Is Corn Pasta Acidic or Alkaline?
Corn pasta (cooked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cooked corn pasta is acid-forming at +3.9, slightly below cooked wheat pasta, because corn has less protein. Raw, it's at +8.2. The cooking water it absorbs pushes the value down to less than half. As a gluten-free alternative, it changes little about the balance of a pasta dish. The sauce is what decides.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, corn pasta (cooked) ranks #51 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include White toast bread (+3.9), Flatbread (+3.8), White bread (+3.7). More acid-forming are Rice flour (+4.0), Baguette (+4.1), Wholemeal pasta (+4.2).
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.
Corn pasta: cooked, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +3.9 |
| raw | +8.2 |
What balances corn pasta
A small side (100 g) of corn pasta adds +3.9 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is corn pasta 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: Corn pasta (cooked) has a PRAL of +3.9 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a small side (100 g) of corn pasta?
A small side (100 g) of corn pasta adds +3.9 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 40 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid corn pasta on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Corn pasta is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Corn pasta, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
Corn pasta (cooked) is at +3.9, Corn pasta (raw) at +8.2. So the "cooked" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Corn Pasta 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 Grains, Bread & Pasta: Grains, Bread & Pasta 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.