How to Reduce Acidity in Cooking

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References Tested

Anyone who has suffered with heartburn or other acid-related stomach problems may benefit from learning to reduce acidity in cooking. A few simple steps can reduce acids in foods such as sauces, casseroles, meats, and fish, and allow you to enjoy foods without discomfort.

Steps

1
Sprinkle small amounts of baking soda gradually into food during cooking to reduce the acidity in the food. Taste the food often, until the tart flavor of the food is reduced. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is a form of salt. If you are concerned about your sodium intake, add as little baking soda as possible until the food's tartness (and acid) is sufficiently reduced.^{[1]
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2
Cook dishes for the shortest time possible so that water isn't cooked away and acid isn't concentrated in a smaller volume of food. Simmering soups, casseroles, sauces and other dishes reduces water.

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3
Prepare meat, fish or fowl separately from the sauce so the meat doesn't absorb acids from the sauce. If you are making spaghetti and meatballs, cook the sauce and meatballs separately, then add them together just before serving. This will prevent the meat from soaking up acid.
4
Get protein in your diet by eating lean meats, London broil steak, skinless chicken, fish and egg whites as they are foods low in acid.
5
Incorporate high-alkaline foods into high-acid foods, as the alkalinity reduces the acidity. For example, to reduce acids in meat or fish casseroles, add peas, carrots or eggs, which are alkaline.^{[2]
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6
Reduce the phytic acid in legumes and beans by soaking the beans in hot water overnight before cooking. In addition to reducing the acid, soaking beans in hot water makes your body better able to absorb the nutritious minerals in the beans.
- Reduce the phytic acid content of grains by soaking them the same way you soak beans.
7
Reduce acid in a balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing by making the dressing with equal amounts of vinegar, oil and strong tea.
8
Cook with extra virgin olive oil or switch to a different type of oil, as olive oil is more acidic than other oils. Canola oil is low in acid and healthful in other ways.
9
Incorporate low acid fruits into your diet by eating sweet apples, mangoes, bananas and melons.^{[3]
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10
Increase your consumption of vegetables, as most vegetables can be prepared with little oil.^{[4]
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11
Eat low-fat foods to avoid acid, including skim milk, goat cheese and lower-fat or fat-free prepared foods.^{[5]
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Trustworthy Source
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Research and education center within the National Institutes of Health
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12
Avoid onions, which are high in acid.^{[6]
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