"Our family’s tradition was hot chocolate at bedtime. As soon as it got cold, we’d have a cup to keep us warm and this continued all winter long. Jaden’s running nose started at the same time. He sniffled all day long and complained of a sore throat every morning until spring. We just thought he was sick with colds all winter – we thought there was nothing we we could do and had to live with that.” – Deb (Jaden’s mom)

The most acidic foods and drinks we consume are soda, meat, alcohol, dairy and sugar. In children, the most common foods and liquids they may have too much of every day, which can cause MCD, are milk and dairy products, sugary drinks like juice and soda, preservatives (usually an acid) and processed foods that contain added sugar like high fructose corn syrup and others.

Take the MCD Assessment to find out whether you child might have MCD.

You might think that milk is not acidic. But when milk sits in the stomach:

• Your body temperature warms it up, increasing its acidity rapidly.
• Lactobacillus (also known as the body’s good bacteria) converts the naturally occurring sugar in milk to lactic acid.

• Yogurt
• Yogurt drinks
• Milk
• Cheese sticks
• Chocolate or strawberry milk
• Mac and Cheese
• Pizza

“So, if milk is good for you, then surely a lot of milk is great for you, right? Parents and caregivers don’t worry about limiting how much dairy a child eats. The families I interview are surprised by the amount of dairy their child ingests.” – Dr. Julie Wei.

• Sugar is used to sweeten everything, including highly acidic sodas and juice drinks.
• Drinking too many sugar sweetened beverages creates a highly acidic stomach environment.

• Fruit juice
• Soda
• Flavored drink mix (often red)
• Sports drinks
• Sweet tea
• Pouch drinks
• Fruit punch
• Lemonade

"Every child in America is at risk because they’re unknowingly consuming a ridiculous and eventually life-threatening amount of sugar every day in 'innocent' liquids that are pretty much just sugar water – juice boxes, pouches, lemonade, sodas and fortified 'water.” – Dr. Julie Wei.

• Sorbic acid
• Ascorbic acid
• Nitric acid
• Citric acid

• Baked goods (cookies and cakes)
• Potato chips and crackers
• Lunch meats

• Allergy-like symptoms: they appear to be suffering from allergies to foods or things in the environment.
• Asthma-like symptoms: they have difficulty breathing, nasal congestion and wheezing—all without fever.
• Chronic congestion and cough: they appear to have a cold because acid reflux causes extra mucus production and a runny nose.
• Croup: they frequently have a dramatic "barky cough"—often mistaken for recurrent croup episodes, especially at night.
• Fatigue: when kids are sick, they don’t sleep well.
• Stomach pains or excessive gagging, even vomiting: they develop a lactose intolerance from excessive milk protein and suffer from mucus, phlegm, a wet cough and coughing so hard that they throw up.
• Obesity: when kids are excessive, including late night eaters—especially snacks high in fats, carbs and mostly sugar—they are at risk for obesity.
• Respiratory Issues: they have difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, especially when playing sports.
• “Sinusitis”: they have severe congestion, can’t breathe well through the nose, have runny nose with too much mucus, headaches and cough—especially at night.