Are Mushrooms Acidic or Alkaline?
Mushrooms (canned) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Canned mushrooms come in at +2.5, which makes them acid-forming. For a vegetable, mushrooms have relatively high protein and phosphorus, and blanching and canning move part of the potassium into the liquid. Fresh oyster mushrooms, by contrast, are in the alkaline range. On pizza or in a sauce, their contribution is still small next to cheese and dough, at 43 kcal per 100 g.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, mushrooms (canned) rank #107 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Daikon radish sprouts (+2.4), Radish sprouts (+2.4), Alfalfa sprouts (+1.8). More acid-forming are Lentil sprouts (+2.7), Wheat sprouts (+5.0), Spirulina powder (+15.4).
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 mushrooms
A serving (150 g) of mushrooms adds +3.7 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are mushrooms 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: Mushrooms (canned) have a PRAL of +2.5 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much banana offsets a serving (150 g) of mushrooms?
A serving (150 g) of mushrooms adds +3.7 to your daily balance. Banana (ripe) has −6.4 per 100 g, so about 60 g of banana offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid mushrooms on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Mushrooms are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Mushrooms 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.