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What Neutralizes Acid?

Acids are all around you. They are in your food, such as apples and lemons, in your body, in your water and your soil. Some are strong enough to burn you, others will just cause your blood chemistry to change or keep your plants from growing properly. You need acids, but you don't need too much of them. In order to avoid an acidic overdose, you have to know what kinds of substances neutralize and balance them.

Acid Versus Bases
- In chemical terms acidity is measured on a scale called pH, which goes from 1 to 14. A pH of less than seven is acidic; a high pH is basic, or alkaline. Extremely acidic chemicals such as battery acid will burn you, but so will extremely alkaline chemicals, such as lye. The chemistry is simple: acids and basics cancel each other out. The way to neutralize an acidic substance, such as vinegar is to apply a base such as baking soda. Milk and water are both pH neutral.
Acid In Soil
- When acidic rain falls on the earth, it harms plants and upsets the chemical balance of streams, rivers and lakes. There are some minerals, include limestone and calcium carbonate, which have the ability to neutralize the acid in the rain. Soils with large amounts of these are known as alkaline and they can be found in the U.S. in the Great Plains, the Southwest and most Western states.
Acid in Your Blood
- Uric acid is an acid produced by certain foods. If you consume too much of those foods it can build up in your blood stream and cause a crystallizing around your joints, known as gout, according to a 2004 study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine." According to that study, the kinds of food that bring on gout include red meat and shellfish, sweets and white bread. Alcoholic drinks also contribute to the problem. To neutralize uric acid, eat whole grains, fresh vegetables, low-fat dairy products, eggs, and nuts. Drinking water helps flush the acid out of your system.
Acid in Municipal Water
- Many municipal water suppliers readjust the water for pH balance. Distilled water has a pH of 7, which is neutral, but newly treated water may be acidic as a result of the chemicals used to clean it. For this purpose, many water treatment plants employ either quicklime or hydrated lime. Lime in either form is considered efficient and safer to handle than other alkaline substances.

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