Is Orange Soda Acidic or Alkaline?
Orange soda (prepared) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Orange soda comes in at −0.2 per 100 ml, which makes it neutral. It consists of water, sugar and flavoring, and the share of fruit juice with its potassium is usually small. The tart note from citric acid doesn't count. The value says nothing about sugar content. If you want the minerals of the orange, choose juice or the whole fruit.
In the Drinks category, orange soda (prepared) ranks #57 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Tonic water (−0.2), Wheat beer (−0.2), Green tea (−0.2). More acid-forming are Kombucha (plain) (−0.1), Rooibos tea (−0.1), Gin and tonic (−0.1).
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 orange soda 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: Orange soda (prepared) has a PRAL of −0.2 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does orange soda count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At −0.2 per 100 ml, orange soda is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Orange Soda 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 Drinks: Drinks 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.