Welcome to “the list”, ninjas-in-training! Here you shall find the citric acid content of many foods, measured as grams CA per 100 grams of food.
New ninjas-in-training, please continue reading for an important list tutorial. Seasoned ninjas may do a fancy jump-kick-spin thing to the place of your choice:
Not-on-the-list tutorial
CA content by food group
Foods by CA tolerance level
This list may be awesome, but it is not absolute or infallible. Some people may be able to tolerate peaches (0.4g/100g) but not cantaloupe (0.3g/100g), which normally contains less citric acid than peaches. This could be for a variety of reasons, including the growing/cooking conditions of the food, multiple allergies, concurrent health conditions, or cross-reactions.
Additionally, this list is not complete. Just because a food does not appear on the list does NOT mean is it citric acid-free. Please be careful, and do not make food safety decisions based solely on this list. Only you and your doctor know your full set of health parameters and can decide what is safe for you!
This page contains two versions of “the list.” The first version is organized by food group, which is helpful if you want to look up a specific food, like apples or peas. It also contains mini-tutorials on the general safety of each food group. Click here to jump to that list! The second version categorizes foods by their citric acid content (high/medium/low). It may help you figure out your tolerance level; for example, if you can eat bananas (0.2g/100g) you may also be able to eat other foods with 0.2g/100g, such as pears. Click here to jump to that list!
“But sensei,” you say, “you just told me these lists are not complete. What am I supposed to do about foods that aren’t on here? Stuff them in my mouth and see what happens?” Well, my students, I’ve done that plenty of times myself. I changed my mind about this strategy after the following words came out of my mouth, “Look at me, [roommate]. I can’t even walk across the room, all because I didn’t know the Australian word for cantaloupe!”
Long story short, my beloved American cantaloupe WAS on the list, but as the list has its origins in Australia, it was listed as “rockmelon.” I soon found that a number of foods actually not on the list still caused reactions, and with hours of laborious research, I usually confirmed that I should not have eaten said things. I say “usually” because compositional data on some foods just aren’t out there, and I was stuck making educated guesses. After years of disastrous trial and error, I’ve developed a few techniques that are slightly better than licking something and waiting next to a pile of Benadryl and epi-pens. So, without further ado, Lemon Ninja Presents:
TO EAT, OR NOT TO EAT? (A NOT-ON-THE-LIST TUTORIAL)
Suppose one fine day you find yourself with a hankering for Chicken Maratha with a side of pomelo and pistachios. These things would probably taste terrible together, but for the sake of variety in this tutorial, you just like to eat weird combinations of things. You love the spicy goodness of turmeric, tart juiciness of pomelo, and the weird greenness of pistachios, but you haven’t had any since you started your ninja lifestyle. Are they safe to eat? You rush to your favorite website of all time but, to your partial joy and partial dismay, you don’t see them on “the list.”
This means one of two things: (1) the foods are safe, (2) the foods are not safe, but have not been evaluated by the food people of Australia, or (3) I’m really sorry, there isn’t a third thing, but I cannot make lists composed of only two things. So, which is it?
Have no fear, ninja-in-training! With a few minutes on the web, you can make a reasonably educated guess as to the safety of almost any food. Let’s go through the steps, and decide whether or not turmeric, pomelo, and pistachios are ninja-safe:
- Use your intuition. If it sounds dangerous, it probably is.
- If you’re out and about, don’t eat it!
- If you’re at home and have time to hit the web, proceed to step 2.
- Why do half of the things I need to list only have two things? *sigh*
- Think about similar foods.
- Pomelo is a fruit. All fruits have citric acid in them, so pomelo must have citric acid.
- If some fruits are within your tolerance level, you’re going to need to get more specific.
- Think about smell, taste, and texture: what fruits does pomelo remind you of? Oranges and limes come to mind here, which is probably a bad thing for any ninja.
- No pomelo for you!
- What about turmeric? It’s not fruit, and it’s not really a vegetable either, it’s a… well it looks like a… thing. It’s a thing. Okay. Not very helpful. Looks like we’ll have to take this to step 3!
- Pistachios are some kind of nut-ish thing. Nuts and seeds are weird foods when it comes to categories, and a lot of things we think of as nuts and seeds actually aren’t, like peanuts. You may have noticed that there are no actual nut or seed things on “the list” anyways, so, on to step 3!
- Pomelo is a fruit. All fruits have citric acid in them, so pomelo must have citric acid.
- Get science-y.
- Look up turmeric on the web. More specifically, look up its family classification. This is typically easy to find on Wikipedia, in a little box that looks like this:
- As you can see, turmeric is in the family Zingiberaceae. How informative, right? Well, maybe if we try clicking on it…
- We can look on this page for familiar foods. Right away, we can see that ginger is closely related to turmeric.
- Is ginger safe? Check the list!
- NOPE. Ginger is not safe for ninjas with a tolerance of 0.1g or less!
- And pistachios? Try this one for yourself! The answers will be at the end of this tutorial.
- Look up turmeric on the web. More specifically, look up its family classification. This is typically easy to find on Wikipedia, in a little box that looks like this:
- Using this information, give yourself some room for error.
- Ginger and turmeric are related, so it’s likely that they have similar citric acid content.
- BUT! This does not mean they are exactly the same. Turmeric could have 0.2g or 0.05g… we can’t be sure.
- Turmeric may even have some outrageous amount of citric acid, like 1.0g. Again, we can’t be sure.
- Make a decision!
- ALWAYS err on the side of caution.
- Use the information you’ve found as an aide to your intuition, NOT as an absolute determinant.
- Use your knowledge of your body and how it reacts to things.
- Take other things into consideration, like how much citric acid exposure you’ve had lately, how much stress you’re under, and whether you’ve been invited to a gala with British Royalty within the next week or so.
- If a sounds like a bad idea, it is. Don’t eat it. Listen to your body, sometimes it’s smart!
- Eat, or don’t eat.
- If you don’t eat it, pat yourself on the back for your awesome research skillz. Reward yourself with a delicious, safe treat of choice.
- If you do eat it, do so S L O W L Y.
- Take a little taste, and wait.
- If you generally have fast reactions, wait however long your reactions usually take to show up. If nothing happens, try a wee bit more. Don’t go overboard!
- If you generally have delayed reactions, eat the smallest amount that you feel could cause a reaction. If nothing happens, try a little more the next time. Again, don’t go overboard!
- Congratulations, you have either eaten, or not eaten, a different food! Great job, ninja!
(Did you figure out the ninja-safety level of pistachios? They are a member of the family Anacardiaceae, also known as the cashew family. If you don’t know anything about cashews, that’s cool, but you should have seen the word “mango” on their family tree and whipped out your nunchucks. Now, the scariest part of mangos is the fleshy fruit part, and we don’t eat that part of pistachios… just the seeds… but we also don’t know what’s in those mango seeds. So, what to do? The choice is yours: choose responsibly!)
And now… the lists!
CITRIC ACID CONTENT BY FOOD GROUP
Alcoholic Beverages
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Condiments
Dairy
Fruits
Grains
Legumes
Soups
Spreads
Vegetables
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Alcohol is made by fermentation. Depending on your tolerance level, you may react to the small amounts of citric acid that are left over from the foods your drink is fermented from.
Alcohol: Fermented from
Beer: Corn or other grain
Brandy: Fruit
Cider: Fruit
Gin: Corn or other grain (infused with juniper berry)
Mead: Honey
Rum: Molasses or sugarcane
Wine (0.1g/100g): Fruit
Vodka: Corn or other grain, tomatoes or potatoes
Whiskey: Corn or other grain
Fruit, corn, tomatoes and potatoes all contain citric acid and can be found further down on this list. Molasses is sometimes made from beets, which also contain citric acid. In their purest (unprocessed) forms, honey, sugarcane and non-corn grains do not contain citric acid.
However, drinks aren’t just pure alcohol. We add in flavors, fillers, and stabilizers; fruity drinks are most likely to have a high citric acid content, but other drinks like beer or rum-and-cokes are likely to have citric acid (or a derivative) as an additive. Always read the labels, drink safely, and drink responsibly!
Back to food groups
NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Beverages can be pretty tricky. Water is the safest option- as long as you remember to ask for no lemons! All fruit and vegetable juices contain citric acid naturally; keep in mind that juice is essentially concentrated food, so a sip of juice likely contains more citric acid than a bite of fruit or veggies. Many juices also contain extra citric acid as an additive. Coffee contains citric acid naturally, and most (but not all!) teas do as well. All soft drinks (pops) and sports drinks have citric acid in some form: it may be hiding in its natural form as flavoring or corn syrup, or may be used as an additive. (See “Where is Citric Acid Found?” for info on natural vs. synthetic citric acid)
| Juice, Apple | 0.1 | g |
| Juice, Blackcurrant | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Carrot | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Celery | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Grape | 0.3 | g |
| Juice, Grape, sparkling | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Grapefruit | 1.2 | g |
| Juice, Lemon | 4.6 | g |
| Juice, Lime | 4.6 | g |
| Juice, Orange (95%) & Mango (5%) | 0.7 | g |
| Juice, Orange | 0.8 | g |
| Juice, Orange, home squeezed | 0.7 | g |
| Juice, Pear | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Pineapple | 0.8 | g |
| Juice, Tomato | 0.6 | g |
| Mineral Water, Fruit flavors | 0.1 | g |
| Mineral Water, Citrus | 0.4 | g |
| Sparkling (Soda) Water | 0.1 | g |
| Soft Drink, Energy drink | 0.8 | g |
| Soft Drink | 0.1 | g |
| Soft Drink, Lemonade | 0.2 | g |
| Soft Drink, Tonic Water | 0.1 | g |
| Sports Drink | 0.1 | g |
CONDIMENTS AND DRESSINGS
Condiments are just as tricky as beverages, and are best handled by looking at labels. If you don’t have access to the label, think about what it’s made of. Is it tomato-based? Does it taste like garlic or onion? If you’re not sure about something, skip out this time and find out what’s in it for next time.
Remember, this list is not all-inclusive. I know that hummus (garlic), mayonnaise (lemon juice), sour cream (citrate), vinegar (citric acid or citrate), ketchup (tomatoes, onion, vinegar, corn syrup), mustard (vinegar, turmeric), and relish (pickles, cabbage, bell pepper, vinegar, corn syrup) all contain citric acid, but they are not on this list. As I said above, condiments (and really all processed foods) are best handled by reading the label.
| Dressing, Coleslaw | 0.2 | g |
| Dressing, French, reduced fat | 1.5 | g |
| Dressing, French | 1.1 | g |
| Dressing, Italian, fat free | 0.2 | g |
| Dressing, Italian | 0.1 | g |
| Dressing, Thousand Island, reduced fat | 0.2 | g |
| Dressing, Thousand Island | 0.3 | g |
| Paste, Curry | 0.7 | g |
| Sauce, Salsa | 0.6 | g |
| Sauce, Tomato | 0.5 | g |
DAIRY AND ALTERNATIVES
Dairy is another area where you always need to read your labels. Milk naturally contains citric acid, but many dairy products have extra citric acid on top of that. Many types of ice cream are made with citric acid or soy lecithin (soy beans contain citric acid, and soy lecithin contains 0.8g/100g). Many butters contain citric acid, citrate, or something that is derived from vegetables. Nearly all margarines and butter alternatives are vegetable based, and many contain soy. Yogurt (even the plain stuff) often contains pectin, which is derived from orange peels.
As for dairy alternatives, soy-based products contain soy (duh) and should be avoided if soy is above your tolerance level. Many rice-based and almond-based products contain citric acid or citrate as an additive, some contain soy, and some contain ingredients derived from vegetables.
Sometimes, reading the label isn’t enough. Many cheeses are manufactured using citric acid, but the FDA doesn’t require it to be on the label. If you’re not sure about cheese or any other product, contact the manufacturer to get more information.
| Cheese, Cheddar | 0.4 | g |
| Cheese, Fetta | 0.1 | g |
| Cheese, Mozzarella | ?* | g |
| Gelato, Various flavors | 0.3 | g |
| Ice Cream, Vanilla | 0.1 | g |
| Milk, Cow | 0.2 | g |
| Soy Beverage | 0.1 | g |
FRUITS
All fruits contain citric acid naturally. That’s right– all of them. Citrus fruits have more citric acid than other fruits (GASP!), as do exotic fruits. As for synthetic content, fresh fruits are often sprayed with citric acid in the grocery store, and canned or dried fruits are often preserved with citric acid.
| Apple | 0.1 | g |
| Apricot, dried | 2.3 | g |
| Apricot, raw | 1.4 | g |
| Babaco | 0.2 | g |
| Banana | 0.2 | g |
| Blackberry | 0.4 | g |
| Blueberry | 0.6 | g |
| Cherry | <0.1 | g |
| Custard Apple | 0.3 | g |
| Date | 1.5 | g |
| Fig, dried | 0.4 | g |
| Fig, raw | 0.2 | g |
| Grape | 0.1 | g |
| Grapefruit | 1.2 | g |
| Guava | 1.4 | g |
| Jackfruit | 0.4 | g |
| Kiwifruit | 0.9 | g |
| Lemon | 4.5 | g |
| Lime | 4.3 | g |
| Mandarin, Imperial | 0.9 | g |
| Mandarin, Tangelo | 1.4 | g |
| Mandarin, canned | 0.7 | g |
| Mango | 0.7 | g |
| Melon, Honeydew | 0.4 | g |
| Melon, Cantaloupe (Rockmelon) | 0.3 | g |
| Melon, Watermelon | 0.1 | g |
| Mulberry | 0.6 | g |
| Nectarine | 0.4 | g |
| Orange | 0.8 | g |
| Passionfruit | 3.5 | g |
| Papaya (Pawpaw) | 0.1 | g |
| Peach | 0.4 | g |
| Pear | 0.2 | g |
| Pepino | 0.1 | g |
| Pineapple | 0.9 | g |
| Plum | <0.1 | g |
| Pomegranate | 1.7 | g |
| Prickly Pear | 0.5 | g |
| Rambutan | 0.3 | g |
| Raspberry | 2.4 | g |
| Rhubarb | 0.1 | g |
| Strawberry | 0.6 | g |
| Tamarillo | 1.8 | g |
| Wax Jambu | 0.1 | g |
GRAINS
In their purest, unprocessed forms, all grains except corn are free of citric acid. However, the vast majority of grain products–bread, pasta, cereal, and pastries–are not guaranteed to be safe for ninjas. Sourdough bread gets its kick from citric acid, and many bakeries will put citric acid in other breads as well; sometimes, one baker will not use it while a different baker at the same bakery will! If you enjoy buying fresh bread, make sure to ask each time you buy. Most breads, cereals, and pastries contain soy lecithin (0.8g/100g); your best bet for finding soy-free grain products is looking for non-GMO or organic products. Rice products, and rice itself, are also much less likely to contain some form of citric acid.
Back to food groups
LEGUMES
Legumes are pod-like thingies that you probably didn’t like to eat as a child; you probably won’t like them now either, because they all contain citric acid! Some examples of legumes include alfalfa, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, soy, and peanuts.
You’ll notice on this list that beans that are dried, boiled, and drained have less citric acid than beans that are simply dried. Boiling moves some of the citric acid from the beans into the water; if you want to use this as a citric acid reduction method, don’t forget to drain!
| Baked beans, canned in tomato sauce | 0.1 | g |
| Bean, Cannellini, canned | 0.3 | g |
| Bean, Haricot, dried | 1.4 | g |
| Bean, Haricot, dried, boiled, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Lima, dried | 2.7 | g |
| Bean, Lima, dried, boiled, drained | 0.4 | g |
| Bean, Red Kidney, dried | 1.1 | g |
| Bean, Red Kidney, dried, boiled, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Bean, Red Kidney, canned, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Soya, dried | 1.8 | g |
| Bean, Soya, dried, boiled, drained | 0.3 | g |
| Bean, Soya, canned, drained | 0.3 | g |
| Chickpea, canned, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Lentil, dried | 0.5 | g |
| Lentil, dried, boiled, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Pea, Split, dried | 0.6 | g |
| Pea, Split, dried, boiled, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Nut, Peanut | 0.1 | g |
SOUPS
No seriously: no soup for you if you have a low citric acid tolerance! Soups are best handled by looking at the ingredients, either by reading the label or using what you know about the individual ingredients in the soup. Tomato soup is probably a no-no if you’re on this site, as it contains about 0.4g/100g. Most other soups have some kind of vegetable, legume, garlic, onion, or dairy in them; many will also have citric acid, citrates, or soy lecithin as a preservative.
SPREADS AND TOPPINGS
It is NOT peanut butter jelly time! Spreads and toppings are another food type best handled by considering ingredients. All fruit jams will have citric acid from the fruit, and most contain citric acid as an additional preservative. Peanut butter contains citric acid from the peanuts; along with Nutella and other spreads, it usually has additional vegetable oils or soy lecithin. Here are a few examples:
| Honey | <0.1* | g |
| Jam, Berry | 0.4 | g |
| Jam, Blum | 0.3 | g |
| Jam, Stone Fruit | 0.3 | g |
| Marmalade, Orange | 0.4 | g |
| Topping, Fruit-flavored | 0.1 | g |
VEGETABLES
All vegetables have citric acid in them. Generally, vegetables contain less citric acid than fruits, with a few exceptions like tomatoes and potatoes. As with fruits, fresh vegetables are often sprayed with synthetic citric acid in the store, while canned vegetables are often preserved with citric acid.
| Artichoke Heart, canned | 0.4 | g |
| Artichoke, boiled | 0.2 | g |
| Artichoke, raw | 0.1 | g |
| Asparagus, canned | 0.9 | g |
| Asparagus, raw | 0.1 | g |
| Avocado | 0.1 | g |
| Bamboo Shoot | <0.1 | g |
| Bean, Broad | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Butter | <0.1 | g |
| Bean, Green | <0.1 | g |
| Bean, Red | 0.7 | g |
| Bean Sprouts | <0.1 | g |
| Beet | 0.2 | g |
| Bell Pepper (Capsicum), Green | 0.1 | g |
| Bell Pepper (Capsicum), Red | 0.2 | g |
| Broccoli | 0.3 | g |
| Brussels Sprout | 0.3 | g |
| Cabbage, Bok Choy | <0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, Chinese | 0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, Red | 0.2 | g |
| Cabbage, Savoy | 0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, White | 0.1 | g |
| Carrot | <0.1 | g |
| Celery | <0.1 | g |
| Cassava | 0.4 | g |
| Cauliflower | 0.1 | g |
| Chili, Green | 0.1 | g |
| Chili, Red | 0.4 | g |
| Chives | 0.2 | g |
| Corn | 0.2 | g |
| Cucumber | 0.1 | g |
| Eggplant | <0.1 | g |
| Endive | 0.1 | g |
| Fennel | 0.2 | g |
| Garlic | 1 | g |
| Ginger | 0.1 | g |
| Kohlrabi | 0.1 | g |
| Leek | <0.1 | g |
| Lettuce | <0.1 | g |
| Mushroom | <0.1 | g |
| Olive | 0.1 | g |
| Onion, mature, brown skinned | 0.2 | g |
| Onion, mature, white skinned | 0.3 | g |
| Onion, spring | 0.1 | g |
| Parsley | 0.1 | g |
| Parsnip | 0.2 | g |
| Pea, Green or Snow | 0.1 | g |
| Potato, Fries (Chips) | 1 | g |
| Potato, Coliban, baked | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Coliban, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Desiree, baked | 0.7 | g |
| Potato, Desiree, boiled | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Mashed, dried powder | 0.9 | g |
| Potato, Pale Skin, baked | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Pale Skin, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Pontiac, baked | 0.4 | g |
| Potato, Pontiac, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Red Skin, baked | 0.7 | g |
| Potato, Red Skin, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Sebago, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Pumpkin | 0.1 | g |
| Radish | <0.1 | g |
| Shallot | 0.1 | g |
| Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) | 0.1 | g |
| Spinach, English | <0.1 | g |
| Spinach, Water | 0.2 | g |
| Squash | <0.1 | g |
| Sweet Potato | 0.1 | g |
| Sweetcorn, fresh on cob, boiled | 1 | g |
| Sweetcorn, kernels, purchased frozen | 0.1 | g |
| Taro | 0.2 | g |
| Tomato, Cherry | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, Common, boiled | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, Common, raw | 0.5 | g |
| Tomato, Hydroponic | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, paste | 1.6 | g |
| Tomato, sundried | 5.4 | g |
| Tomato, whole, canned | 0.5 | g |
| Turnip | 0.1 | g |
| Watercress | 0.2 | g |
| Zucchini | <0.1 | g |
FOODS BY CITRIC ACID CONTENT
Alarmingly High
Very High
High
Moderate
Low
Very Low
Alarmingly High Citric Acid
| Tomato, sundried | 5.4 | g |
| Juice, Lemon | 4.6 | g |
| Juice, Lime | 4.6 | g |
| Lemon | 4.5 | g |
| Lime | 4.3 | g |
| Passionfruit | 3.5 | g |
| Bean, Lima, dried | 2.7 | g |
| Raspberry | 2.4 | g |
| Apricot, dried | 2.3 | g |
| Bean, Soya, dried | 1.8 | g |
| Tamarillo | 1.8 | g |
| Pomegranate | 1.7 | g |
| Tomato, paste | 1.6 | g |
| Date | 1.5 | g |
| Dressing, French | 1.5 | g |
| Apricot, raw | 1.4 | g |
| Bean, Haricot, dried | 1.4 | g |
| Guava | 1.4 | g |
| Mandarin, Tangelo | 1.4 | g |
| Grapefruit | 1.2 | g |
| Juice, Grapefruit | 1.2 | g |
Very High Citric Acid
| Bean, Red Kidney, dried | 1.1 | g |
| Dip, Sour Cream-based | 1.1 | g |
| Dressing, French | 1.1 | g |
| Garlic | 1 | g |
| Potato, Fries (Chips) | 1 | g |
| Sweetcorn, fresh on cob, boiled | 1 | g |
| Asparagus, canned | 0.9 | g |
| Kiwifruit | 0.9 | g |
| Mandarin, Imperial | 0.9 | g |
| Pineapple | 0.9 | g |
| Potato, Mashed, dried powder | 0.9 | g |
| Juice, Orange | 0.8 | g |
| Juice, Pineapple | 0.8 | g |
| Lecithin, Soy | 0.8 | g |
| Orange | 0.8 | g |
| Soft Drink, Energy drink | 0.8 | g |
| Bean, Red | 0.7 | g |
| Juice, Orange (95%) & Mango (5%) | 0.7 | g |
| Juice, Orange, home squeezed | 0.7 | g |
| Mandarin, canned | 0.7 | g |
| Mango | 0.7 | g |
| Paste, Curry | 0.7 | g |
| Potato, Desiree, baked | 0.7 | g |
| Potato, Red Skin, baked | 0.7 | g |
High Citric Acid
| Blueberry | 0.6 | g |
| Juice, Tomato | 0.6 | g |
| Mulberry | 0.6 | g |
| Pea, Split, dried | 0.6 | g |
| Sauce, Salsa | 0.6 | g |
| Strawberry | 0.6 | g |
| Juice, Blackcurrant | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Carrot | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Celery | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Grape, sparkling | 0.5 | g |
| Juice, Pear | 0.5 | g |
| Lentil, dried | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Coliban, baked | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Desiree, boiled | 0.5 | g |
| Potato, Pale Skin, baked | 0.5 | g |
| Prickly Pear | 0.5 | g |
| Sauce, Tomato | 0.5 | g |
| Tomato, Common, raw | 0.5 | g |
| Tomato, whole, canned | 0.5 | g |
| Artichoke Heart, canned | 0.4 | g |
| Bean, Lima, dried, boiled, drained | 0.4 | g |
| Blackberry | 0.4 | g |
| Cassava | 0.4 | g |
| Cheese, Cheddar | 0.4 | g |
| Chili, Red | 0.4 | g |
| Fig, dried | 0.4 | g |
| Jackfruit | 0.4 | g |
| Jam, Berry | 0.4 | g |
| Marmalade, Orange | 0.4 | g |
| Melon, Honeydew | 0.4 | g |
| Mineral Water, Citrus | 0.4 | g |
| Nectarine | 0.4 | g |
| Peach | 0.4 | g |
| Potato, Pontiac, baked | 0.4 | g |
| Soup, Tomato | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, Cherry | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, Common, boiled | 0.4 | g |
| Tomato, Hydroponic | 0.4 | g |
| Wine & fruit juice blend (wine cooler) | 0.4 | g |
Moderate Citric Acid
| Bean, Cannellini, canned | 0.3 | g |
| Bean, Soya, dried, boiled, drained | 0.3 | g |
| Bean, Soya, canned, drained | 0.3 | g |
| Broccoli | 0.3 | g |
| Brussels Sprout | 0.3 | g |
| Custard Apple | 0.3 | g |
| Dressing, Thousand Island | 0.3 | g |
| Gelato, Various flavors | 0.3 | g |
| Jam, Blum | 0.3 | g |
| Jam, Stone Fruit | 0.3 | g |
| Juice, Grape | 0.3 | g |
| Melon, Cantaloupe (Rockmelon) | 0.3 | g |
| Onion, mature, white skinned | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Coliban, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Pale Skin, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Pontiac, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Red Skin, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Potato, Sebago, boiled | 0.3 | g |
| Rambutan | 0.3 | g |
| Artichoke, boiled | 0.2 | g |
| Babaco | 0.2 | g |
| Banana | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Broad | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Haricot, dried, boiled, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Bean, Red Kidney, canned, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Beet | 0.2 | g |
| Bell Pepper (Capsicum), Red | 0.2 | g |
| Cabbage, Red | 0.2 | g |
| Chives | 0.2 | g |
| Corn | 0.2 | g |
| Dressing, Coleslaw | 0.2 | g |
| Dressing, Italian | 0.2 | g |
| Fennel | 0.2 | g |
| Fig, raw | 0.2 | g |
| Lentil, dried, boiled, drained | 0.2 | g |
| Milk, Cow | 0.2 | g |
| Onion, mature, brown skinned | 0.2 | g |
| Parsnip | 0.2 | g |
| Pear | 0.2 | g |
| Soft Drink, Lemonade | 0.2 | g |
| Soup, Chicken & Vegetable | 0.2 | g |
| Soup, Vegetable | 0.2 | g |
| Spinach, Water | 0.2 | g |
| Taro | 0.2 | g |
| Watercress | 0.2 | g |
Low Citric Acid
| Apple | 0.1 | g |
| Artichoke, raw | 0.1 | g |
| Asparagus, raw | 0.1 | g |
| Avocado | 0.1 | g |
| Baked beans, canned in tomato sauce | 0.1 | g |
| Bean, Red Kidney, dried, boiled, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Bell Pepper (Capsicum), Green | 0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, Chinese | 0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, Savoy | 0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, White | 0.1 | g |
| Cauliflower | 0.1 | g |
| Cheese, Fetta | 0.1 | g |
| Chickpea, canned, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Chili, Green | 0.1 | g |
| Cucumber | 0.1 | g |
| Endive | 0.1 | g |
| Ginger | 0.1 | g |
| Grape | 0.1 | g |
| Ice Cream, Vanilla | 0.1 | g |
| Juice, Apple | 0.1 | g |
| Kohlrabi | 0.1 | g |
| Melon, Watermelon | 0.1 | g |
| Mineral Water, Fruit flavors | 0.1 | g |
| Nut, Peanut | 0.1 | g |
| Olive | 0.1 | g |
| Onion, spring | 0.1 | g |
| Papaya (Pawpaw) | 0.1 | g |
| Parsley | 0.1 | g |
| Pea, Green or Snow | 0.1 | g |
| Pea, Split, dried, boiled, drained | 0.1 | g |
| Pepino | 0.1 | g |
| Pumpkin | 0.1 | g |
| Rhubarb | 0.1 | g |
| Shallot | 0.1 | g |
| Soft Drink | 0.1 | g |
| Soft Drink, Tonic Water | 0.1 | g |
| Soup, Cream of Chicken | 0.1 | g |
| Soup, Cream of Vegetables | 0.1 | g |
| Soup, French Onion | 0.1 | g |
| Soup, Minestrone | 0.1 | g |
| Soy Beverage | 0.1 | g |
| Sparkling (Soda) Water | 0.1 | g |
| Sports Drink | 0.1 | g |
| Sweet Potato | 0.1 | g |
| Sweetcorn, kernels, purchased frozen | 0.1 | g |
| Swiss Chard (Silverbeet) | 0.1 | g |
| Topping, Fruit-flavored | 0.1 | g |
| Turnip | 0.1 | g |
| Wax Jambu | 0.1 | g |
Very Low Citric Acid
| Bamboo Shoot | <0.1 | g |
| Bean, Butter | <0.1 | g |
| Bean, Green | <0.1 | g |
| Bean Sprouts | <0.1 | g |
| Cabbage, Bok Choy | <0.1 | g |
| Carrot | <0.1 | g |
| Celery | <0.1 | g |
| Cherry | <0.1 | g |
| Eggplant | <0.1 | g |
| Honey | <0.1* | g |
| Leek | <0.1 | g |
| Lettuce | <0.1 | g |
| Mushroom | <0.1 | g |
| Plum | <0.1 | g |
| Radish | <0.1 | g |
| Spinach, English | <0.1 | g |
| Squash | <0.1 | g |
| Zucchini | <0.1 | g |
*These values (or lack thereof, in the case of cheese) were obtained from scholarly sources.
All other values on this list were taken from the NUTTAB 2010 Online Searchable Database. Please visit their website for a more complete list and excellent information on other nutrients.
You might have noticed that the foods listed as <0.1g are not on the NUTTAB citric acid list. If you look up the foods individually, you’ll see they are listed as having 0.0g of citric acid. “What the heck?”, you ask? I’ll tell you a little story about it…
Once upon a 2008, these foods were on the citric acid list, with a value of 0.0g. “What the heck?”, I asked. The people of NUTTAB explained that these foods contained <0.1g of citric acid, but as they rounded values to one decimal, they were listed as 0.0g. When the NUTTAB 2010 came out, they decided to remove these foods from their list for the sake of brevity. Thankfully, I had the old list saved in a word document, so I was able to include those foods on my incredibly shiny version of the list. *strikes impressive ninja pose*
Citric Acid Allergies 
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