Is Bread Acidic or Alkaline?
Acid-forming. No bread is alkaline: values range from +0.2 (buckwheat bread) through +3.0 (rye bread) and +3.7 (white bread) to +6.1 (spelt bread), with wholemeal bread at +2.6.
Why bread is acid-forming
Grains are acid-forming, and bread is baked grain. How high a bread scores depends more on the type and recipe than on how much of the whole grain ends up in the flour: wholemeal bread comes in at +2.6, wholemeal wheat bread at +4.9 and white bread at +3.7. Nutritionally, whole grain still has the edge. PRAL differences of one to two points per 100 g are too small to change that.
A 50 g slice adds +0.1 to +3.1, depending on the type. That is moderate. What makes your bread acid-forming or alkaline is the topping: two slices of wholemeal bread (+2.6) with Gouda (+10.5) add up to +13.1, while the same slices with avocado (−9.9) and tomato (−2.1) come to −9.4. The bread is rarely the problem.
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
The PRAL (potential renal acid load) estimates what a food leaves behind after digestion. It is not the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0. If you are asking whether bread is acidic because of heartburn or reflux, that is a question of pH and your stomach, which the PRAL does not measure; talk to your doctor about it.
Bread in different forms: raw, cooked, processed
How the PRAL changes with state and product. All values per 100 g or 100 ml.
| Food | PRAL |
|---|---|
| Wholemeal bread (baked) | +2.6 |
| Rye bread (baked) | +3.0 |
| Spelt bread (baked) | +6.1 |
| White bread (baked) | +3.7 |
| Pumpernickel (baked) | +2.3 |
| White toast bread (baked) | +3.9 |
| Multigrain bread (baked) | +2.6 |
| Buckwheat bread (baked) | +0.2 |
Alkaline foods that balance it
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the least acidic bread?
Buckwheat bread (+0.2), crispbread (+1.6), pumpernickel (+2.3) and wholemeal bread (+2.6). Among common types, spelt bread is the highest at +6.1.
Is whole grain bread less acidic than white bread?
Not necessarily. Wholemeal bread (+2.6) is lower than white bread (+3.7), but pure wholemeal wheat bread (+4.9) is higher. Whole grain is still the better choice because of its fiber and because it keeps you full longer.
Bread and everything else on your plate: calculated automatically.
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More grains, bread & pasta compared
All grains, bread & pasta with their PRAL: Grains, Bread & Pasta table. Back to the overview Acidic or Alkaline?, or put together a meal in the PRAL calculator.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.