If you are wanting to eat fruit but have acid reflux or are following a low acid diet you might be wondering if blueberries are acidic.
Yes blueberries are acidic with a pH of 5. While this is acidic it is not very acidic but is acidic enough to irritate people who might have more severe acid reflux like GERD or LPR.
Below we will go into blueberries acidity in more detail and explain if you really should be eating them if you have acid reflux.
Are Blueberries Acidic?
As we briefly mentioned above blueberries are acidic with a pH of around 5 pH. Though blueberries pH can range from a 4 all the way up to around a 5.5 pH. Though 5 is around the typical pH you should expect from a ripe blueberry.
A 5 pH on the pH scale is acidic, but it isn’t very acidic. Its more of a middle ground that leans slightly more towards being alkaline than being very acidic in terms of food.
This means that the average person should easily be able to eat blueberries without any concern for acid reflux or digestive problems. Though people who are more sensitive or have more severe acid reflux might want to avoid and be more cautious.
Blueberries for Acid Reflux
If you are wanting to eat blueberries if you have acid reflux you might be wondering if you should. Here I will break it down, if I recommend you eat blueberries and what you need to know before.
More Minor Acid Reflux
If you have more minimal acid reflux blueberries should be fine for you. While blueberries are acidic they are not too acidic and shouldn’t be a problem for people with only mild or less severe symptoms.
Of course, if you eat blueberries and you notice that your acid reflux symptoms are worse you will want to stop eating them from that point.
More Severe Acid Reflux (GERD/LPR)
If you have more severe acid reflux like GERD or LPR you will want to be more careful with eating blueberries.
If you have GERD the best thing to do is to try and eat a few blueberries and see if it has any affect on you. If you notice no symptoms then you can continue to eat them as you like.
If you have LPR or silent reflux it’s best to not eat blueberries straight because they tend to irritate the symptoms more due to reactivating a thing called pepsin in the throat. For more information on this check our article – LPR complete guide.
If you have LPR and your symptoms are under control you can do the same as I have suggested for people with GERD – to eat a handful of blueberries and see if it has any affect on your symptoms. If not you can continue to eat them but always be aware that taking too much of them could start to cause irritation for certain people.
Do Blueberries Cause Heartburn?
For most people blueberries should not cause heartburn but for some people who have more severe acid reflux this can happen.
That would mainly be because of the blueberry’s acidity, while not very acidic their acidity is just about enough to irritate certain people or cause heartburn.
Special Trick: How to Eat Blueberries Without Concern for Acid Reflux
For people with more severe acid reflux or people wanting to follow a more low acid diet. Eating blueberries directly might not be possible for one reason or another.
But luckily I have a way you can enjoy them without the concern of causing or worsening any acid reflux symptoms.
The simple technique is too blend them up with some alternative milk like almond milk or soy milk.
When blueberries are blended up with almond milk or soy milk they neutralize and balance out any acidity from the blueberries. This makes the smoothie mixture with the berries much less acidic and safter to take than eating the blueberries on their own.
You can even add other fruits to the mixture like banana or strawberries and their acidity too will be greatly lowered due to being balanced out by the milks much more alkaline mixture. For more on this check our article – is almond milk good for acid reflux?
For more acid reflux advice check our in-depth diet plan here – Wipeout Diet Plan.
Interesting Related Questions
Do Blueberries Aggravate Acid Reflux?
Whether blueberries aggravate acid reflux will depend on your own acid reflux situation. Some people who are more sensitive or have more severe acid reflux might be affected by blueberries acidity whereas others will not be.
Overall blueberries are not too acidic, and they don’t other bad properties that might worsen acid reflux.
Which Fruit is Least Acidic?
Some of the fruits that are least acidic include watermelon, other melons, and avocados.
Are Blueberries More Acidic Than Grapes?
No blueberries are not more acidic than grapes. Grapes are more acidic than blueberries and have a pH level of around 3-4 pH. This is noticeably more acidic than blueberries and generally grapes are more likely to cause acid reflux symptoms for more people than blueberries.
What Fruits are Okay for Acid Reflux?
To name a few fruits that are okay for acid reflux – banana, melons, dragon fruit and avocados. For a more complete list check out our Wipeout Diet Plan.
Are Blueberries Hard on Your Stomach?
For most people blueberries should be fine on your stomach.
That’s thanks to not being too acidic and being completely natural. Just make sure to opt for ripe blueberries as unripe blueberries tend to be more acidic and harder to digest.
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