The pH Effect

Reducing acid forming foods from my diet has been the most beneficial action I have ever taken regarding my overall health. Our bodies naturally regulate internal pH to between 7.30 and 7.40 with perfect alkalinity considered to be at 7.365. Acid forming foods have become an issue with the introduction of refined and processed foods such as bleached white flour and sugar. A more accurate label for refined flour and sugar would be toxins however rather than foods.

Acid forming foods deplete the body of oxygen and make a friendly environment for illness. Instead of allowing our bodies to heal from within using proper nutrition, doctors prescribe acid forming pharmaceuticals which manage our original maladies into chronic diseases. The best strategy to avoiding disease is prevention. One of the first steps toward a healthy body is a diet consisting of 80% alkaline forming foods. When examining what foods are acid forming it will become clear why we also have an obesity problem today. Most people are simply not eating the foods their bodies were designed to be eating.

The chart below lists common foods with an approximate, relative potential of acidity (-) or alkalinity (+), as present in one ounce of food. There is a lot of information across the web on this topic. I recommend that you do your own research into this and adjust your diet accordingly. Begin by eliminating one or two of the most acid forming foods or beverages from your diet. Slowly replace those with an alkaline forming food. Eat alkaline forming foods generously everyday and try to make acid forming foods a smaller part of your typical daily diet.

Alkaline Forming Foods Eat Everyday! Vegetables Alfalfa Grass +29.3 Asparagus +1.3 Barley Grass +28.1 Brussels Sprouts +0.5 Cabbage Lettuce, Fresh +14.1 Cauliflower +3.1 Cayenne Pepper +18.8 Celery +13.3 Chives +8.3 Comfrey +1.5 Cucumber, Fresh +31.5 Dandelion +22.7 Dog Grass +22.6 Endive, Fresh +14.5 French Cut Green Beans +11.2 Garlic +13.2 Green Cabbage, Dec. Harvest +4.0 Green Cabbage, Mar. Harvest +2.0 Kamut Grass +27.6 Lamb’s Lettuce +4.8 Leeks (Bulbs) +7.2 Lettuce +2.2 Onion +3.0 Peas, Fresh +5.1 Peas, Ripe +0.5 Red Cabbage +6.3 Rhubarb Stalks +6.3 Savoy Cabbage +4.5 Shave Grass +21.7 Sorrel +11.5 Soy Sprouts +29.5 Spinach, Other Than Mar. +13.1 Spinach, Mar. Harvest +8.0 Sprouted Chia Seeds +28.5 Sprouted Radish Seeds +28.4 Straw Grass +21.4 Watercress +7.7 Wheat Grass +33.8 White Cabbage +3.3 Zucchini +5.7 Root Vegetables Beet +11.3 Carrot +9.5 Horseradish +6.8 Kohlrabi +5.1 Potatoes +2.0 Red Radish +16.7 Rutabaga +3.1 Summer Black Radish +39.4 Turnip +8.0 White Radish, Spring +3.1 Fruits Avocado (Protein) +15.6 Fresh Lemon +9.9 Limes +8.2 Tomato +13.6 Non-Stored Organic Grains And Legumes Buckwheat Groats +0.5 Granulated Soy (Cooked Ground Soy Beans) +12.8 Lentils +0.6 Lima Beans +12.0 Soy Flour +2.5 Soy Lecithin (Pure) +38.0 Soy Nuts (soaked Soy Beans, Then Air Dried) +26.5 Soybeans, Fresh +12.0 Spelt +0.5 Tofu +3.2 White Beans (Navy Beans) +12.1 Nuts Almonds +3.6 Brazil Nuts +0.5 Seeds Caraway Seeds +2.3 Cumin Seeds +1.1 Fennel Seeds +1.3 Flax Seeds +1.3 Pumpkin Seeds +5.6 Sesame Seeds +0.5 Sunflower Seeds +5.4 Wheat Kernel +11.4 Fats (Fresh, Cold-Pressed Oils) Borage Oil +3.2 Evening Primrose Oil +4.1 Flax Seed Oil +3.5 Marine Lipids +4.7 Olive Oil +1.0

Foods You Should Consume Moderately Fruits (In Season) Apricot -9.5 Banana, Ripe -10.1 Banana, Unripe +4.8 Black Currant -6.1 Blueberry -5.3 Cantaloupe -2.5 Cherry, Sour +3.5 Cherry, Sweet -3.6 Coconut, Fresh +0.5 Cranberry -7.0 Currant -8.2 Date -4.7 Fig Juice Powder -2.4 Gooseberry, Ripe -7.7 Grape, Ripe -7.6 Grapefruit -1.7 Italian Plum -4.9 Mandarin Orange -11.5 Mango -8.7 Orange -9.2 Papaya -9.4 Peach -9.7 Pear -9.9 Pineapple -12.6 Raspberry -5.1 Red Currant -2.4 Rose Hips -15.5 Strawberry -5.4 Tangerine -8.5 Watermelon -1.0 Yellow Plum -4.9 Non-Stored Grains Brown Rice -12.5 Wheat -10.1 Nuts Hazelnuts -2.0 Macadamia Nuts -3.2 Walnuts -8.0 Fish Fresh Water Fish -11.8 Fats Coconut Milk -1.5 Sunflower Oil -6.7

Acidic Forming Foods Limit or Avoid! Meat, Poultry, And Fish Beef -34.5 Chicken (to -22) -18.0 Eggs (to -22) Liver -3.0 Ocean Fish -20.0 Organ Meats -3.0 Oysters -5.0 Pork -38.0 Veal -35.0 Milk And Milk Products Buttermilk +1.3 Cream -3.9 Hard Cheese -18.1 Homogenized Milk -1.0 Quark -17.3 Bread, Biscuits (Stored Grains/Risen Dough) Rye Bread -2.5 White Biscuit -6.5 White Bread -10.0 Whole-Grain Bread -4.5 Whole-Meal Bread -6.5 Nuts Cashews -9.3 Peanuts -12.8 Pistachios -16.6 Fats Butter -3.9 Corn Oil -6.5 Margarine -7.5 Sweets Artificial Sweeteners -26.5 Barley Malt Syrup -9.3 Beet Sugar -15.1 Brown Rice Syrup -8.7 Chocolate -24.6 Dr. Bronner’s Barley Dried Sugar Cane Juice -18.0 Fructose -9.5 Honey -7.6 Malt Sweetener -9.8 Milk Sugar -9.4 Molasses -14.6 Turbinado Sugar -9.5 White Sugar -17.6 Condiments Ketchup -12.4 Mayonnaise -12.5 Mustard -19.2 Soy Sauce -36.2 Vinegar -39.4 Beverages Beer -26.8 Coffee -25.1 Fruit Juice Sweetened With Fruit Juice, Packaged, Natural -8.7 Liquor -38.7 Tea (Black) -27.1 White Sugar -33.6 Wine -16.4 Miscellaneous Canned Foods Microwaved Foods Processed Food

Table: pH scale of alkaline and acid forming foods
Source: “The Nutrition Factor” by Dr. Jimmy Steger, N.D., Phd.

This is a great first step in overall awareness. Research nutrition thoroughly. Take responsibility for your own better health. We have been told a lot of untruths regarding what is healthy for us. The pH effect is only one reason the USDA’s food pyramid needs to be thrown on the compost pile. I’ll be sharing more of what I have found on that soon.