What is citric acid? Does it actually come from citrus fruits?

1. 92

   Elderberry Artsposted 11 years ago

   What is citric acid? Does it actually come from citrus fruits?
   
   My son has an intolerance to citrus fruits, mainly oranges  and I see citric acid in a lot of foods and wonder if we should be avoiding it too

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2. 94

   CWanamakerposted 11 years ago

   Citric acid is a relatively weak acid that has a sour flavor.  Citric acid is name so due to its abundance in citrus fruits.  However, other non-citrus fruits (and some vegetables) contain citric acid as well. This chemical is often used as a preservative, to flavor foods & beverages, and as an emulsifier. Most citric acid used in food production these days actually comes from bacterial fermentation of sugars and not citrus fruits.

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   1. 92

      Elderberry Artsposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you. That is really helpful

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3. 63

   Support Med.posted 11 years ago

   I agree with the previous poster. Also, some foods he may need to avoid would be tomatoes and tomato sauces, cayenne pepper, relish and sweet pickles, lemons and pineapples. Lots of foods, fruits and veggies have citric acid. Some people, however, are able to eat certain foods that have citric acid in them and tolerate them well (even with allergies or their health may deem that type of diet necessary where they should avoid and/or limit citric acid intake).  It's really an individual call. It may be wise to have his doc recommend you to a nutritionist to be on the safe side - he or she will be able to recommend a diet plan best suited for your son's needs.  Hope he does not feel too bad about it. What is his age (if you do not mind me asking)? Many people on prescribed diets have some of the best meals anyone would want to eat    This is the time to be creative with your cooking skills - Meals and snacks can still be very enjoyable!!! Best wishes to the both of you.

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4. 92

   Elderberry Artsposted 11 years ago

   Hi, he is 5 and has taken it all pretty well really. He has multiple intolerances including wheat, milk, oranges, kiwi, plums, peas and egg yolk. (I have many too) I found it hard at first as cutting out wheat and milk really means rethinking all I knew about cooking. It has gotten easier and I eat a lot of food now I never did before and healthier too. Tomatoes he seems to be ok with

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   1. 63

      Support Med.posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Glad he's taking it pretty well.

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