Is Red Pesto Acidic or Alkaline?
Pesto, red (prepared) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Red pesto is deep in the alkaline range at −22.0 because sun-dried tomatoes concentrate a lot of potassium into little weight, and it contains less cheese than green pesto. Two tablespoons of about 30 g add roughly −7. That offsets more than half of a 200 g serving of cooked penne.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, red pesto (prepared) ranks #14 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Cardamom powder (−22.6), Cinnamon powder (−23.8), Ginger powder (−24.1). More acid-forming are Tomato paste (−21.2), Anise (−18.2), Curry powder (−17.3).
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 red pesto 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: Pesto, red (prepared) has a PRAL of −22.0 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much red pesto do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of red pesto 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 red pesto roughly offsets one of them.
Why is red pesto alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Pesto, red provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−22.0).
Pesto, Red 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 Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces 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.