Orange juice is acidic. Toothpaste commercials might have you believe that’s a bad thing (with their worrisome fears of acid erosion to sell high end toothpastes), but in the grand scheme of things, you really WANT the acidity that can only be found in citrus juices. Orange juice alkalizes your body.
I am not a medical professional. I’ve just done a lot of personal research on the acid and alkaline effects in your body. Please consult your physician for medical advice for your specific needs.
Acid or Alkaline Effect In Your Body
When citrus, such as oranges, lemons, limes and tangerines, enter your body and are broken down and metabolized, it creates an alkaline effect.
If you remember anything from high school chemistry, you might remember that acid and alkaline are very different from each other.
So the transformation of orange juice and other citrus fruits in your body from acid to alkaline is really, really cool.
Why should you care? Your body is healthier in an alkaline state and some research suggests that cancer cells actually can’t survive in high alkaline environments and bones are healthier in an alkaline environment.
Have I got your attention now?
Your body wants an alkaline environment to work properly. However, our modern American diet – high in animal proteins, dairy, added sugars and processed foods – produces an acidic effect inside your body. That’s not good.
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An acidic environment inside your body (keep in mind – this has nothing to do with the acidity of foods before you consume them) keeps your body from working properly.
The more acidic your insides are, the harder your body has to fight to stay healthy. That doesn’t seem fair, huh?
With too much acidity, your body can’t absorb as much minerals and nutrients, or produce energy in cells (and don’t we all need some more energy?). Your cells can’t repair themselves as well.
Even more scary, tumor cells thrive in acid environments inside your body – and no one wants that.
A lot of factors affect the very delicate acid to alkaline ratio inside your body. To recap chemistry class, pH neutral is 7.0. Anything over that is alkaline. Anything less than that is acidic.
*Did you know that you can check your body’s acidity or alkaline level at any time? Use these pH test strips to test your saliva or urine to see what’s going on inside.*
Food has a MAJOR impact on whether or not your body is acidic or alkaline. To be fair, emotional stress and toxic overloads can spin your body into an acidic environment, too. So you want to consume foods that will have an alkalizing effect on your body, even if you think you eat right already.
Citrus Fruits Alkaline Your Body
Citrus fruits with their high acidity actually alkalize your body. So drinking lemon juice, orange juice, tangerine juice and other fruits that remind you of sunny days can bring down the acid balance inside and start to put your body into a healthier pH balance.
You want only pure citrus juice though, without any added sugars, flavors or preservatives. And skip orange juice made with flavor packs, too. (Read to see what flavor packs are.) Organic is always best, too, in order to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals, which could raise the acid count in your body.
Lemon juice is among the strongest alkalizing fruits available. Just behind lemons, though, are mango, guavas, nectarines and oranges. Beets and apples are moderately alkaline, too.
Let’s make it clear, though. As great as consuming orange juice can be for your health, the acid can still wreck havoc on your tooth enamel.
Hear are the quick fixes for reducing acid erosion on your teeth from citrus juice:
- Brush your teeth after drinking citrus juices
- Drink through a straw
- At the very minimum – swish water around your mouth after consuming citrus foods
Mikki says
I love organic orange juice. I had to stop drinking it for a little bit but I’m slowly drinking it again here and there.
Samantha Riley says
The hubster loves Orange juice! I buy Tropicana from time to time because they just got verified Non-GMO and organic orange juice is so expensive lol I want to try nobel sometime soon though! I see it at publix from time to time 🙂
Kimberly Button says
I didn’t know that about Tropicana! You got to do what you got to do sometimes. Orange juice is better than a lot of other stuff out there, so drink what you can when you can 🙂
Tom Sisson says
Many fruits like oranges naturally contains quite a bit of sugar. The sugar in juices get metabolized right away. This raises blood sugar levels which in turn tells your body to produce insulin. This in turn makes your body produce fat from any carbohydrates, including sugar, not being used right away. If you consume the fruit instead, you receive the benefits of the juice while the fiber slows down the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. Some fruits contain vitamin, minerals, and fiber in the skin. One cannot get those benefits from just the juice.
Donna Jean R.N. says
thanks for publishing this-I was looking up how orange juice alkalizes urine and would like to know more about the inner process. thanks again
Kimberly Button says
Thank you, Donna!
Jason says
Putting our bodies in an alkaline state is a very positive action for sure, but I’m having problems believing that these acidic fruits do covert from acid to alkaline. Cancer has run in the family, and I’ve decided to stay away from certain acid foods to give myself a better shot of a longer life. I’ve done so much research on acidic fruits, and the pros and cons to them, and I’ve found “ so I thought” that only certain grapefruits, I think the red one’s are capable of the switch from acid to alkaline through the digestion process.
Kimberly Button says
Hi Jason, definitely do your own medical research! I am not a doctor nor do I give medical advice, but found the research of other doctors and professionals. I do know that drinking lemon water or apple cider vinegar has been touted time and time again to be helpful to your liver with detoxing and health. Those two items are very acidic, too. I definitely encourage you to find medical journals and research to help you practice the best tips for your situation!
Jan T. says
Thanks for the information. I really learned a lot. I am trying to eat healthy these days so I am putting away all acidic foods and focusing on alkaline foods. I didn’t know our bodies need to stay in an alkaline environment. I guess I didn’t pay attention in chemistry class…lol.
Enjoyed reading your blog. Jan, NJ!
Kimberly Button says
Thanks, Jan! Good luck to you!!!
Pete says
Great tip to use a straw when drinking orange juice. I use this thing called a Bombilla strainer straw to drink fresh citrus juices. It protects my teeth, and I don’t have to pick out the seeds 🙂 Swishing with alkaline water is another good way to reduce harmful acidity in the mouth.
Kimberly Button says
Great solutions!
Joseph Waters says
How oranges reduce your body’s acidity?… How was never answered!
Kimberly Button says
Yes, at the beginning of the article the scientific process is explained. Oranges are broken down and metabolized into alkaline properties. Alkaline balances and neutralizes acid in the body.