In this article, I will be discussing which fruits have acid content. Acid is one of the important aspects of a fruit that determine its juiciness, texture and taste. The reduction or excess of certain acids in a fruit can result in changes to its chemical composition, thus changing its flavor and texture.
The main components of fruits are carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, while their acid content is negligible. Cooking or ripening tends to increase the acid content of fruit but the amount remains very small. There are a lot of misunderstandings about acid-based fruits, and to be honest, most people don’t know that some fruits can have an acidic effect on your body. Limes, for example, may surprise the fruit novice, as they are actually far more acidic than oranges.
What Fruit Is Good for Acid Reflux?
Melons including watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew are the best fruits to eat for acid reflux.
Acid reflux happens when acid normally in the stomach backs up into the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach (the esophagus).
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the term used to describe acid reflux that occurs more frequently than twice a week, lasts a long time, or results in uncomfortable symptoms or damage (GERD).
9 Foods that help with acid reflux
Melons are the best fruits for acid reflux, because they are all low in acid. Examples of melons include:
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew
Other foods that are good for people who have acid reflux include:
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Mild green vegetables such as lettuce, celery, and sweet peppers
- Fennel
- Ginger
- Chicken breast, prepared baked, broiled, or grilled and without skin
10 Foods to avoid with acid reflux
Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit should be avoided due to their high acidity, which may aggravate symptoms of acid reflux.
Other foods to avoid that may worsen symptoms of acid reflux include:
- Fatty or greasy foods
- Fried foods
- Spicy foods
- Coffee and tea
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Peppermint
- Carbonated beverages
- Tomatoes and tomato products such as marinara sauce, ketchup, and tomato soup
6 Home remedies for acid reflux
Home remedies that may help relieve acid reflux include:
- Lose weight if you are overweight or obese
- Elevate the head of the bed
- Don’t overeat
- Don’t eat 2 to 3 hours before bed
- Don’t smoke
- Wear loose clothing around the stomach area
7 Heartburn medicines and treatments
If lifestyle changes do not relieve acid reflux symptoms, medications may include:
- Antacids
- Like calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide (Rolaids), sucrose and calcium carbonate (Tums), aluminum hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide (Maalox), and simethicone (Mylanta)
- Histamine blockers
- Such as cimetidine (Tagamet HB), famotidine (Pepcid AC), and nizatidine (Axid AR)
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
- Such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (AcipHex)
- Prokinetics
- Such as bethanechol (Urecholine) and metoclopramide (Reglan)
- Antibiotics
- Can help the stomach empty faster
- Erythromycin has fewer side effects than prokinetics
When lifestyle changes or medication do not significantly reduce symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), surgery may be advised. To treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), various surgical procedures are available.
- Fundoplication
- Endoscopic techniques
What Are Symptoms of Acid Reflux?
Symptoms of acid reflux include:
- Heartburn
- Chest pain
- Regurgitation
- Feeling as if food is stuck in the throat
- Problems swallowing
- Stomach pain
- Hoarseness
- Sore throat
- Dry cough
- Hiccups
- Bad breath
- Respiratory problems
- Bloating
- Belching
- Nausea
- Vomiting (may be bloody)
- Bloody or black stools
- Unexplained weight loss
- Wheezing
- Tooth erosion
What Causes Acid Reflux?
Lower esophageal sphincter weakness or relaxation can result in acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which causes stomach contents to back up into the esophagus.
There are several causes of lower esophageal sphincter relaxation or weakening.
- Overweight or obesity, which puts increased pressure on the abdomen
- Pregnancy, which also puts increased pressure on the abdomen
- Hiatal hernia
- Smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke
- Certain medicines
- Asthma medications
- Calcium channel blockers
- Antihistamines
- Painkillers
- Sedatives
- Antidepressants
Foods to Help Fight Against Acid Erosion
Keeping your teeth healthy starts with eating right. To eat right you don’t have to give up the foods you love. Rather, it’s a matter of learning how to pair those foods with less acidic options to counteract their effects. Here are some pairing tips to get you started.
eat THIS with THAT
Your daily food choices play an important role in keeping your teeth healthy. Try these delicious pairings the next time you reach for something acidic.
Salad dressing is an acid attack waiting to happen due to its vinegar component. To your salad, add fibrous veggies or unsweetened cacao nibs. These crunchy meals will aid to protect your tooth enamel and encourage salivation.
Fruit juice has the flavor of whole fruit but none of its fiber. So what’s left is a lot of sugar and concentrated acid, which encourages enamel degradation. To balance the acidity of your fruit juice, combine it with plain yogurt and make a smoothie.
Red and white wines are highly acidic, so pair your wine with cheese to counteract the oncoming acid attack. The calcium in cheese limits the increase in acidity and promotes remineralization of tooth enamel.
Sugary sweets and desserts are the main contributors of enamel degradation. Use milk to fend off the acid assault that sugary foods trigger. Milk’s calcium can prevent an increase in acidity and encourage dental enamel remineralization.
Soft drinks (including diet drinks) are essentially dental acid baths. After your soft drink, chew some sugar-free (xylitol-sweetened) gum to prevent tooth erosion. This increases salivation, which aids in the remineralization of dental enamel.
Fruits That Contain Citric Acid
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Citric acid is a weak organic acid that occurs naturally in various fruits, especially citrus fruits. It offers potential health benefits, such as protection against kidney stones and enhanced mineral absorption.
Besides its occurrence in citrus fruits, citric acid is artificially added to medicines, foods, supplements, cosmetics, and more. It fulfills a number of functions in these items, including preservation.
While citric acid is typically linked to citrus fruits, citrus fruits are not the only ones with citric acid. A list of fruits that contain citric acid is provided below.
1. Apricots
Citric acid, which is present in apricots in reasonable amounts, helps to give them their tart flavor.
Both fresh and dried apricots contain citric acid.
The dried ones appear to have less citric acid than the fresh ones, though.
Apricots also include the organic acids quinic acid, malic acid, succinic acid, and ascorbic acid in addition to citric acid.
Citric acid and malic acid are present in apricots in the highest amounts of all other acids.
2. Blackberries
It is not surprising that blackberries contain a variety of organic acids because they are an acidic food. Blackberries include citric acid in addition to malic acid, which is the most common organic acid in them.
3. Cherries
Cherries are acidic fruits with a variety of mild organic acids, just like blackberries. Cherries have some citric acid, but malic acid comprises approximately 75% of their overall acid content.
You can also find quinic acid, phosphoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and malic acid in addition to citric and malic acids.
4. Cranberries
Citric acid is present in cranberries in reasonable quantities. However, cranberries only contain a small amount of citric acid compared to lemons, oranges, and limes.
Cranberries also include ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid, caffeic acid, and quinic acid in addition to citric acid.
5. Grapefruits
Citric acid is present in grapefruits in amounts between 1.5% and 2.5%, which is more than in many other fruits. Given that they are a citrus fruit, it is not surprising that they have a somewhat high citric acid concentration.
Malic acid is also present in grapefruits.
Citric acid is the main organic acid in a grapefruit, along with malic acid.
Potential advantages of malic acid include increased endurance, nutrient absorption, and energy production. It’s used by some people to improve their performance in strenuous activities like sports.
6. Grapes
Grapes have very little citric acid, which makes up only around 5% of their overall acid composition.
Still, the winemaking process benefits from the grapes’ high citric acid content. In particular, wines made from grapes produced in the tropics benefit from having more acidity.
Citric acid, as we previously stated, accounts for only 5% of the acidity in grapes.
Tartaric acid and malic acid account for the majority of the acidity in grapes.
Grapes may also contain succinic acid in addition to those three acids.
7. Kiwifruits
A citrus fruit is not a kiwifruit. Citric acid, however, is one of its main acids.
The amount of acid in kiwifruits ranges from 1% to 3%, and 40% to 60% of that is citric acid.
The remainder is composed of 10% malic acid and 40% to 60% quinic acid.
Young kiwifruits are more likely to contain higher levels of quinic acid. But citric acid normally takes center stage during fruit development.
The amount of citric acid and sugar in a kiwifruit determines how it tastes. Citric acid adds acidity, whereas sugar adds sweetness.
8. Lemons
Citrus fruits include lemons.
Lemons and limes are the fruits with the highest citric acid content.
They are among the most acidic fruits, as well.
Per liter, lemons typically contain 50 grams of citric acid.
The majority of fruits do not even come close to having as much citric acid. Lemons are among the sourdest fruits in existence, which is not unexpected.
9. Limes
Lime are also citrus fruits. Like lemons, limes are among the fruits with the highest quantities of citric acid and are also among the most acidic.
Lime and lemon juice both have a fairly similar amount of citric acid. Lemons, on the other hand, might have more citric acid.
Lime averages about 48 grams of citric acid per liter, compared to a lemon’s average of about 50 grams.
10. Mangoes
The amount of organic acids in mangoes is relatively low. So it makes sense that they are only slightly acidic.
Citric acid and malic acid are the main sources of the acidity in mangoes.
Mangoes may also include oxalic acid, tartaric acid, glucuronic acid, succinic acid, and muconic acid in addition to these two.
11. Oranges
Citrus fruits include oranges, one of the most well-known. They naturally contain a more-than-decent amount of citric acid given that they are citrus fruits.
Oranges typically contain 0.08% to 1% citric acid.
This is higher than the majority of fruits, albeit perhaps not as high as what you will find in grapefruits, limes, and lemons.
Oranges also contain 50–70 mg of ascorbic acid in addition to citric acid (vitamin C).
Additionally, malic acid is present.
12. Peaches
Peaches are not a citrus fruit, as you may already know. However, they do contain some citric acid. One of the three most prevalent organic acids in peaches is citric acid. Quinic acid and malic acid are the other two.
13. Pears
The main acid in pears may be citric acid. According to some research, pears have an average citric acid content of 60% to 80%, or 0.9 mg to 2.8 mg per gram.
Pears also contain malic acid in addition to citric acid. The second most prevalent organic acid in pears may be malic acid. Malic acid, along with citric acid and soluble sugars, affects how pears taste.
The two acids give pears their acidic flavor, and the sugar gives them their sweetness.
What you taste when you eat a pear depends on how well both sides are balanced.
Pears also contain oxalic, shikimic, and quinic acids in addition to malic and citric acids.
WAYS TO EAT MORE (ALKALINE) CITRUS FRUITS THIS WINTER – EVEN IF YOU SUFFER FROM ACID REFLUX
How can a food like lemons, which is acidic, be alkaline?
This isn’t a joke, even if it sounds like the setup for a kid’s joke or riddle.
Actually, it’s a frequent source of confusion for those who have acid reflux or are new to an alkaline diet. I’ll explain.
Citrus fruits are often thought of as “acidic” foods, but this doesn’t indicate that eating them will make you become more acidic.
Avoid concentrating on a food’s pH outside of your body. The impact that food has on the body after consumption is more significant.
There are three crucial factors you need to consider when figuring out if a food is acidic or alkaline.
- the mineral content
- the sugar content
- the fiber content
Consider broccoli as an example. Because it contains a lot of minerals, fiber, and little sugar, it is very alkaline.
Bananas, on the other hand, are rich in fiber and nutrients but also high in sugar (25 percent sugar). They are therefore slightly acidic.
Given how heavy in sugar and low in minerals a vanilla milkshake is, I doubt I need to mention to you how acidic it is.
Why is the sugar component so crucial to take into account?
Because sugar = acid = inflammation!
When sugar is consumed in any form, it undergoes the process of fermentation (yes, just like beer and wine!), and turns into ACID and ALCOHOL, which binds and clogs your digestive system.
Here’s where this applies to citrus fruits.
All four of your favorite citrus fruits—lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits—are considered to be acidic foods outside of the body. Three of them produce alkalinity after consumption, whereas one is acidic.
Which one do you think is ACIDIC?
All four of these fruits have a high water content and a lot of alkaline minerals.
However, the oranges are heavy in sugar, particularly fructose (12% sugar), but the lemons, limes, and grapefruits are low in sugar (2%, 2%, and 5% sugar, respectively).
You now understand why oranges are acid-forming and why lemons, limes, and grapefruits are alkaline-forming. If you choose to consume them, it is always preferable to combine them with healthy fats that will aid in the slow metabolization of the sugar by your body and prevent an increase in blood insulin levels.
This is why fruits like bananas and berries are used in a lot of the smoothie recipes in our 7-Day Alkaline Cleanse. They improve the flavor of the smoothies and do offer some nutritional advantages.
To slow down the metabolization of the sugar and prevent an insulin surge, we always combine them with a few different kinds of healthy fats like raw almond butter, coconut oil, chia seeds, and hemp seeds because they are still acidic.
I want to give 2 more crucial suggestions about citrus fruits before we go on to how to consume more alkaline citrus.
- Citrus itself is NOT the problem when it comes to acid reflux and heartburn.
Citrus fruits have a reputation for exacerbating acid reflux, right?
Not so! For some people, adding a slice of lemon or lime to their water can actually strengthen their stomach’s capacity to lock the acid in tightly and prevent it from regurgitating up their esophagus.
You should test it out and see how you feel because it might not be suitable for everyone. What I mean is this:
Have you ever applied some lemon juice to a cut finger? You’re aware of how satisfying that is! Acid hurts, particularly when anything is angry, raw, or inflamed. As a result, drinking lemon juice with water may cause some discomfort and irritation if your reflux has been producing this esophageal lining irritation. This is similar to how lemon juice can irritate cuts on the finger.
My point is that you must explore and continually assess your feelings.
The fresh lemon juice is very alkaline forming and will actually aid enhance gastric acid production, which is ultimately what causes the reflux in the first place. If you feel fine, then feel free to use lemon water moving forward (remember, low acid in the stomach is the true cause of reflux, supported by 16,000 research articles). On the other side, if you feel worse, wait until you have healed more before continuing.
But going back to oranges, you should avoid them because they are high in sugar and fructose, both of which make GERD symptoms worse.
- Never give your kids (or yourself) orange juice, even if they are sick!
Yes, oranges include a lot of vitamin C, which is good for your immune system, but drinking just one glass of orange juice gives you the sugar from four to eight oranges without any of the fiber, which is one of the most healthy components. You are essentially sipping SUGAR WATER!
Sugar feeds bacteria and weakens your body’s ability to fight off any infections it may be experiencing.
Because bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, and parasites struggle to survive in an oxygen-rich, highly alkaline environment, you need to get your body into an alkaline state. If you or your kids ever feel under the weather, alkalize your body to hasten the healing process because these little bugs favor an anaerobic (without oxygen), acidic state.
Give them water with a squeeze of lemon or lime instead of orange juice. They’ll enjoy the flavor as well. In fact, my kids mistake lemon juice in water for lemonade. Shhh! Don’t let on.
Ways to Eat More (Alkaline) Citrus Fruits This Winter
There are so many reasons to eat more citrus fruit all year round, not just during the winter. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit not only assist the body become more alkaline, but they also provide essential vitamin C, which maintains the skin healthy and glowing even on the coldest days. They also help with digestion and provide you more energy.
Here are some suggestions for including more citrus in your diet, along with numerous dishes.
You’re getting a dosage of the most potent, alkaline food on the world by spending 30 seconds each morning drinking your Greens, but also many other health benefits. Any alkaline citrus you eat also aids in the prevention of colds and other ailments.
Did you know that wheatgrass, the main component of our Greens, may help prevent infections and strengthen the immune system?
In addition to wheatgrass, other ingredients include beets, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, celery, romaine lettuce, parsley, and cabbage. Consequently, you receive 5 complete servings of organic green superfoods when you take Alkamind Daily Greens.
And I’m thrilled to let you know that our NEW KICK ACID REFLUX BUNDLE is now available!
To assist you permanently put an end to acid reflux, we’ve combined our best 3 products. With THOUSANDS of people in my office who WERE experiencing reflux, these drugs have been time-tested, and they are effective!
To help you feel better while also addressing the REAL CAUSE of why you developed reflux in the first place, we’ve combined our Daily Greens with Daily Minerals to decrease gut acidity, calm the irritation and inflammation brought on by reflux, and help you increase the production of acid in the stomach.
Also included is 1 bottle of our Daily Cumin3x, which is our Israeli Black Seed Oil. You won’t find a more potent natural anti-inflammatory than this. Did you know that a third party examined our black seed oil and discovered that it is an inflammatory CRUSHER, three times as potent as turmeric (curcumin), and 1,000 times more active as an antioxidant than vitamin E and elderberry.
The last item is a brand-new, 18-page guide to acid reflux that I wrote specifically for this bundle. This will explain every single reason why you have reflux, but more significantly, it will outline the exact strategy I employ in my practice to assist patients wean themselves off of acid and rid themselves of reflux.