coffee – acid or alkaline food?
The conflicting information available online about the alkaline acid diet means that you might have difficulty determining whether coffee is an alkaline food or an acid food. Despite the fact that I originally believed it was an acid food and actually decided to stop drinking coffee based on various alkaline acid food charts I had seen, I now believe that rather than having an acidifying effect upon our bodies, it actually has a mildly alkalizing effect.
But is coffee acid or alkaline? The alkaline acid diet has much to teach us about the effects various foods have upon our bodies. However my opinion is that it is rather absolute to base your dietary decisions solely on whether a particular food is an acid or alkaline food. For example, other than their alkalizing effect upon our bodies, there are many other reasons why we should eat sufficient fruit and vegetables. Conversely, even though egg yolks have a strongly acidifying effect upon our bodies, they are full of nutrients. So eating acid foods isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The premise of the alkaline acid diet, that eating alkaline and acid foods in a ratio between 70:30 to 80:20 alkaline to acid allows our bodies to remain in the best pH balance is appealing. However it acan be frustrating when you see a food appear on the acid foods side on some charts while being on the alkaline foods side of others. Which is it? Is coffee acid or alkaline?
The reason I now consider coffee to be an acid food is because of the charts that list it as such. While many of the “popular” charts suggest it is acidic, or even highly acidic, the charts that actually provide scientific references for their data, as well as the seminal research by Remer and Manz say that it has a mildly alkalizing effect. However most pop food charts don’t provide any reference as to where their data is from.
There are other arguements both for and against drinking coffee. Looking into green coffee beans may be an option for the health conscious to consider. From the available research I feel confident that as far as the alkaline acid diet is concerned, coffee is actually an alkaline food.
Reference: Remer T, Manz F. Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH. J Am Diet Assoc 1995;95:791
Hi Andrew. Thanks for your comment about tofu on my blog. I am familiar with miso soup but absolutely love the instant snack idea with grated ginger and cold tofu – I am going to try that.
And what a great discovery your blog is! My sister has found these acid/alkiline definitions really helpful. And I was just sipping coffee when I was reading whether coffee is acid or alkiline! Perhaps the test is how it sits in your gut afterwards? I find my gut rather likes coffee but not cheap acidy wines, or any acid fruits such as berries, for instance.
I have told my sis about your blog, so expect a visit.
I like your ‘About’. I like the sense of new beginnings.
I was thinking: you are in the land of healthy eating. Traditional Japanese food is one of the healthiest around. It consciously practices the art of balanced eating.
I bet traditional Japanese dishes have an approx ratio of – to use your figures – “70:30 to 80:20 alkaline to acid”.
What do you think?
PS Great to see you on your avatar! That is what drew my attention to here again!
Hi blogger,
Most charts come from research on food `effect’, e.g. acidifying or acid forming, etc. So, some strong alkaline food such as tea can result in acid urine, which is acid effect.
I found a practical resource here:
http://www.naturalhealthschool.com/pH-balance.html
If a food stuff is acidic outside the body does not mean it is so in the body during digestion. Oranges are very acidic yet alkalizing in the human body. The researchers that have tested this state that coffee is slightly alkalizing in the human body. Also search ‘PRAL Index’.
Furthermore, why is acidic blood bad? When blood is acidic, the body harvests calcium from the bones to bring blood back to 7.4 pH (this is critical for human life). This is why bones are weak, because average pH for an American is somewhere around 5.8.
Since coffee is made with water, would the test results vary as the pH of the water varies?
Edgar Cayce stated in a reading that black coffee without sugar or cream has a alkaline effect on the body.