Are Raspberries Acidic and Cause Acid Reflux?

Raspberries, a mixed sweet-tart flavor blending in the mouth. Most people who eat them say they are just like this. Raspberries are a sweet natural fruit, full of vitamin C and fiber.

While thinking about raspberries as a healthy fruit, one concern always comes up:  are raspberries acidic?

Raspberries have an acidic pH in the range of 3.22 to 3.95. Anything with a pH less than 7 is defined as acidic. The lower the pH, the more acidic it is. Anything with a pH close to 1 is very acidic. Things with a pH close to 7 are neutral.

However, being an acidic fruit doesn’t make it any less healthy. Raspberries have certain health benefits that may make people want to include them in their diets.

Today, we will let you know about the wonderful nutritional elements of raspberries. And I will also help you find ways to eat this favorite food, without worsening your acid reflux or gastritis.

Raspberries Acidic, Alkaline or Neutral? How to Find Out?

Raspberries, with their sweet taste and glossy appearance, make a great contribution to our diets. Today we will examine the complete details about raspberries, so that you can judge for yourself whether they are acidic, alkaline or neutral.

There is a total of 1762 mg of acids per 100 grams of raspberries. Thus, you can clearly see the reason that raspberries are acidic: they contain a fair amount of organic acids, resulting in their pH of 3.22 to 3.95. So, it can be said certainly that raspberries are acidic.

Now, you may be wondering: If raspberries contain so much organic acid, why do they taste so sweet? The answer lies in the other compounds present in the raspberries. Let’s have a look at them.

From this nutritional analysis, we can see why raspberries are so sweet. They have 15 grams of carbohydrates (mostly sugars) per cup of raspberries. This is the major explanation for the sweetness of raspberries.

Fun fact: Raspberries originate from Turkey but the biggest producer of raspberries is Russia.

Are Raspberries Bad for Acid Reflux? [Health Hazards]

Have you ever wondered why raspberries could be considered both healthy and dangerous at the same time? If you have a history of acid reflux or gastritis, then this is a question you probably ask yourself all the time.

Acid reflux is an abnormal condition in which the acidic fluid of the stomach flows backwards into the esophagus and causes heartburn.

Reflux occurs when the muscle at the top of the stomach, called a sphincter, relaxes too much, and allows gastric contents to move up into the esophagus. This causes symptoms.

The more acidic the contents of the stomach, the worse the symptoms tend to be. Very fatty foods also tend to exacerbate heartburn. Any fruits that contain a large amount of acid may exacerbate acid reflux.

For example, raspberries, strawberries, lemons, grapes, and blueberries are some of the more acidic fruits that can cause acid reflux.

Signs of Having Acid Reflux

There are some general symptoms of acid reflux. Having one of these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have acid reflux.

Sometimes, acidic fruits or greasy fast foods cause temporary signs of acid reflux in people who are otherwise healthy, and generally don’t suffer from reflux.

• Sensation of heartburn, especially after eating acidic or greasy foods
• Frequent regurgitation of sour liquid or semi-solid food particles. This causes the throat to burn as well.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Bloating, vomiting, bad breath and frequent sour hiccups

How Are Raspberries Causing Acid Reflux?

Raspberries do not exactly cause acid reflux, but since they are acidic, they can exacerbate the symptoms. The stomach is a naturally acidic environment, but eating acidic foods can make it more so.

This doesn’t mean that you can never eat raspberries if you suffer from reflux. Eating them in moderation will likely not harm you in any way.

But, overeating any acidic foods definitely can worsen acid reflux, so they should be eaten in moderation.

Related Article: Are Cherries Acidic? Cherries and GERD: Good or bad?

5 Ways to Eat Raspberries Without Causing Acid Reflux

Raspberries come with lots of health benefits, and everyone should include them in their diet. But what about the people struggling with acid reflux? Here we are to help them out of this situation.

These 5 ways to eat raspberries will help you to enjoy your berries without causing you acid reflux.

Adding Sugar

For reducing the acidity in the raspberries, you can add some sugar in it before having it. Sugar contains a high amount of glucose and it has a pH of 7 which is the perfect pH of neutral compounds. However, be mindful of your overall sugar intake. Jam is one choice of a sweetened form of raspberries.

Cooked Raspberries

It is one of the ancient techniques followed by the people to make the food less acidic. After cooking, the water content dissolves and the acidity reduces by time by breaking the bonds inside the raspberries.

Drinking Milk

Drinking milk could be the easiest solution to get rid of acid reflux after having some raspberries. Milk has a pH of 6.7 to 6.9 which is very close to neutral. This helps lessen the effect of consuming acidic foods.

Chewing Gum

Another cool idea to control acid reflux is to chew gum. Chewing gum is known to stimulate saliva flow, and chewing sugar free gum after a meal can help decrease symptoms of acid reflux.

Drinking Water

Everyone knows we should all be drinking lots of water. This is great for your health for lots of reasons. And one of these is helping with heartburn. Water helps dilute the acidity of the stomach contents, decreasing the chances of having heartburn after eating acidic foods.

Should I Avoid Eating or Start Eating Raspberries?

So, since raspberries have great health benefits, but can also worsen symptoms of reflux, should you eat them or avoid them?

Health Benefits of Raspberries

Raspberries are one of the greatest sources of dietary fiber. They are a great source of vitamin C as well. Vitamin C is one of the most important elements in our daily diet.

Men generally need a minimum 90 mg of vitamin C in their diets, and women need slightly less, about 75 mg per day.

Raspberries can play a significant role in meeting your daily vitamin C intake for your body. Vitamin C plays an important role in maintaining a strong immune system, which helps protect you from bacterial and viral infections.

Fun fact: There are almost 200 species of raspberries. Gold raspberries are the sweetest.

Which One Should I Choose: Raspberries or Strawberries?

If we compare the nutrition information for raspberries and strawberries, we can see that both contain a lot of dietary fiber and vitamins.

But, raspberries contain more fiber – about 8 grams per cup of raspberries, compared with about 3 grams per cup of strawberries. If your goal is to maximize your fiber intake, raspberries are the way to go.

Another important consideration could be the relative amounts of vitamin C in the two types of berries. Raspberries have about 32 mg per cup of berries, while strawberries have 85 mg per cup. So, if your goal is to maximize vitamin C consumption, strawberries are the better choice.

Related Article: Are Strawberries acidic? Strawberries and acid reflux: Good or bad

Are Frozen Raspberries Acidic?

Frozen raspberries are generally tart berries due to a pH between 3.2 and 4.0. Like fresh raspberries, frozen raspberries are fairly high in fiber.

Freezing berries preserves a lot of their nutrition. They maintain their high levels of antioxidants and minerals, and they are a great source for instant energy.

Are Red Raspberries Acidic?

Red raspberries are the most common berries found in the market. And yes, red raspberries are acidic. If you are concerned about acid reflux symptoms, the best way to consume red raspberries is with some yogurt or milk so that the acid reflux can’t bother your stomach. 

FAQs

Are Raspberries Ok for Acid Reflux?

Raspberries have a pH of 3.22 to 3.95 which clearly means they are acidic. Acid reflux symptoms can be exacerbated by eating highly acidic foods.

However, having a moderate amount of raspberries won’t cause you any trouble. But if eaten in excessive amounts, they  may cause signs of acid reflux.

One of the more significant signs of acid reflux is heartburn.

Are Raspberries Acidic or Alkaline?

Raspberries are acidic with the average pH of 3.6. The pH scale is how we determine if foods (or anything else, for that matter) is acidic or alkaline.

If the level is under 7, then it’s acidic. And the lower the pH, the more acidic the food is. 7 is exactly neutral on the pH scale, and anything over 7 means the food or compound is alkaline.

Which Berries Are Most Acidic?

All three are actually acidic. And different varieties of each can be more or less acidic, so the pH ranges of the three types of berries overlap.

Strawberries have a pH range of 3.0 to 3.5 ,and raspberries have a pH range of 3.2 to 3.6 and at last the blueberries have the pH range of 4 to 5.

This suggests that strawberries tend to be the most acidic, but it really depends on the specific variety of berries, and how ripe they are.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now understand whether or not raspberries are acidic. We have attempted to provide information about the acidity of this fruit, and ways to eat it without causing discomfort.

These guidelines will help you continue to eat this delicious food without triggering your acid reflux. Fruits such as raspberries contribute important nutrients to our diets, but it is worth paying attention to any exacerbation in reflux symptoms they cause.

Remember, all foods should be eaten in moderation.