Acidic Foods: Alternative Substitutions

There are ways you can still enjoy some of the highly acidic foods you're currently eating, even if you're overly acidic.

Fruit drinks
Add sodium bicarbonate to your fruit drinks: one-half to one teaspoon per quart. This will make the drink taste smoother and richer as well as increase the pH. To improve digestibility, have these drinks first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. If you want to add protein powder, use vegetable protein, which is less acidic than animal protein. And don't drink these with protein-rich meals containing milk or meat, since they require more acid production for digestion.

Blend A Drink
If you're overly acidic, try whipping up a remedy in the blender. Throw in some enzyme-rich, alkaline ingredients, such as fresh vegetables and certain fruits. Liquefying the solid ingredients helps reduce the strain on your pancreas and other digestive organs. These liquid meals can help prevent fatigue, brain fog, inflammatory conditions, autoimmune problems, and possibly even cancer.

Wine
Wine has an acidic pH, and can cause heartburn and other digestive symptoms in overly acidic people. But if you'd still like to occasionally sip a glass, take a sodium and potassium bicarbonate mixture (Alka Seltzer) right after drinking an alcoholic beverage to blunt the acidic effects. You can also use bicarbonate to help neutralize the uncomfortable symptoms of a hangover. (If you must drink alcohol. . .then don't drink it on an empty stomach. This overwhelms the liver's ability to metabolize and detoxify the alcohol. To slow the liver's absorption of alcohol, first eat some sort of oily or fatty food. Say, a salad with an oil-based dressing, or smoked salmon.)

Coffee and tea
If you're overly acidic but simply must have your daily cup of coffee or black tea, purchase acid-free versions from specialty tea and coffee stores.

Sparkling Water
If only the bubbling varieties of mineral water are available, you can reduce the carbonation with a pinch of table salt. This not only makes the water go flat, but provides you with a more alkaline drink.

Salad dressings
Substitute Bragg Liquid Aminos for vinegar when making salad dressings. This flavouring agent can be purchased in most health foods stores. Combine it with olive oil and herbs for a delicious dressing. Or, prepare a salad dressing with half the vinegar, increasing the amount of water and oil and adding extra flavouring agents.