Dear Dr. Ellie,
I came upon this list of pH values of various foods in a blogpost on Dental Health by Denise Minger @ www.rawfoodsos.com :
Here’s a list of the pH of some raw foods taken from FDA measurements. The lower the number, the more acidic the food; 7 is considered neutral, although anything with a pH of 5 or greater is less likely to damage your teeth. Citrus often gets a bad rap, but notice that some other fruits—especially berries, plums, and grapes—have an even lower pH than oranges. And bear in mind that unripe fruit will typically have values lower than the ones listed.
For your viewing pleasure, I’ve highlighted the items under 5.0 pH in red.
Raw plant foods:
Aloe juice: 6.0 – 6.8
Apple, Red Delicious: 3.9
Apple, Golden Delicious: 3.6
Apple, Jonathan: 3.3
Apple, McIntosh: 3.3
Apricots: 3.3 – 4.8
Asparagus: 6 – 6.7
Avocado: 6.3 – 6.6
Bananas, red: 4.6 – 4.8
Bananas, yellow: 5.0 – 5.3
Beets: 5.3 – 6.6
Blackberries: 3.9 – 4.5
Blueberries: 3.1 – 3.3
Broccoli: 6.3 – 6.5
Cantaloupe: 6.1 – 6.6
Carrots: 5.9 – 6.4
Cauliflower: 5.6
Celery: 5.7 – 5.9
Cherries, Royal Ann: 3.8
Chives: 5.2 – 6.3
Coconut meat: 5.5 – 7.8
Corn: 5.9 – 7.3
Cucumbers: 5.1 – 5.8
Dates: 4.1 – 4.9
Eggplant: 5.5 – 6.5
Fennel: 5.5 – 5.9
Figs, Calamyrna: 5.2 – 6.0
Garlic: 5.8
Ginger: 5.6 – 5.9
Gooseberries: 2.8 – 3.1
Grapes, Concord: 2.8 – 3.0
Grapes, Lady Finger: 3.5 – 3.6
Grapes, Malaga: 3.7 – 3.8
Grapes, Muscadine: 3.2 – 3.4
Grapes, seedless: 2.9 – 3.8
Grapefruit: 3.0 – 3.8
Honey: 3.7 – 4.2
Jackfruit: 4.8 – 6.8
Jujube: 5.2
Kale: 6.4 – 6.8
Kelp: 6.3
Kumquat: 3.6 – 4.2
Leeks: 5.5 – 6.2
Lemon juice: 2.0 – 2.6
Lettuce, Boston: 5.9 – 6.1
Lettuce, iceberg: 5.7 – 6.1
Lettuce, romaine: 5.8 – 6.1
Lime juice: 2.0 – 2.4
Loganberries: 2.7 – 3.5
Lychee: 4.7 – 5.0
Mangos: 3.4 – 4.8
Mangosteen: 4.5 – 5.0
Melon, Casaba: 5.8 – 6.0
Melon, honeydew: 6.0 – 6.7
Melon, Persian: 5.9 – 6.4
Mushrooms: 6.0 – 6.7
Nectarines: 3.9 – 4.2
Onions, red: 5.3 – 5.8
Onions, white: 5.4 – 5.9
Onions, yellow: 5.3 – 5.6
Oranges, Florida: 3.7 – 4.3
Oranges, “color added”: 3.6 – 3.9
Papaya: 5.2 – 6.0
Parsley: 5.7 – 6.0
Peaches: 3.3 – 4.0
Pears, Bartlett: 3.5 – 4.6
Peppers, green: 5.2 – 5.9
Persimmons: 4.4 – 4.7
Pineapple: 3.2 – 4.0
Plums, blue: 2.8 – 3.4
Plums, red: 3.6 – 4.3
Plums, yellow: 3.9 – 4.5
Pomegranate: 2.9 – 3.2
Radishes: 5.8 – 6.0
Rambutan: 4.9
Raspberries: 3.2 – 3.9
Sauerkraut: 3.3 – 3.6
Scallion: 6.2
Spinach: 5.5 – 6.8
Strawberries: 3.0 – 3.9
Sweet potatoes: 5.3 – 5.6
Swiss chard: 6.2 – 6.8
Tangerine: 3.3 – 4.5
Tomatillo: 3.8
Tomatoes: 4.3 – 4.9
Vinegar: 2.4 – 3.4
Walnuts: 5.4
Watercress: 5.9 – 6.2
Watermelon: 5.2 – 5.6
Zucchini (Courgette): 5.7 – 6.1
Non-vegan, potentially raw foods:
Cheese, Camembert: 7.44
Cheese, cheddar: 5.9
Cheese, cottage: 4.75 – 5.0
Cheese, Roquefort: 5.1 – 6.0
Cheese, parmesan: 5.2 – 5.3
Egg white: 7.9
Egg yolk: 6.1
Honey: 3.7 – 4.2
Mackerel: 6.3 – 6.5
Milk, cow: 6.4 – 6.8
Milk, goat: 6.5
Salmon: 5.9 – 6.5
Tuna: 5.9 – 6.2[/q]
Bring on the Xylitol! For the complete post see:
http://rawfoodsos.com/10/01/24/dental-drama-tooth-problems-on-the-raw-diet-part-1/#more-57
As for me, I’ve been using your Complete System exclusively for about a year now (I do floss). That along with some local dental work and two cleanings, and I feel as though I have a new mouth! Wow, did I develop the dead plaque stains; the hygienist wants me to return in three months for another cleaning. I hope to surprise her and not need it.
Question: Dr. Ellie, how do I get rid of the dead plaque stains that have settled [i]between[/i] my teeth out of reach of the cleaning tools?
Many thanks & good job on the new sites,
Yours Sincerely,
KKC
Hi K,
I am certainly not an expert in pH testing and I would like to try to connect with others who perhaps have access to more sensitive equipment.
I began pH testing when I was concerned to find out why some patients had dental disease despite a good and varied diet.
What I discovered was very interesting and I have trouble believing that no one else has observed this.
Women predominantly appear to have acidic mouths whereas men predominantly appear to have alkaline mouths.
Of course this is a generalization but testing many people over many years confirms this profile for me.
The second thing I found interesting was testing mouth pH after eating certain foods.
During my work in Switzerland I had recommended pineapple to patients to speed healing.
(Before this, I had always recommended salt water to speed healing which of course made sense since it is obviously alkaline. )
I could not imagine pineapple being alkaline so I tested my mouth after eating some and discovered it became alkaline.
(Later with access to the Internet, I did an Internet search of Dole.com nutrition facts post operative pineapple and found that pineapple contains an excellent variety of “ingredients” that speed healing!)
This little story is to illustrate that there is much we don’t know.
To simply take pH of an uncooked vegetable and worry about its effect on teeth does not seem scientifically accurate.
We need to test pH in a mouth AFTER eating a vegetable or fruit since this is really going to determine what happens to teeth.
When the food or liquid dissolves in saliva this is the liquid that will either help repair or destroy teeth.
I want to do more learning, and more research on the effects of foods in the mouth before I make more comments.
What I will comment on is the pH at which teeth are harmed.
Root surfaces of teeth the area that is covered by cement (not enamel) will dissolve at any pH lower than 6.5.
The enamel of teeth softens at any pH lower than 5.5 and the lower the pH the more damage to your teeth on a logarithmic scale so damage at low pH can be extreme.
The fact is that for many people, their own saliva presents the biggest and most continuous problem.
Many women have salivary pH around 5.5 through out the day especially if they have hormonal imbalance or are pregnant.
In other words their root surfaces are dissolving ( which often creates a groove at the gum line) and their teeth becomes softer and stained while pieces of enamel chip off around fillings to loosen them and cause them to leak.
I do appreciate your interest and I assure you there will be much more about foods and pH values in the near future on my website!
Thanks so much for the list I will digest it (!!) over time and try to figure out how all of this fits in oral health.
Best wishes,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
Dental Health for Everyone!
author, Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye
26, Corporate Woods, Rochester NY 14623
Hi M,
I would like to post my reply about pH but without the long list, I think the list link is enough. I do think pH is really important for people to understand and I do think I need to do more work on this.
Thanks,
Ellie
Ellie Phillips DDS
Dental Health for Everyone!
author, Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye
26, Corporate Woods, Rochester NY 14623
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