Citric acid: Bad or No?!
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Jan 25, 2019
- 1 min read
When it comes to healthy living you directly think about sugar avoidance, replace refined sugar with whole grains and reduce fat intake and try to limit as many food additives as possible by reducing your intake of processed foods. But when it comes to whether to ban citric acid or not, things get a little more complicated.
What is citric acid?
Citric acid is an organic acid usually found in citric fruits, but it is mainly used as a preservative in packaged foods and drinks, including hummus, wine, and salsa.
This acid is naturally found in vegetables and fruits like lemons and limes but the acid used in packaged food is not derived naturally.
It is used in packaged food to increase acidity, work as antioxidant or as preservative.
Is citric acid bad for you?
Citric acid is made from black mold which is known to have side effects on human health but studies have been shown that black mold is filtered and rare is found in citric acid.
Instead citric acid can be beneficial for your health as it can works as antioxidant and then fighting disease.
Conclusion:
It is better to consume acidic foods like citrus with water and to pair acidic foods with less acidic ones like nuts, cheese, brown rice, or even bananas as excess amount cause tooth erosion.
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