The Alkaline and Acidic Food Chart

Robert O Young’s CPT, MSc, DSc, PhD, Naturopathic Practitioner shares his work, research and discoveries on the ‘true pH values’ of many alkaline and acidic foods. Dr. Young’s ‘true pH values’ of foods and liquids are listed in his book Sick and Tired. The charts below are a simplified version, based upon testing the whole food before burning the food at high temperatures and then measuring the remaining mineral ash. This is critical to understand, because the FDA determines ‘pH values’ by burning the food at 5000 degrees F to simulate the effects of digestion in the stomach when it combines with the hydrochloric acid. All that remains for determining a ‘pH value’ is a mineral ash, without the consideration of ALL acidic or alkaline components, such as the water, sugar and enzyme content. Thus, this procedure used by the FDA for testing common foods gives a ‘false pH value’. This is the reason you cannot rely upon the ‘pH values’ of the FDA food charts.

Conversely, Dr. Young’s method of testing ‘pH values’ includes all the acidic and alkaline components that are not evaluated by the FDA, such as water, sugar and enzymes. Because these components are included in determining the ‘pH values’, they may be considered more accurate than the ‘pH values’ provided by the FDA.

The following is a simplified version of the “Alkaline-Acid Food Chart” that was taken from the revised and updated pH Miracle book (2010). To find a more comprehensive list of specific ‘pH values’ of the foods listed below, refer to Dr. Young’s book, Sick and Tired.