10 Highly Acidic Foods
We all know that it’s important to have a healthy diet, but a lot of people don’t pay much attention to anything besides the nutritional value of their food. There are a number of vitamins and minerals that are important to consume every day, but it’s also important to make sure that we balance out the acidity of our diets. If we eat too many highly acidic foods, then your body will respond with the symptoms of high acidity. You may experience heartburn, cardiovascular problems, and digestive issues. If you eat an extremely acidic diet for too long, you may develop more serious problems.
The pH value of foods is what determines their acidity. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic. Foods that are rated a 7 are neutral, and anything higher than 7 is considered alkaline. If you eat too much acidic food, you can counteract it by eating something alkaline. Without getting too technical, the easiest thing that you can do is prevent yourself from eating too many acidic foods. Here is a list of the ten most acidic foods that you may want to limit.
Highly Acidic Food #1: Processed Sugary Foods
Processed sugary foods like candy are incredibly unhealthy. One of the reasons for this is because they’re quite acidic. Sugar has been linked to many health problems, like an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Sugar is also dangerously addictive. Some have compared the addictive nature of sugar to that of cocaine, and it could even be considered more dangerous, because so few people recognize the inherent dangers of sugar, it’s available everywhere, and is found in most processed foods. If you’re craving sugar, you should try and replace it with magnesium or healthy fats like omega-3s.
Highly Acidic Food #2: Artificial Sweeteners
If you read the last entry and were thinking about switching over to artificial sweeteners, be careful. Artificial sweeteners are, in many cases, more dangerous and acidic than sugar itself.
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame aren’t really sustainable sugar replacements because they cause just as many, if not more, health problems. If you must have something sweet, try to use a natural sweetener like honey or stevia. These sweeteners provide you with some nutrition and won’t cause health defects when used in moderation, although they are still sugary and should be consumed responsibly.
Highly Acidic Food #3: Ice Cream
Ice cream is deceptive because when you’re eating it, it seems creamy, which is pretty much as far as you can get from acidic. Unfortunately, unless you’re eating sugar-free ice cream made with natural sweeteners, you’re still going to be ingesting a massive amount of sugar.
Furthermore, ice cream is generally made with milk, which we’re going to discuss in a bit. Cow’s milk is quite acidic on its own, and the combination of sugar and cow’s milk makes for an extra acidic snack. Eating ice cream on a regular basis is a sure way to throw off the pH balance of your body.
Highly Acidic Food #4: Soft Drinks
Soda pop and carbonated soft drinks are extremely sugary and are a great way to impede your physical health. It’s not hard to see why most soft drinks are incredibly high in sugar, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup.
Many soft drinks also contain phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid is quite corrosive and is the reason that some soft drinks have been shown to be able to dissolve teeth and bone when they’re left in a solution for a long time. A soft drink, like a cola, is basically a liquid form of sugar with other acidic compounds included. You should avoid these at all costs.
Highly Acidic Food #5: Deep Fried Foods
Deep fried foods, even something as simple as french fries, are quite unhealthy for you. One of the reasons that they’re so bad is because they’re full of trans fats, which are known to cause a number of health problems associated with acidity.
They can increase the level of LDL cholesterol in the body, which is considered the bad form of cholesterol. Trans-fats and deep-fried foods also increase the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
Highly Acidic Food #6: Coffee
Despite the fact that coffee is one of the most popular drinks around the world, studies have shown that it’s not that great for you, especially when you consume it in excess. Unfortunately, what’s considered ‘excess’ coffee is well within the range of what most people drink in a day.
Decaf coffee, even though it won’t strain your health as much as caffeinated coffee, is still quite acidic. Many people who have drunk coffee over the years have had to stop because the acidity has wreaked havoc on their bodies.
Highly Acidic Food #7: MSG
Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, isn’t just found in Chinese food. It’s found in a lot of foods – some of them natural – and when it’s consumed in excess it can cause problems.
That said, MSG isn’t as dangerous as many of us believe. The reason that it’s considered a dangerous compound is because the amounts included in many foods, like Chinese foods, are much higher than we’re able to process properly. Eating excessive amounts of MSG is comparable to eating high amounts of salt. It can cause various problems like headaches, nausea, pain in the muscles, and heart problems.
Highly Acidic Food #8: Carbonated Water
We’ve already mentioned that soft drinks are bad for you. Unfortunately, it’s not just the sugar in them that’s acidic. The carbonation itself can be considered a risk to health, so people who reach for a tonic water instead of a soda should still be careful.
The carbonation in these beverages generally comes from carbonic acid. This means that the pH value of these drinks is about 10 times more acidic than what you will find in tap water. Drinking carbonated water once in a while isn’t that dangerous. However, make sure you don’t swap out drinking tap water for carbonated water.
Highly Acidic Food #9: Red Meat
Red meat, like beef, is one of the most acidic food sources that you can eat. It’s been linked to a number of health problems like cancer and heart disease.
It should only be consumed in moderation. If you must eat red meat, make sure that you mix it with alkaline foods like some good vegetables.
Highly Acidic Food #10: Sauerkraut and Fermented Foods
Fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, despite being quite good for you in small doses, are quite acidic. They shouldn’t be consumed all the time because doing so can throw off the pH balance of your body.
Anything that has been soaked in vinegar – which is known as acetic acid – will be quite acidic and should be limited. Use these foods medicinally and not every day.
