One way to determine the alkalinity of foods is to burn the food and test the ash for pH. This method is commonly used.
A simple way to find the relative alkalinity of foods is to divide their calcium (Ca) content by their phosphorus (P) content. The higher the Ca/P ratio the greater alkalinity. Many of the acid foods have a ratio below one. This is the method used below.
Another method, that maybe more accurate, would be to divide the Ca content by the sum of the P and the sulfur (Su) contents.
An artifact of this process is that the ratio of maple syrup is infinite since there is, reportedly, no phosphorus in maple syrup. dividing any number by 0 becomes infinity.
ALKALINE FOODS AND THEIR Ca/P RATIOS:
Maple syrup. Infinity.
Blackstrap molasses. 21.5
Rhubarb, frozen, cooked. 17.4
Agar, dried. 12.0
Nopales, cooked. 10.2
Orange peel. 10.0
Arrowroot flour. 8.5
Roselle, raw. 5.9
Lambs quarter. 5.7
Papaya, raw. 4.9
Turnip greens, cooked. 4.7
Carob flour 4.4
Turnips, raw. 4.4
Mustard greens, boiled. 4.2
Kelp. 4.0
Dandelion greens, boiled. 3.3
Taro leaves, steamed. 3.2
Arugula. 3.2
Bok choy. 3.2
Amaranth, boiled. 2.9
Dandelion greens, raw. 2.9
Collards. 2.9
Cabbage, red, raw. 2.8
Beet greens, boiled. 2.7
Lettuce, raw. 2.7
Kale, boiled. 2.6
Figs, raw. 2.6
Spinach, boiled. 2.4
Algae, blue green. 2.4
Valencia orange. 2.3
Prickly pear, raw. 2.3
Taro root, cooked. 2.2
Figs, dried. 2.1
Naval orange. 2.1
Green cabbage, boiled. 2.1
Purslane, boiled. 2.1
Okra, boiled. 2.1
Coffee, brewed. 2.0
Spinach, raw. 2.0
Endive. 1.9
Celery. 1.8
Grapes. 1.5
Cheddar cheese. 1.4
Mozzarella cheese. 1.4
Milk, whole. 1.3
Green beans. 1.2
Apple, raw, unpeeled. 1.0
Carrot, boiled. 1.0
Apricot, raw. 1.0
Cucumber. 0.7
Squash, crookneck. 0.7
Brussels sprouts, cooked. 0.6
Cauliflower, boiled. 0.6
Chickpeas. 0.6
Cottage cheese. 0.5
Great northern beans. 0.4
Banana. 0.3
Eggplant. 0.3
Barley. 0.2
Black beans. 0.2
Peas, raw or boiled. 0.2
Beef, ground. .06
Corn meal. .06
ALKALINE HERBS AND THEIR Ca/Ph RATIOS:
Rosemary, dried. 26.0
Cinnamon. 25.0
Savory. 21.0
Sage. 17.0
Oregano. 8.0
Bay leaf. 8.0
Marjoram. 6.7
Cloves. 6.5
Allspice. 6.5
Dill seed. 5.0
Thyme. 4.0
Tarragon. 3.8
Celery seed. 3.2
Black pepper. 3.0
Basil. 2.7
Chervil. 2.6
Mace. 2.5
Fennel seed. 2.4
Coriander. 2.4
Cardamon. 2.0
Sapoty Brook has a very useful chart which maps out acid/alkaline foods and low Sodium/high Potassium foods.
Read about the benefits of a Paleolithic diet on dietary acid and health.
Summary #501.
