Alkaline Lunch: 8 Filling Meals That Stay Below Zero
Basentracker Team
An alkaline lunch makes potatoes or vegetables the main component and protein the side, not the other way around. The simplest rule for cafeterias and takeout: potatoes instead of rice or pasta as your side, double the vegetables, a normal portion of meat or fish. That puts almost any dish close to zero. Below are eight dishes for home, the office and meal prep, all with a calculated balance.
The lunch rule
Lunch usually decides your day, because it holds the biggest portion of protein. A chicken breast fillet (+20 for 150 g), a salmon fillet (+17) or a schnitzel (+16) isn’t the problem. The problem is what comes with it. Rice (+1.8 per 100 g), pasta (+5.8), fries with mayo or bread add to the total. Potatoes (−6.5), vegetables and salad subtract from it.
So in every cafeteria, with every delivery service, on every menu: potatoes instead of rice or pasta, vegetables or salad on the side, go easy on the sauce. That’s three decisions, not a diet.
ℹ️ What 200 g of potatoes can do
200 g of boiled potatoes bring −13.1 to your balance. That almost fully offsets 100 g of chicken breast (+13.2), and together with 150 g of broccoli (−1.9) it offsets it completely. Rice instead of potatoes would add +3.2: a difference of 16 points from one side dish.
Eight alkaline lunches
Values from the Basentracker database, amounts for one person.
ClassicSalmon with potatoes and spinach
- Salmon · 125 g +14.4
- Potato · 200 g −13.1
- Spinach · 150 g −19.4
- Lemon juice · 10 ml −0.2
- Butter · 10 g +0.1
VegetarianLentil and vegetable stew
- Lentils · 150 g +4.6
- Potato · 150 g −9.8
- Carrot · 100 g −6.3
- Leek · 60 g −2.8
- Tomatoes, peeled · 150 g −6.1
- Olive oil · 10 ml 0.0
QuickRoasted pumpkin with feta and arugula
- Pumpkin (Hokkaido) · 300 g −10.2
- Feta cheese · 40 g +4.4
- Arugula · 50 g −3.5
- Pumpkin seeds · 10 g +1.7
- Olive oil · 10 ml 0.0
MeatChicken with roasted vegetables and sweet potato
- Chicken breast · 120 g +15.8
- Sweet potato · 200 g −10.5
- Red bell pepper · 100 g −3.5
- Zucchini · 100 g −4.1
- Olive oil · 10 ml 0.0
OfficePotato salad with egg and cucumber
- Potato salad (vinaigrette) · 250 g −11.5
- Egg · 60 g +6.4
- Cucumber · 100 g −3.3
- Chives · 5 g −0.2
VeganChickpea curry with cauliflower
- Chickpeas · 150 g +2.5
- Cauliflower · 200 g −7.1
- Potato · 150 g −9.8
- Tomatoes, peeled · 150 g −6.1
- Coconut milk · 80 ml −1.7
- Curry powder · 5 g −0.9
CafeteriaSchnitzel with potatoes and salad
- Schnitzel Viennese style (breaded) · 150 g +16.2
- Potato · 200 g −13.1
- Lettuce, green · 80 g −3.5
- Tomato · 100 g −4.2
- French dressing · 20 ml +0.6
SoupPumpkin ginger soup with wholemeal bread
- Pumpkin soup · 400 ml −3.8
- Wholemeal bread · 50 g +1.3
- Pumpkin seeds · 10 g +1.7
Same dish, two sides
Chicken with rice and gravy
- Chicken breast · 150 g +19.8
- White rice · 180 g +3.2
- Gravy · 60 ml +0.3
Chicken with potatoes and broccoli
- Chicken breast · 150 g +19.8
- Potato · 200 g −13.1
- Broccoli · 150 g −1.9
- Gravy · 30 ml +0.1
Eighteen points of difference, without touching the main dish.
Meal prep: three things worth cooking ahead
Boiled potatoes (−6.5 per 100 g) keep for four days in the fridge and turn into fried potatoes, potato salad or a side. This is the one batch that improves every meal.
Lentils or chickpeas (+3.1 and +1.7 cooked) as a protein base for three days: in salads, curry, stew. Canned works too (lentils +3.7, chickpeas +2.4).
Roasted vegetables (pumpkin −3.4, sweet potato −5.3, bell pepper −3.5, zucchini −4.1) in a big batch, cold in salads, warm as a side.
What isn’t worth it: cooking rice and pasta ahead. Both are mildly acid-forming and replace the potatoes you actually want.
Sides compared: Are potatoes alkaline?, Is rice alkaline?, Are lentils alkaline?. Check your own dish: PRAL calculator.
FAQ
Is salad alkaline enough for lunch? Salad is alkaline, but often not filling. With potatoes, avocado or chickpeas it becomes a meal. With cheese, croutons and bottled dressing, it tips the other way.
How often can I have meat at lunch? Three to four times a week in portions of 100 to 150 g is easy to balance with potatoes and vegetables. On the other days, go for legumes, fish or eggs.
What about pizza and pasta? Pizza margherita comes in at +2.8 per 100 g, a whole one at about +10. Pasta with tomato sauce is mild (+5.8 for the pasta against −4.2 for the tomato), but not with a cream and cheese sauce. Both are fine as an exception, not as your default.
I eat in a cafeteria. What can I do? Swap the side (potatoes), add salad from the buffet, cut the sauce in half, and pick fruit instead of pudding for dessert. That’s all you can do, and it’s all you need.
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Conclusion
An alkaline lunch isn’t a recipe of its own. It’s a rule for side dishes: potatoes instead of rice or pasta, double the vegetables, protein in a normal portion. If you stick to it in the cafeteria and at home, your daily balance is practically solved, without giving up meat or fish.