# Can you be physically addicted to a low-pH diet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-physically-addicted-to-a-low-ph-diet/380614 "2006-11-16T01:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-physically-addicted-to-a-low-ph-diet/380614/1 "2006-11-16T01:49:51Z")
A few days ago, I decided to try giving up all soda, which I had been drinking (diet, decaf) maybe 60-80 fluid ounces a day. I’m astonished at how ill I’ve felt since then. If I eat or drink anything acidic (fruit, salad dressing) I feel much better for a couple of hours and then go back to feeling sick again. Can someone actually be habituated to a constant intake of acid, to the point where you’re sick if you go cold turkey? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-physically-addicted-to-a-low-ph-diet/380614/2 "2006-11-16T01:55:54Z")
Wait, have you been replacing the lost liquids with equivalent non-acid ones? plain water or whatever? Perhaps you’re just very dehydrated. 80oz daily is an awful lot to cut out at once. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-physically-addicted-to-a-low-ph-diet/380614/3 "2006-11-16T05:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Can someone actually be habituated to a constant intake of acid, to the point where you’re sick if you go cold turkey? [/QUOTE] Take all this with a grain of salt (or more, if it will help lower the pH), but I’ve heard that acid-rich foods can, in fact, become “addictive”. According to a relative (whose views I don’t always agree with concerning nutrition), once you get used to eating acidic foods, your body begins to crave them. Even with foods not considered very acidic, the one I specifically remember her mentioning was catsup. Which she also instructed (she owned a “whole-istic” business, if you will) pregnant women not to eat pizza, or other acid containing foods, as they were toxins to the fetus. Keep in mind I neither condone or condemn these comments? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-be-physically-addicted-to-a-low-ph-diet/380614/4 "2006-11-16T05:58:27Z")
“Addicted” might be a bit too strong of a word, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the digestive tract reduced it’s own acid production to maintain the same overall pH. Suddenly reduce your acid intake, and your stomach might be unable to immediately compensate…