Are Fava Beans (Broad Beans) Acidic or Alkaline?
Fava beans (broad beans) (cooked) are neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Cooked fava beans land in the neutral range at +0.2. For a legume, they bring a lot of protein and phosphorus, but their potassium and magnesium offset that almost exactly. So they aren't an acid source like meat, even though they're similarly filling. As a puree with olive oil and lemon, or in a stew with tomatoes, the balance tips slightly toward alkaline.
In the Legumes category, fava beans (broad beans) (cooked) rank #9 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Peas & carrots (−0.1), White beans (−1.2), Green peas (−1.9). More acid-forming are White beans (+0.4), Mung beans (+0.5), Kidney beans (+0.7).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are fava beans (broad beans) 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: Fava beans (broad beans) (cooked) have a PRAL of +0.2 per 100 g, so they count as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does fava beans (broad beans) count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At +0.2 per 100 g, fava beans (broad beans) are in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat them without shifting your balance.
Fava Beans (Broad Beans) 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 Legumes: Legumes 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.