A food’s acid or alkaline forming tendency in the body has nothing to do with the actual pH of the food itself. Although it might seem that citrus fruits would have an acidifying effect on the body, the citric acid they contain actually has an alkalinizing effect in the system. Your body’s alkaline and acid balance, also known as pH, can affect your overall well being. What affects body pH? All foods have the ability to change your body’s normal pH. The fluids and tissues do not stay in these fluctuating states of “too acidic” or “too alkaline” because the body is always striving toward balance. However, imbalance and disease can set in when the body is daily dealing with too many acid-forming foods and too much stress.