What are some Basic (higher-pH) beverages?

March 17, 2007 5:22 PM

Digestive chemistry: I have a mild case of Crohn's disease, and one of the things that seems to exacerbate my condition is eating or drinking things that are highly acidic. Other than milk, what are some higher-pH drinks that I can use to replace corrosive beverages like soda, coffee, and cranberry juice?

Water is the obvious choice, and I drink lots of it, but I crave flavor once in a while. Unfortunately, beer is out too, as I'm looking for something I can drink at work.:)

posted by chrisamiller to food & drink (20 answers total)

Some kind of vegetable juice? Carrot juice?

Rice milk?

Soy milk?

Flavored, zero-calorie waters?
posted by frogan at 5:37 PM on March 17, 2007

A Google search for "alkaline drinks" gave me this page, which has two tables at the bottom that show you some akaline food/drinks, and acidic food/drinks. Might help a little, anyway.
posted by DMan at 5:39 PM on March 17, 2007

Wow, that "alkaline drinks" search turned up a lot of alternative medicine nonsense, (woo alert!) but there's also some stuff in there that looks helpful. Tea looks like it might be one good option.
posted by chrisamiller at 5:46 PM on March 17, 2007

Carrot juice is acidic.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:48 PM on March 17, 2007

Yerba mate is a nice alternative to coffee but I have no idea the pH. satisfyingly addictive
posted by hortense at 5:52 PM on March 17, 2007

Do you like root beer?

They offer to test your favourite beverage, too...

Barley water, flavoured with something other than lemon, comes to mind.
posted by kmennie at 6:00 PM on March 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

I'd take the page DMan linked to with a grain of salt. It isn't listing foods with a high pH, it's listing something else -- unless you think that lemon juice, orange juice, or grapefruit juice qualifies as alkaline.

Here's a huge list of food, and some beverages, pHs.

Here's a large list that includes some more beverages.

Interestingly enough, the first link lists the pH of milk as being between 6.4 and 6.8, which is really acidic/neutral rather than basic. Maybe it's some other aspect of the milk that soothes your system.
posted by 517 at 6:31 PM on March 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

Flavored waters? Crystal light? Iced tea? Sports drinks?
posted by gramcracker at 6:43 PM on March 17, 2007

Apologies for the link--as 517 noted, it seems to be showing something else...Ash? Sure wouldn't eat that :-P

I should have checked that more carefully...very sorry.
posted by DMan at 7:17 PM on March 17, 2007

Yoo-Hoo.
posted by pineapple at 7:25 PM on March 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

Gosh pineapple, after reading that story, I don't think I'll ever be able to drink anything remotely similar to a Yoo-Hoo, much less on a regular basis!
posted by DMan at 7:38 PM on March 17, 2007

Dman has a point. So-called "green drinks" are very alkaline... but not very fun or refreshing to drink. I used it more as a supplement and did notice my digestive problems lessened.
posted by Geoffh at 7:51 PM on March 17, 2007

Crohn's is tough. I've had to deal with some fairly serious bouts of ulcerative colitis, so I feel for you.

If there's a decent mexican restaurant nearby see if they've got some horchata it's like rice pudding you can drink! It'll soothe your belly.
posted by aladfar at 8:09 PM on March 17, 2007

Fellow Crohnie here. Do watch out for herbal teas as the "relaxing effect" some of them promise isn't quite so relaxing for someone with IBD.
posted by acoutu at 8:29 PM on March 17, 2007

Tonic water? It's pretty bitter, which makes me think it's basic.

I wonder about the pH of mineral water -- I often don't do well with acidic food/drinks, too, but even at these times mineral water sometimes is a good thing.
posted by amtho at 8:52 PM on March 17, 2007

If you live near an asian market, toasted barley tea rocks. Good in the morning with a bit of honey, good, after it sits all day, with a bit of rice and soy. I add a bit of sesame oil, but that might be a bad plan for you. Not sure. The perfect comfort tea. I have really serious gastritis and an ulcer, and when I can't eat it helps me to feel full. Big bonus for those of us who actually really want to eat...but can't.
posted by metasav at 1:46 AM on March 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

rooibos (bush) tea?
it's fabulous and you can have it with milk (so it's just like a real cup of tea, not like herbal shite) or black if you prefer.

it has no caffeine but it's not hippy shit.

good luck
.... currently drinking my 4th cup of day....
posted by taff at 4:14 AM on March 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Another Crohnie here. My drinking menu can be equally limited sometimes, so I tend to spend a lot of time drinking water. I also frequently change the brand of soda I buy each week just to keep something different on hand (and I usually try to keep off the caffeine since that can irritate the intestine, so it's usually Caffeine-Free Coke or Sprite or something). Gatorade is good in small quantities. I also used to drink a product called Vitamin Water that was one of those flavored waters, but it claimed to be packed with additional vitamins (which is usually something we Crohn's folks need). The grape/berry flavor was the tastiest.
posted by Servo5678 at 4:55 AM on March 18, 2007

I'll give some of these suggestions a shot and see what happens. Unfortunately, eating with CD is often a trial-and-error process. (Does eating this make me feel like shit? Nope? Okay, then!)

Thanks, all!
posted by chrisamiller at 10:10 AM on March 18, 2007

Don't know about the pH, but somebody on TV last week was throwing a few slices of cucumber in plain water, with a sprig of mint added (which seems optional). If it sounds good, I can't think there'd be enough veggie in there to do more than give it a smidge of flavor, and it would give you something to switch off to once in a while. That sounds like a sprig of dill might work, too. You can always toss in a single slice of lemon, which wouldn't be much acid, or just put a slice over the edge of the glass, which just plain makes it smell nicer without adding acid.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 10:44 AM on March 18, 2007