Is Chili Con Carne Acidic or Alkaline?
Chili con carne (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Chili con carne comes in at +1.3 per 100 ml, just on the acid-forming side. Kidney beans, tomatoes and bell peppers supply potassium, but not quite enough to offset the protein and phosphorus from the ground meat. With more beans and vegetables and less meat, the dish easily tips into alkaline territory. Rice or bread on the side adds a little acid, and a dollop of sour cream changes little.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, chili con carne (prepared) ranks #48 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Instant oatmeal (+1.2), Rice pudding (+1.2), Vegetarian lasagna (+0.8). More acid-forming are Onion tart (with bacon) (+1.5), Pizza vegetarian (+1.6), Lasagna (bolognese) (+1.6).
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 chili con carne
A meal (300 g) of chili con carne adds +3.9 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chili con carne 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: Chili con carne (prepared) has a PRAL of +1.3 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 chili con carne?
A meal (300 g) of chili con carne adds +3.9 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 30 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid chili con carne on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Chili con carne is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Chili Con Carne 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.