Did you know that all foods are given a number that ranks their acidity? Here, we'll look at how the acidity of food is measured, whether cherries are considered acidic or not, what other fruits have a similar acidity, and much more!
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Are cherries acidic?
Cherries are acidic food. This is because the pH of cherries is around 3 to 4. Cherry juice is also considered to be acidic. That means that people suffering from acid reflux and similar issues shouldn't eat or drink cherries.
Why are cherries considered to be acidic food?
All foods are given a pH that tells people how acidic (or not) the food is. This scale, known simply as the pH Scale, ranges from 0 to 14. The middle point, 7, is considered neutral. Any number under 7 is considered acidic, where any number over 7 is considered alkaline or basic.
The pH number simply shows how many free hydrogen ions are present in the food (the “p” stands for potenz or potential, and the “H” stands for hydrogen).
In general, fruit tends to be one of the most acidic groups of food. Cherries have a pH of about 3 to 4, meaning they are defiantly on the pH scale's acidic side.
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Where do cherries stand on the pH Scale with other fruits?
Since fruits are some of the most acidic food groups, you may be wondering how acidic other fruits are and where cherries compare to these other fruits.
Believe it or not, cherries are not the most acidic fruit! The most acidic fruit is the lemon! The juice from lemon has a pH of about 2 to 3 - making it as acidic as vinegar!
Like cherries, there are many other types of fruit with a pH of about 3 to 4! Some of these fruits are:
- apples,
- blueberries,
- pineapples,
- nectarines,
- raspberries,
- plums,
- peaches,
- grapes,
- pears, and
- grapefruits.
Some of the least acidic fruits are bananas (they have a pH of about 4 to 5) and melons (which have a pH of about 6).
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Is cherry juice acidic?
Just like cherries, cherry juice is also acidic! Drinking tart cherry juice can provide you with many health benefits, such as helping you recover from a hard workout, fighting inflammation and pain caused by inflammation, and boosting your immune system, but it is an acidic drink. Cherry juice usually has a pH of about 3.
Are any fruits alkaline or are all fruits on the acidic side?
All fruit has a pH of below 7, which means that all types of fruit are considered to be acidic. But as we have seen above, all different fruits have different acidity. On top of bananas and melons, some other fruits closer to the neutral point are coconuts, dates, figs, and papaya.
Are vegetables just as acidic as fruit?
Vegetables are typically not as acidic as fruit. In fact, vegetables are often neutral or close to neutral, but they can also lean towards the acidic side or the alkaline side.
Some of the most acidic vegetables are carrots, cauliflower, corn, cucumbers, garlic, parsnips, peppers, and tomatoes - all of these vegetables have an average pH of about 5.5 to 7.0. Some of the most alkaline vegetables are asparagus, leeks, and watercresses- these veggies can all have a pH of up to 8!
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What do acidic foods do to your body?
In moderation, the pH of foods does not have a positive or negative impact on your health. But if you are prone to heartburn, it might be wise to avoid large amounts of cherries. This is because foods that have a low pH score can aggravate acid reflux. Additionally, a diet heavy in highly acidic foods can lead to tooth decay.
Some health experts argue that acidic foods can have negative impacts on your body. People who cut out acidic foods follow a diet known as the alkaline diet. Believers of this diet believe that eating a diet of just basic foods will help change the pH value in your body.
Contrary to popular belief, the pH of food does not change the pH level of someone’s blood, but food can affect the pH of someone’s urine, but the effect of this is variable from person to person.