# Food acidity (diet)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-acidity-diet/462782>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 9, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-acidity-diet/462782 "2008-09-09T14:34:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unspun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b9bd4f/32.png) [@unspun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unspun)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-acidity-diet/462782/1 "2008-09-09T14:34:19Z")

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I was reading about this recently and was wondering if I do need to make some adjustments to my diet. However all the sites I was finding seemed to suggest woo-woo, and I’m not sure if it’s a real concern. So primary question - is food acidity something to consider in one’s diet? If it is, how is one to ingest acid and alkalines in terms of timing? Must they be at different meals? If you have something slightly acidic and slightly alkanline at the same time do they cancel?

An example site:

> **[Food pH List - Balancing Acid/Alkaline Foods](https://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html)**
>
> Lists of acid-producing and alkaline-producing foods, to help you plan a balanced and healthy diet.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-acidity-diet/462782/2 "2008-09-09T14:55:55Z")

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Total woo-woo. Don’t worry about it.

BTW, one quick and easy way to determine whether you can dismiss a claim of disease is to see how many symptoms it claims.

Look at this list:

> [@](#):
>
> Cardiovascular damage.  
> Weight gain, obesity and diabetes.  
> Bladder conditions.  
> Kidney stones.  
> Immune deficiency.  
> Acceleration of free radical damage.  
> Hormonal problems.  
> Premature aging.  
> Osteoporosis and joint pain.  
> Aching muscles and lactic acid buildup.  
> Low energy and chronic fatigue. Slow digestion and elimination.  
> Yeast/fungal overgrowth.  
> Lack of energy and fatigue.  
> Lower body temperature.  
> Tendency to get infections.  
> Loss of drive, joy, and enthusiasm.  
> Depressive tendencies.  
> Easily stressed.  
> Pale complexion.  
> Headaches.  
> Inflammation of the corneas and eyelids. Loose and painful teeth.  
> Inflamed, sensitive gums.  
> Mouth and stomach ulcers.  
> Cracks at the corners of the lips.  
> Excess stomach acid.  
> Gastritis.  
> Nails are thin and split easily.  
> Hair looks dull, has split ends, and falls out.  
> Dry skin.  
> Skin easily irritated.  
> Leg cramps and spasms.

Who doesn’t have some or many of those? But how exactly do they explain how acidity affects so many different systems? Right. They don’t.

And the farther you get down that page, the nuttier the claims become.

To repeat. Total woo-woo. Don’t worry about it.

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-acidity-diet/462782/3 "2008-09-09T16:05:54Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Total woo-woo. Don’t worry about it.

Well, a diet consisting solely of lemons, oranges and grapefruit could result in some digestive discomfort, but no one with a lick of sense eats that poorly.