Are Alfalfa Sprouts Acidic or Alkaline?
Alfalfa sprouts (fresh) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Alfalfa sprouts are one of the few vegetables with a positive PRAL, +1.8. Sprouting alfalfa is unusually high in protein for a green and brings comparatively little potassium. For your daily balance this is irrelevant, because a handful on your bread weighs only a few grams. As a salad base, classic leafy lettuces keep you more alkaline.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, alfalfa sprouts (fresh) rank #104 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Snow peas (+0.8), Artichoke (+0.8), Pumpkin, sweet and sour pickled (+0.2). More acid-forming are Radish sprouts (+2.4), Daikon radish sprouts (+2.4), Mushrooms (+2.5).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances alfalfa sprouts
A serving (150 g) of alfalfa sprouts adds +2.7 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are alfalfa sprouts acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Alfalfa sprouts (fresh) have a PRAL of +1.8 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much date offsets a serving (150 g) of alfalfa sprouts?
A serving (150 g) of alfalfa sprouts adds +2.7 to your daily balance. Date (fresh) has −7.8 per 100 g, so about 30 g of date offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid alfalfa sprouts on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Alfalfa sprouts are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Alfalfa Sprouts logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
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.