Acidity and alkalinity are measured on the pH scale, which ranges from 1 to 14, with
1 the most acidic, 14 the most alkaline, and 7 being neutral. Most foods have a pH
below 7. The pH scale is important in home canning because low-acid foods—defined
as having a pH above 4.6—do not contain enough acid naturally to prevent the germination
and growth of the botulinum spores found on most fruits and vegetables that come in contact with soil (
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References
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.(2006 revision. National Center for Home Food Preservation Web site) (Accessed August 12, 2009)
- Mayo Clinic Diet Manual.6th ed. Mosby, St Louis, MO1994
- Acid/alkaline ash diets: Time for assessment and change.J Am Diet Assoc. 1985; 85: 841-845
- Estimated net acid excretion inversely correlates with urine pH in vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians, and omnivores.J Ren Nutr. 2008; 18: 456-465
- Vegetarian diets.J Am Diet Assoc. 2009; 109: 1266-1282
- Dietary, metabolic, physiologic, and disease-related aspects of acid-base balance: Foreword to the contributions of the second International Acid-Base Symposium.J Nutr. 2008; 138: 413S-414S
Additional Resources
- The pH Miracle for Weight Loss.(Robert O. Young, PhD, and Shelly Redford Young, Reviewed by Lalita Kaul, PhD, RD, LDN, American Dietetic Association Spokesperson, January 2007) (Accessed August 12, 2009)
- Cancer and Acid-Base Balance: Busting the Myth.(Accessed August 12, 2009)
Article info
Footnotes
This article was written by Eleese Cunningham, RD, of the American Dietetic Association's Knowledge Center Team in Chicago, IL. ADA members can contact the Knowledge Center by sending an email to [email protected]
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
