Foods That Preserve the Alkaline Reserve

Elson Haas, M.D., in his book, "Staying Healthy with Nutrition," recommends a high alkaline diet, which varies during the seasons. He believes that this diet lessens the body's stress in maintaining the blood's normal pH balance of between 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly alkaline. Body cells stop functioning properly when blood pH moves below 6.8 (acidic) or above 7.8 (alkaline). Some health professionals fear that the western diet is too high in acidic foods and can stress the body's ability to keep the blood's pH balance at optimal levels.

Fruits

• Some fruits are better than others for your alkaline reserve.

  The "Mayo Clinic Diet Manual" lists the most alkaline fruits as watermelon, dried apricots, dried figs and cantaloupe. Other nutritionists also suggest apples, bananas, blackberries, dates, grapefruit, nectarines, oranges and pineapple. Nutrition charts list foods according to their Potential Renal Acid Load (PRAL). The lower the number, the lower the acidity. The lowest number is for raisins at -21.0 rating, followed by black currants at -6.5 and bananas at -5.5. The few fruits that are acidic are only slightly so, such as pomegranates, strawberries, cranberries, plums and prunes.

Vegetables

• Most vegetables are alkaline, including broccoli, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, eggplant, mushrooms, squash and turnips. The "Mayo Clinic Diet Manual" lists the most alkaline as being beet greens, Swiss chard, dandelion greens and baked potatoes. According to charts from the Paleo Diet, the Mayo Clinic Diet, and the Acid Alkaline Food Guide, spinach is the most alkaline at -14.0, followed by celery at -5.2 and young carrots at -4.9.

Meat, Fish and Eggs

• Sunny-side up may not make you that sunny.

  Most foods in this category are acid-forming so they should fill only a small role in your diet. The exceptions are whole milk and butter, which are close to neutral. Fish varies from 7.1 to 10.8. Red meats range at 7.8 for lean beef to 13.2 for canned corn beef. Chicken eggs come in at 8.2 and the yolk itself at 23.4.

Dairy Products

• Pasteurized whole milk is just 0.7 with yogurt being slightly higher and buttermilk slightly less. However, Parmesan cheese is as high as 34.2. The average hard cheese is 19.2, with the highest being cheddar at 26.4. You'll need to go easy on cheeses to increase your alkaline reserve.

Grains

• Some grain products are better than others for your wellness.

  All grains and their products are acid-forming. White wheat flour is rated at 6.9, brown rice at 12.5 and white rice at 4.6. Rolled oats is 10.7 and rye flour is 4.1. Spaghetti, noodles and pasta range in the 5's and 6's, depending on the flours they're made from.

Beans and Nuts

• Acid-forming are lentils at 3.5, peas at 1.2, peanuts and peanut butter at 8.3., almonds at 12.1, cashews at 8.9, pistachio at 2.2 and pecans at 2.1. Alkaline-forming variations include soy beans at -4.7, hazelnuts at -1.9, macadamia at -1.4. Green and French beans are alkaline at -3.1, and tofu is close to neutral.

Beverages

• Chocolate and mineral water are alkaline. Coffee and tea are acid. Beer, wine, cocoa, mineral water and cola drinks tend to be slightly alkaline, ranging in -0.1 to -2.4 on the acidity scale.

Precautions

• Gabe Mirkin, M.D., is board-certified in allergy and immunology, wrote in "QuackWatch," Jan. 11, 2009 that "Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense." In this article he explains how your body achieves a normal pH balance no matter what your diet is like. But he does recognize that a high acid-diet, mainly from animal products, causes calcium to leave your bones to neutralize the excess acid.