly less acidic and cranberries are approximately as acidic. The pH nature of lemons changes during the body's metabolic process, however, and they become highly alkaline-forming. Adding just 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice to a glass of water is an easy way to give your body a boost of alkalinity.
Considerations
Limes are as equally alkaline-forming as lemons, so adding fresh lime juice to a glass of water has the same effect. Likewise, oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruits such are also alkalizing. Oranges and grapefruit are moderately alkaline-forming, while tangerines and mandarin oranges are highly alkalizing. To promote a healthy acid-alkaline balance in your body, opt for a slice of fresh lemon, lime or other citrus fruit in your water rather than a glass of lemonade or other sweetened fruit juice. Because refined sugar is highly acid-forming, lemonade and other fruit juices that contain added sugar are acid-forming in the body.
References
- “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods”; Michael Murray, N.D., et al.; 2005
- “The Acid Alkaline Food Guide”; Dr. Susan E. Brown, et al.; 2006
- “The pH Balance Diet”; Bharti Vyas, et al.; 2007
- “Alkalize or Die”; Dr. Theodore A. Baroody; 1991
- Oklahoma State University: The Importance of Food pH in Commercial Canning Operations; William McGlynn
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