Are Mung Bean Sprouts Acidic or Alkaline?
Mung bean sprouts (fresh) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
At −0.7, mung bean sprouts sit just inside the alkaline range. As the bean sprouts, it takes up a lot of water, and potassium slightly outweighs protein. At 19 kcal per 100 g they are very light, while lentil sprouts land on the plus side. In a stir-fry, in pad thai or in a glass noodle salad, they barely register in your balance, but they fall on the favorable side.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, mung bean sprouts (fresh) rank #98 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Garlic (−0.8), Black olive (−0.9), Chili peppers, pickled (−1.0). More acid-forming are Mushroom, button (−0.5), Soybean sprouts (0.0), Pumpkin, sweet and sour pickled (+0.2).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are mung bean sprouts 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: Mung bean sprouts (fresh) have a PRAL of −0.7 per 100 g, so they count as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much mung bean sprouts do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of mung bean sprouts adds −1.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of mung bean sprouts roughly offsets one of them.
Why are mung bean sprouts alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Mung bean sprouts provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−0.7).
Mung Bean Sprouts 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 Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad 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.