Is Chicken Soup Acidic or Alkaline?
Chicken soup (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Chicken soup comes in at +2.3 per 100 ml, which makes it acid-forming. Chicken meat and often noodles bring protein and phosphorus, and the potassium in the soup vegetables isn't quite enough to offset them. The more carrots, celery and leek go into the pot, and the less meat and noodles, the closer it gets to zero. At 56 kcal per 100 ml, it stays light.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, chicken soup (prepared) ranks #59 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sushi, California roll (+2.2), Pasta bolognese (+2.2), Hummus (+2.2). More acid-forming are Vegetarian wrap (+2.4), Ramen noodles (instant) (+2.5), Pho soup (+2.7).
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 chicken soup
A meal (300 g) of chicken soup adds +7.0 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chicken soup 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: Chicken soup (prepared) has a PRAL of +2.3 per 100 ml, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets a meal (300 g) of chicken soup?
A meal (300 g) of chicken soup adds +7.0 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 60 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid chicken soup on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Chicken soup is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Chicken Soup logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Meals & Fast Food: Meals & Fast Food 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.