Heartburn, Indigestion, Acid-Reflux? How to Kick an Over-Acid Diet
By Ruth Sackman
Have you ever been diagnosed with Heartburn or Acid-Reflux? Both of these problems can be result of an over-acidic diet. One of our major nutritional goals for optimum health is maintaining a proper acid/alkaline balance. It is important that our diet is slightly more alkaline-forming than acid as this is the environment which is most conducive to health and the body's natural repair process.

We are talking about the acid or alkaline ash that remains in the body after metabolism, not the actual content of the food. For example, lemon is an acid-containing food, but it leaves an alkaline residue. In fact, an excellent way to combat acidosis would be to drink water with fresh lemon juice.

The body always strive to maintain a proper acid/alkaline balance, though the more we help it along by eating the right balance of foods, the less wear and tear on the system. If an acid condition persists, however, the body will draw minerals from other areas to try to neutralize the situation. For instance, calcium, an alkaline-forming mineral, may be released from bones. This is a short-term solution which, over time, can lead to osteoporosis. Chronic over-acidity removes oxygen from the blood and can result in lowered immunity and premature aging, kidney stone formation, muscle loss, back pain, gout and other joint diseases. Chronic degenerative conditions, like cancer, tend to develop in an over acid environment. Over acidity also can produce that tired, headachy, fuzzy-headed feeling many people get, especially after eating.

There is a simple method for measuring pH (the symbol used as a measurement for acidity/alkalinity) in the urine. One can buy nitrazine or litmus paper in most drug stores. A half-inch or so of tape is dropped into a small amount of urine collected in a container. The tape turns to a color that is compared to a special chart on the package which corresponds to the acid/alkaline numbers - a pH of 7 is considered neutral; lower than 7 is acid, above is alkaline. A single urine test cannot give the total picture. The test ought to be repeated in early morning and several times during the day, and over more than one day, to establish a pattern. The numbers should not be consistently extreme on the acid side (called acidosis), or on the alkaline side (alkalosis). Either extreme is out of the normal healthy range. The ideal is a slightly alkaline pH reading of 7.365 - 7.45, but within the range of 6.0 - 7.5 is considered a healthy place to be.

The typical American diet is acidogenic, consisting of foods that have an acidifying effect on the body - too much meat, processed foods, refined sugars, chemical additives, caffeine, alcohol, as well as most prescription drugs, etc. A plant-based diet of whole, fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains, etc., will naturally have a more alkalinizing effect.

It should also be noted that chronic low-grade stress, so common in today's busy, fast-paced world - is acid forming. The antidote would be to try to acknowledge and manage stress, and to incorporate activities like meditation, yoga which help relax and rebalance the system.

Clinicians have determined that a proper balance for regaining health is best achieved by eating about 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming. For maintaining health, usually 60% alkaline and 40% acid is adequate. Some practitioners suggest the following formula for every 10 foods eaten: 6 should be vegetables, 2 fruits, 1 protein, 1 starch and whole, organic grains. I have added another ingredient - fermented food, such as yogurt or naturally fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut or kim chi. Fermented food provides the beneficial intestinal flora that is a natural need of the colon.

One of the basic principles that doctors have discovered from long clinical experience and study is that healing is essentially the process of the body ridding itself of toxic materials. When at rest or asleep, the body focuses its energy on attempting to repair any biological dysfunctions, as well as "housekeeping" to release stored toxins from cells into the bloodstream for elimination. Therefore, the most toxic time is in the morning. While most people have been told repeatedly that a substantial breakfast is the best way to start the day, in many European health clinics the very opposite is the practice. They begin the early morning mostly with fruits which serve as cleansers, followed by other foods on the alkaline side because this is one of the best ways to neutralize over-acidity from accumulated toxins and to stimulate the muscular activity of the intestines to eliminate wastes. After the period of morning toxicity is relieved, one can then start on the day's normal food intake.

People have asked me why it is that primitive man survived without a clue about his pH or what percentage of his foods should be acid or alkaline? Ah, life was simpler then! There were no fast food outlets or refined foods. There were fewer choices, so people naturally ate a more unadulterated plant-based diet. Today, we have a lot more food options, but it's still relatively simple to eat well: just stick to a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, whole grains) with small amounts of flesh foods, a daily dose of fermented. Avoid processed/junk foods, refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, soda pop, routine use of pharmaceuticals, etc.

Check your pH periodically and adjust your food intake to average in the alkaline zone. Find ways to diffuse chronic stress.

Source: www.rethinkingcancer.org

(Note: Experts often disagree about the pH of some foods, based on different testing methods or interpretations. What's important to remember is that the human body is an amazing survival machine and Mother Nature gives us a lot of leeway. She would like us to aim high, but perfection is not necessary or even attainable. This chart gives sufficient general guidelines to help you make wise choices.)

Acid/Alkaline Food Chart

Alkaline Foods
Acid Foods

Alkaline Vegetables

Asparagus
Artichokes
Cabbage
Lettuce
Onion
Cauliflower
Radish
Swede
Lambs Lettuce
Peas
Courgette
Red Cabbage
Leeks
Watercress
Spinach
Turnip
Chives
Carrot
Green Beans
Beetroot
Garlic
Celery
Grasses (wheat, straw, barley, dog, kamut etc.)
Cucumber
Broccoli
Kale
Brussels Sprouts

Fruits

Lemon
Lime
Avocado
Tomato
Grapefruit
Watermelon (is neutral)
Rhubarb

Meats

Pork
Lamb
Beef
Chicken
Turkey
Crustaceans
Other Seafood (apart from occasional oily fish such as salmon)

Dairy Products

Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Cream
Yogurt
Ice Cream

Drinks

'Green Drinks'
Fresh vegetable juice
Pure water (spring, distilled or ionised)
Lemon water (pure water + fresh lemon or lime).
Herbal Tea
Vegetable broth
Almond Milk

Others

Vinegar
White Pasta
White Bread
Wholemeal Bread
Biscuits
Soy Sauce
Tamari
Condiments (Tomato Sauce, Mayonnaise etc.)
Artificial Sweeteners
Honey

Drinks

Fizzy Drinks
Coffee
Tea
Beers
Spirits
Fruit Juice
Dairy Smoothies
Milk
Traditional Tea

Seeds, Nuts & Grains

Almonds
Pumpkin
Sunflower
Sesame
Flax
Buckwheat Groats
Spelt
Lentils
Cumin Seeds
Any sprouted seed

 

Convenience Foods

Sweets
Chocolate
Microwave Meals
Tinned Foods
Powdered Soups
Instant Meals
Fast Food

Fats & Oils

Saturated Fats
Hydrogenated Oils
Margarine (worse than Butter)
Corn Oil
Vegetable Oil
Sunflower Oil
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Previous Comments

sjm commented on 18-Aug-2010 09:58 PM1 out of 5 stars
I'd like to see the scientific documentation upon which this is (presumably) based.
I hear a lot of theories about diet, but without source citations, they are not credible.
SAU commented on 18-Aug-2010 11:34 PM5 out of 5 stars
99% of doctors don't want their patients or people to know this stuff. 100% of pharmaceutical companies don't dare tell people they can cure or help themselves. Why? Because they'd be out of work and out of money.

God created our bodies perfectly and it's either our fault or our parent's fault that they're not working at optimum levels.
Anonymous commented on 18-Aug-2010 11:56 PM5 out of 5 stars
SJM,
There is a lot of credible documentation out there that backs this up. You should look for it. The only reason it isn't readily available to the public is because it would go againt pharmaceutical companies who are contantly preventing this information to be let out to the public
STS commented on 19-Aug-2010 12:58 AM5 out of 5 stars
SJM please look you will find all the evidence to support what is stated in this article. I agree with SAU and anonymous. Whats more its been available for a very long time in all sorts of books.
Cliff Smith commented on 19-Aug-2010 01:20 AM5 out of 5 stars
Want some evidence? Try to alkalize your diet and feel your own results. I reduced arthritis and lost weight by alkalizing my diet. It's not brain surgery. Just eat more fresh food, less meat and refined foods, and drink good quality alkaline drinks and you'll be well on your way.
Andrew commented on 19-Aug-2010 03:04 AM5 out of 5 stars
SJM - you could try to read the PH Miracle Cure for Diabetes By Dr Young or do an on-line search and you will find lots of scientifically docuemnted evidence quite easily.
Anonymous commented on 19-Aug-2010 03:58 AM3 out of 5 stars
Isn't the taking of some pharmaceutical drugs also a cause of acid reflux? They do something to the esophagus that physically causes the stomach to partially enter it or some such?
Renee commented on 19-Aug-2010 07:46 AM5 out of 5 stars
I've always read that heartburn, etc is a result of your acid being too low which I think is my situation. Still experimenting if that is the cause.
Anonymous commented on 19-Aug-2010 08:14 AM5 out of 5 stars
I've been taught that to best test your alkalinity, you should test your saliva (fresh saliva and before eating) not urine because urine is meant to slightly acidic. Can any one shed any more light?
Anonymous commented on 19-Aug-2010 08:53 AM5 out of 5 stars
SJM- are you serious? there is a plethora of scientific evidence and research about the acidity and alkalinity of food; and that an acid body is prone to illness and disease.It's kind of become health 101. Anyway, it's exactly what Cliff says, you'll find the answer for yourself when you listen to how foods make you feel over time.
SYD commented on 19-Aug-2010 09:28 AM5 out of 5 stars
Great information. Seems that Acid/Alkalising charts vary. Can you please let me know how Tamari and Shoyu have ended up on the acid side of this chart. I have always understood these, together with miso, as being alkalising.
Anonymous commented on 19-Aug-2010 11:05 AM5 out of 5 stars
Hello sjm,

You are perfectly entitled to ask for the specific evidence - though I certainly agree with Cliff and others that the bottom line evidence is always how your body responds to a particular regime. The best and most comprehensive evidence I can point to for the validity of this alkalizing emphasis in diet is a book called "The China Study". It is written by a nutritional scientist who spent many years advocating high protein content, until he realized that all of the hard evidence he collected proved the opposite - that anything above 5 % of our dietary intake coming from animal protein markedly increases the risk of the whole range of diseases of Western Civilization: cancer, heart disease, the chronic disorders like arthritis and more.

I hope that helps you see that there truly is a wealth of information supporting this approach.
Mas commented on 19-Aug-2010 07:35 PM5 out of 5 stars
Totally agree with the recommended proportions of vegetables, fruit etc but what about the natural chemicals within the fruit and vegetables? Such as salicylates and amines? I have been following a reduced salicylate and amine diet and have never felt better! Reduced to no more migraines, don't know what an aching unhappy abdomen is
now and general well being is so much better. These and other natural food chemicals also cause inflammation within various organs and vessels within the body, causing cancer and other disease.
Check out the RPA website and food intolerance. Yes, it sounds like I'm selling something - well I feel so much better on a mostly vegetarian diet and watching those chemicals that I am "selling"it. I have to tell people! Doctors won't tell you - they have their own agendas.
Shirley Snyder commented on 20-Aug-2010 12:37 AM5 out of 5 stars
It is interesting that some of our water is acid. Distilled water is all acid. The water that comes out of my faucet is acid. I buy
Water Alkalizer or Water Oz Alkalizer drops to carry with me and put drop in water to make sure it is alkaline. Cancer lives in acid bodies and cannot live in alkaline bodies. I used to have a glass of water in the morning and would double over. It took me a long time to find out that the water was acid and that was the first thing that hit my stomach in the morning.
Natural commented on 20-Aug-2010 01:04 AM5 out of 5 stars
Some holistic physicians believe that reflux is actually from low stomach acid. Food does not fully digest, causing the reflux. Apparently antacids can CAUSE this problem.

That said, I think this is different from the body's overall PH level. There are so many variables with disease, but I'm sure a healthy PH is important.
hansrothem commented on 23-Aug-2010 05:58 PM5 out of 5 stars
Thanks for the info, really useful. Of course there is no single truth but I truly believe taking in more alkaline food helps.
I do have a question on some foods either in the list or missing.

Take onion. If I pour tomato sauce all over it, will it keep its alkaline state?
Are other fruits like apples, not alkaline?
What about fruit juice being acid, is this also true for fresh orange juice I made myself?
I always buy natural made honey, is that also acid?

Hope you can clarify, thanks!
QURE Water commented on 25-Aug-2010 02:15 AM5 out of 5 stars
Great post! It is so important to keep our bodies alkalized. sjm, I believe that if you try this type of diet you WILL feel the difference!
Tilly commented on 22-Sep-2010 09:39 PM5 out of 5 stars
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I believe is all but the truth.
Isn't that sad that doctors keep giving us antacid medication that makes the matter even worst?
I've been suffering with acid reflux for about almost years. I've been blessed to get into xango juice that fixed it up in a couple of months and it never came back (almost 4 years passed). A healthy alkalinic diet will be vital anyway on a long term basis...Thanks again for the precious info.
BPP commented on 23-Sep-2011 07:43 PM5 out of 5 stars
Hi, Can anyone tell me how rice and soy/soya stand in this context? I don't seem to be able to find it in the lists. I am on a gluten free diet, so choices are limited to begin with, and now reflux causes further challenges. I'm excluding dairy to see
if that's a potential cause and am using rice milk which seems to help. I don't eat chocolate or sweets, high acid fruits/foods, so am at a bit of a loss to know what causes it. Any info on the rice or soy would be most welcome.
Linda Medlin commented on 24-Oct-2011 10:43 AM5 out of 5 stars
1/4 tsp. of baking soda disolved in 2 oz. of water drank just before bed helps also
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