You might be wondering if potatoes are acidic or alkaline and if you should eat them if you have acid reflux.
Potatoes are acidic with a pH of around 6-6.5 on the pH scale. While this is acidic on the pH scale it’s not very acidic at all and is quite close to the neutral pH of 7.
Below we will go into potatoes acidity in more detail and if potatoes are a good choice if you have acid reflux.
Are Potatoes Acidic?
Potatoes are around a pH of 6 – 6.5 pH. This means potatoes are acidic. While potatoes are acidic, their acidity is quite low when compared with most other foods.
The pH rating of 6 is quite a low acidity when it comes to foods and therefore the acidity isn’t considered too acidic for most people.
It’s also worth mentioning that while there are a lot of varieties of potatoes most of them are are around that same level of acidity.
Are Potatoes Bad for Acid Reflux?
Even though potatoes are considered acidic they are usually a safe choice for people with acid reflux. Even if you have severe acid reflux like GERD or LPR potatoes are usually a safe choice. That’s because they are not acidic enough to bother or irritate any acid reflux symptoms.
The main thing that is important when it comes to potatoes if how they are cooked as some options are not as good as others. Below we will explain a few different options below.
Baking Potatoes
One of the best ways to prepare potatoes is by baking them. When you bake them, they can be nice and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Because baked potatoes are simple it makes them a great choice for anyone even with acid reflux.
Boiling Potatoes
Another popular way to cook potatoes is by boiling them. When you boil them, it makes them soft, and this also makes digestion even easier.
Out of all the options this is probably the easiest on the stomach especially when you have mashed potatoes because the potatoes are already broken down a lot, so the stomach doesn’t have to work as hard.
Frying Potatoes
One of the more popular options is frying potatoes. Frying potatoes is the only option that might potentially cause some acid reflux symptoms. Not because of the potatoes but because of the oil that you have used to fry them, or the amount of oil used. Some cooking oils make irritate some people whereas others may not be affected at all.
The best cooking oil if you have acid reflux is olive oil as we cover in depth in our Wipeout Diet Plan. If you have more severe or sensitive acid reflux olive oil will be your best choice. If you only have minimal acid reflux more oils should be okay.
Keep in mind it would be best instead of deep frying the potatoes to sauté them in a little oil. The less oil that you use the less likely it will be to irritate or cause acid reflux problems. Some oils are more irritating to certain people and the more oil that is used the oilier and fattier the potatoes will become.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to only use a little oil at least when starting out to see if it has any negative effect on your acid reflux symptoms. We recommend 2-3 teaspoons for 1 serving and adding more later.
Are Potatoes Good for GERD?
As we briefly mentioned before potatoes are a great choice if you have acid reflux and especially GERD. This is because they are not too acidic and are completely natural. They also have great nutritional value and can be cooked and served in a plethora of different ways.
In our Wipeout Diet Plan potatoes are one of the more common ingredients used because they almost never irritate or cause any acid reflux problems even for people with more severe acid reflux like GERD.
Potatoes Nutrients
Potatoes offer a well-balanced and varied nutritional profile. Firstly, they are a good source of fiber especially around the skin. If you are someone who doesn’t tolerate a lot of fiber in their diet, you can peal off the skin to greatly lower their fiber contents.
Potatoes have a host of vitamins and minerals in them too. They include potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and iron. On top of that potatoes are a great source of carbohydrates and they even include a little protein too!
Overall potatoes nutritionally make for an excellent choice for both nutrition and overall health.
Conclusion
In conclusion even though potatoes are slightly acidic they are an excellent choice for almost all people. They offer great nutritional value along with being a good choice even for people with more severe acid reflux.
The only thing that is important with potatoes is how you cook them. When cooking with oil it’s a good idea to use it in moderation and be aware some oils might cause or worsen the effects of acid reflux. The best choice of oils is extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil.
Interesting Related Questions
Is Boiled Potato Acidic or Alkaline?
Boiled potatoes are acidic. They are around a 6 pH and while this does make them acidic on the pH scale when it comes to acidity of foods, they are one of the least acidic foods.
So, while they are not alkaline, they are still a great choice if you have acid reflux.
Are Mashed Potatoes Okay for Acid Reflux?
Mashed potatoes are a good choice if you have acid reflux. That is because potatoes are not too acidic and are considered a great choice for most people even with more severe acid reflux.
Also, because the potatoes are already mashed this makes it even easier for the stomach to digest.