Is Pho Soup Acidic or Alkaline?
Pho soup (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Pho is acid-forming at +2.7 per 100 ml because the beef broth and thin slices of meat contribute protein and phosphorus, and the rice noodles offer little potassium to counter them. Herbs, sprouts and lime added at the table shift this a bit. A large 500 ml bowl comes to about +14, at roughly 385 kcal.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, pho soup (prepared) ranks #62 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Ramen noodles (instant) (+2.5), Vegetarian wrap (+2.4), Chicken soup (+2.3). More acid-forming are Nachos with cheese (+2.8), Nachos with cheese (+2.8), Pizza margherita (+2.8).
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 pho soup
A meal (300 g) of pho soup adds +8.2 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pho soup 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: Pho soup (prepared) has a PRAL of +2.7 per 100 ml, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a meal (300 g) of pho soup?
A meal (300 g) of pho soup adds +8.2 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 80 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid pho soup on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Pho soup is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Pho Soup 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
Compare all Meals & Fast Food: Meals & Fast Food 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.