Are Oats Acidic or Alkaline?
Acid-forming: 100 g of rolled oats have a PRAL of +6.8. They still make a good breakfast when you pair them with alkaline fruit.
Why oats are acid-forming
Oats are high in phosphorus and protein, and your metabolism turns both into acid. The alkaline minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium only partly offset this. The net result is a clearly positive PRAL. This is true of all cereal flakes, and oats sit in the middle of the range.
A normal serving of 50 g dry oats adds about +3.4 to your daily balance. That is less than a slice of cheese. A banana (−6.4 per 100 g) can fully offset it, and a handful of berries can at least partly offset it. So cutting oats from your diet does little for your acid-base balance. What you add to the bowl makes the difference.
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 oats are 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.
Oats in different forms: raw, cooked, processed
How the PRAL changes with state and product. All values per 100 g or 100 ml.
| Food | PRAL |
|---|---|
| Rolled oats (raw) | +6.8 |
| Instant oats (raw) | +6.8 |
| Oat bran (raw) | +17.1 |
| Oat drink (unsweetened) (raw) | −1.2 |
| Oat bread (baked) | +3.0 |
Alkaline foods that balance it
Frequently Asked Questions
Are oats acidic or alkaline?
Acid-forming. At +6.8 per 100 g, rolled oats count as acid-forming foods, but only moderately. Meat and cheese are much higher, and so are most kinds of fish.
Are soaked or cooked oats more alkaline?
Soaking and cooking barely change the mineral content. The PRAL per 100 g of dry oats stays the same. Per serving it only drops because oatmeal contains more water.
Is oat milk alkaline?
Yes. Unsweetened oat drink has a PRAL of −1.2 per 100 ml and is mildly alkaline, because most of the protein and phosphorus are left behind during production.
Oats and everything else on your plate: calculated automatically.
Basentracker adds up the PRAL of every meal and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. Over 950 foods, photo scan, recipes, free.
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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.