Acid foods and alkaline foods have taken a major role in the discussion about human nutrition, and many people are confused about how to deal with yet another overwhelming health concern.  It can be tempting to just avoid thinking about the subject at all, rather than to have to sort through all the information available.  It doesn’t have to be that difficult, however.  When it comes to determining a healthy intake of acid foods and alkaline foods, there are just two simple questions that need to be answered: 

1.    Is an item an acid food or an alkaline food?
2.    How do you balance the two?

These questions are important due to the fact that our diets affect every other aspect of our bodies’ functions—from energy to mood to illness and disease. 

Is This an Acid Food or an Alkaline Food?

For a more comprehensive list of alkaline and acid foods, take the
FREE ALKALINE FOOD TEST  

There are a few ways to answer this question, but the easiest is probably to find a resource you trust and simply look up the food in question.  It may even be helpful to find or create a chart that can be displayed on the front of the refrigerator.  Then, as you cook, you can look each food up and determine where it falls on the pH scale.

Keep in mind that simply testing a food with litmus paper is not necessarily the best indicator of how it actually affects the body.  An alkaline food does not always start out that way, rather it is categorized by how it reacts internally.  A great example of this process is lemons.  When you cut a lemon open, you find it to be acidic.  Once it is digested, however, a lemon actually helps create an alkaline environment in the body.

Generally speaking, fruits and vegetables are going to be the most alkaline foods, although they will certainly fall all along the range from acid to alkaline.  Again, a chart is probably the best way to gauge what will be the best choice.  On the other hand, meats and processed sweets are almost always going to be acid foods.  Obviously, most of Western society derives protein and other important nutrients from meat, so simply cutting out all acid foods is not a realistic choice.  Many acid foods are, in fact, important for our overall health.

How Do You Balance the Two?

As with nearly any food-related subject, the key to health is balance.  Choosing a good balance of alkaline foods to acid foods is what will keep the body in its best working condition.  Human blood is usually between 7.35 and 7.45 on the pH scale.  This means that it is slightly alkaline, as 7 is considered neutral.  When we introduce too many acid foods, the pH starts to move downward, and if it falls below about 6.8, serious damage can be caused.

In order to keep the body’s pH in check, it’s necessary to eat a diet that balances alkaline foods and acid foods.  A good guideline is to ensure that 75-80% of what is eaten in any given meal would be considered an alkaline food.  Because most processed foods, as well as meat and grains, are typically acidic, this means making sure to get plenty of produce and other known alkaline foods each day.

It is also helpful to remember that stress (physical and emotional), alcohol, stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, etc.), and even pollution add to the acid formation in the body, so focusing on eating plenty of alkaline foods can help to counteract these unfortunate realities of modern life.

Author - As one of the owners of an online health food store, Cliff Smith created the FREE Alkaline Food Test so that consumers may see how their choices impact the body. Also, discover the alkaline foods and drinks Cliff recommends for healthy pH balance.

More information:

10 Alkaline Foods and 10 Acid Foods for pH Balance

How Alkaline Foods and pH Balance Affect Your Health

All Natural Foods, Alkaline Foods and Health Drinks Not Sold in Stores
Shopping Secrets of the Rich and Famous and Healthy