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How can an acidic food like lemons be alkaline?
It sounds like the set up for a children’s joke or riddle, but this isn’t a joke.
It’s actually a common point of confusion for anyone with acid reflux or anyone new to the alkaline lifestyle. Let me explain…
Just because a food is thought of as “acidic” like citrus fruits, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is acid-forming once you eat it.
Don’t focus on a specific food’s pH outside of your body. What’s more important is the effect the food has on the body once it’s consumed.
When determining whether a food is alkaline or acidic, there are 3 important components you need to look at…
- the mineral content
- the sugar content
- the fiber content
Take broccoli for example. It’s highly alkaline because it is high in minerals, fiber, and low in sugar.
On the other hand, bananas are high in minerals and fiber, but also high in sugar (25% sugar). So they are moderately acidic.
I doubt I have to tell you that a vanilla milkshake is highly acidic because it’s incredibly high in sugar and pretty low in minerals.
Why is the sugar component so important to consider?
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.
When you look at your top 4 citrus fruits – lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits – all 4 are thought of as acidic outside of the body. Once consumed, 3 of them are alkaline-forming, and 1 is acidic.
Which one do you think is ACIDIC?
All 4 are high water content fruits, and all have high amounts of alkaline minerals.
But the lemons, limes, and grapefruits are low in sugar (2%, 2%, and 5% sugar respectively), and the oranges are high in sugar, especially fructose (12% sugar).
Now you know why lemons, limes, and grapefruits are alkaline-forming, and why oranges are acid-forming. If you want to eat them, you’re always better of pairing them with healthy fats that help your body metabolize the sugar slowly over time and prevent an insulin spike in your blood.
That’s why many of the smoothie recipes in our 7-Day Alkaline Cleanse have fruits like bananas and berries. They make the smoothies taste better and they do possess some nutrient health benefits.
But because they are still acidic, we always pair them with a couple of forms of healthy fats like raw almond butter, coconut oil, chia seeds to slow down the metabolization of the sugar, so that you don’t spike your insulin!
Before we move on to how to eat more alkaline citrus, I want to share 2 more important tips about citrus fruits…
- Citrus itself is NOT the problem when it comes to acid reflux and heartburn.
You’ve been led to believe that citrus fruits will make acid reflux worse, right?
Not so! Adding a slice of lemon or lime to your drinking water can, for some patients, actually improve your stomach’s ability to seal the acid in tight, preventing it from regurgitating up the esophagus.
However, it may not be ok for all people – you have to test it out and see how you feel. Here’s what I mean…
Ever put some fresh lemon juice on a finger cut? You know how good that feels 😊! Acid burns, especially when something is irritated, raw, and inflamed. So if your reflux has been causing this irritation in your esophageal lining, just like the lemon juice on a finger cut, it could cause some pain and irritation when drinking lemon juice in water.
My point, is you have to experiment and again, see how you feel.
If you feel fine, than feel free to use lemon water going forward, as the fresh lemon juice is highly alkaline forming, and will actually help increase gastric acid production, which is ultimately why you have the reflux in the first place (remember, low acid in the stomach is the true cause of reflux, supported by 16,000 research articles). On the other hand, if you feel worse, hold off for now until you heal more.
But again, back to oranges - you want to avoid them because of the sugar and fructose content, which exacerbates reflux symptoms.
Read: The 15 Surprising Foods That Help Acid Reflux (#2 Will Shock You)
- Never give your kids (or yourself) orange juice, even if they are sick!
Yes, oranges do have a high amount of vitamin C, which is beneficial to your immune system, but in just 1 glass of OJ, you are getting the sugar from 4 to 8 oranges, while leaving behind the fiber, which is one of the most beneficial parts. Virtually, you are drinking SUGAR WATER!
All of that sugar feeds bacteria and makes it harder for you to fight off any infection your body is dealing with.
You need to get your body into an alkaline state, because bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, and parasites have a hard time thriving in an oxygen rich, high-alkaline environment. These little bugs love an anaerobic (without oxygen), acidic state, so if you or your children are ever feeling under the weather, alkalize your body and that will accelerate the healing process.
So instead of OJ, give them water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. They’ll like the taste of it too. In fact, my kids think water with lemon juice is lemonade. Shhh! Don’t tell. ;)
12 Ways to Eat More (Alkaline) Citrus Fruits This Winter
There are so many good reasons to eat more citrus fruit during the winter months – and all year long. In addition to alkalizing the body, lemon, lime, and grapefruit supply much needed vitamin C, which helps prevent illness and keeps skin glowing even on the coldest of days. They also aid digestion, and they give you an energy boost.
Here are 10 tips (and a ton of recipes!) for adding more citrus into your diet.
- Citrus tonics and teas
- Squeeze lemon on roasted veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts
- Citrusy desserts
Watermelon, Mint & Lime Popsicles
- Squeeze lime over avocado toast
- Citrus smoothies
- Add to zesty dips for veggies
Cilantro Avocado Dipping Sauce
- Citrus-infused soups
- Lemony “pasta” sauces
Zucchini Pasta with Spinach Lemon Pesto
Farm Fresh “Pasta” Salad with Seafood
Zoodles with Avocado Cream Sauce
- Citrus salads
Kale Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Lemon
Watercress Grapefruit Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
- Green juicing
Collard Green Apple Ginger Juice
- Simply squeeze lemon or lime into every glass of water!
- Bonus! Here’s another way to enjoy more citrus everyday… With our Citrus flavor of Alkamind Daily Greens!
By taking 30 seconds to drink your Greens each morning, you’re not only getting a dose of the most powerful, alkaline food on the planet. You’re also helping to prevent colds and other illnesses right along with any alkaline citrus you eat.
Did you know that emerging research indicates that wheatgrass, the #1 ingredient in our Greens, helps stave off illnesses and bolster the immune system?
We’ve combined wheatgrass with cabbage, collard greens, parsley, romaine, dandelion, beets, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, and celery. So when you take your Alkamind Daily Greens, you’re getting 5 whole servings of organic green super foods!
And I am so excited to announce the launch of our NEW KICK ACID REFLUX BUNDLE!
We’ve combined our top 3 products to help you kick your reflux to the curb, once and for all. These products have been time-tested with THOUSANDS of patients in my practice who WERE suffering with reflux, and they work!
We’ve combined our Daily Greens with Daily Minerals to reduce acidity in the gut, soothe the irritation and inflammation caused by reflux, and help you to increase the production of acid in the stomach, so you not only feel better, but at the same time, are addressing the TRUE CAUSE of why you got the reflux in the first place.
Added to that, 1 bottle of our Daily Cumin3x, which is our Black Seed Oil from Israel. This is the most powerful, natural anti-inflammatory you will find. In fact, did you know that our black seed oil has been tested by a 3rd party, and what they found was that it is an inflammation CRUSHER, 3x more powerful than turmeric (curcumin), and 1,000c more active as an antioxidant than Vitamin E and elderberry.
Lastly, I created a brand new 18-page Guide to Acid Reflux, which you can only receive from purchasing this bundle. This will give you every single detail on why you have reflux, but more importantly, the exact gameplan I use in my practice to help get people OFF THEIR ACID…and OFF THEIR REFLUX
Use coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS to receive $20 off all purchased over $99 at our online store, https://www.getoffyouracid.com/products/kick-acid-reflux-bundle – but hurry, as this holiday promo goes away in 48 hours!
GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl
