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Overview
What
are acid foods? As noted in my section on alkaline
diets, almost every book I have with information
on acid and alkaline foods has somewhat conflicting
information on this subject. In general, most
meats, grains, cheeses, nuts and legumes produce
an acid ash after they are metabolized.
The
following foods are generally listed as having
an acid ash:
Meat
All
meat including bacon, beef, cottage cheese, cheddar
cheese, chicken, eggs, fish, ham, lamb, pork and
veal.
Nuts
/ Peanuts (which are really a legume)
Brazil
nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, and English walnuts.
Grains
and Grasses
Breads
(white, rye, whole wheat), cake, white rice, refined
flour, oatmeal, shredded wheat, puffed rice, cornflakes
and macaroni have an acid ash.
Dairy
Cottage
cheese and cheddar cheese
Exceptions
Most
fruits and vegetables are alkaline except as noted
below.
Fruit
According
to the authors of the Mayo Clinic Diet
Manual (MCDM), cranberries, plums and prunes
have an acid ash. This is due to their benzoic
and quinic acid content that are excreted in the
urine as hippuric acid. Elson Haas, writing in
Staying Healthy with Nutrition notes that
pomegranates and strawberries have an acid ash.
Vegetables
According
to the authors of Nutrition Almanac, asparagus
and brussel sprouts have an acid ash. The MCDM
lists corn as having an acid ash. All other vegetables
are shown as listed form all my other books as
having an alkaline ash.
Interesting
Resource:
Acid
- Base Balance - A Human Nutrition and Health
Resource
- an online resource from the web site Paleodiet.com
by Loren Cordain. Lists the PRAL (Potential Renal
Acid Load per 100 grams) of various foods. Negative
numbers indicate base or alkaline-producing foods
and positive numbers are acid-producing foods.
From the Paleo Diet web site. Data adapted from
Data Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load
of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet
Assoc 1995;95:791-797
References:
1.
Mahan, L. Kathleen, et al., Krause's Food,
Nutrition and Diet Therapy, 9th Edition, W.
B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1996. (p. 780)
2.
Haas, Elson, Staying Healthy with Nutrition,
Celestial Arts, Berkeley, California, 1992.
3.
Mayo Clinic Diet Manual, 3rd Edition, Philadelphia,
W.B. Saunders Company.
4.
Herman Aihara, Acid and Alkaline, 5th edition,
George Ohshawa Macrobiotic Foundation, Oroville,
California, 1986.
5.
Kirhschmann, Gayla J and John D., Nutrition
Almanac, Fourth Edition, McGraw Hill, 1996.
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