Low-Acid Fruits for Acid Reflux

If you have acid reflux, it may be best to choose fruits that are more basic and less acidic. In chemistry,pH is a measure of how acidic or basicsomething is. When choosing fruits,the higher the pH, the better.

Bananasare one of Mother Nature’s original fast foods. They are easy to digest, high in potassium, and are less acidic than many other fruits. For example,bananascome in around 5.0 on the pH scale.

Theadvantages of eating coconutsare becoming more widely understood.Coconuts have been linked to some health benefits, including improving brain function and protecting against heart disease and stroke. They are one of the least acidic fruits.

Dates and figsare also relatively low-acid. Years ago, these fruits were often served after dinner like candy because of their natural sweetness. Today, dates and figs can add sweetness to baked goods, smoothies, or granola.

Watermelons and cantaloupesare high in vitamins and super low in calories. They're also high on the pH scale, meaning that they're relatively low in acid.

Papayas are low in acid and offer a taste of the tropics. They are also packed with carotenes and vitamin C. If your grocery does not carry fresh papaya, you can usually find it cut up and frozen, or dried and packaged.

Berries are nutritional powerhouses, with some of thehighest antioxidant levels of any fresh fruit. And they can behigh in Ph, too, and potentially tolerated if you have acid reflux — especially blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Tip: buy strawberries organic, because they topped theEnvironmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen”list of most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables in 2018.

Bothnectarines and peachesare packed with essential vitamins and antioxidant properties. They're high in Ph, too, making them potentially tolerable if you have acid reflux. Both arebest bought organicif possible.

It's important that you slowly test which fruits work well with your unique digestive system. Acid refluxcan be complicatedand is usually the result of myriad of factors, not just the ingestion of one food group.