Is Coconut Flour Acidic or Alkaline?
Coconut flour (raw) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Coconut flour reaches −24.1, because defatting and drying the flesh concentrates potassium and magnesium into a small mass, while comparatively little phosphorus remains. In baking, you usually replace only part of the wheat flour with it, since it absorbs a lot of liquid. Just 30 g in the batter adds about −7 and noticeably lowers the cake's balance.
In the Nuts & Seeds category, coconut flour (raw) ranks #1 of 29, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Chestnuts (−19.3), Coconut (copra) (−11.5), Coconut flesh (−3.5).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is coconut flour 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: Coconut flour (raw) has a PRAL of −24.1 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much coconut flour do I need for a noticeable effect?
A handful (30 g) of coconut flour adds −7.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of coconut flour roughly offsets one of them.
Why is coconut flour alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Coconut flour provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−24.1).
Coconut Flour logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Nuts & Seeds: Nuts & Seeds 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.