Are Pickled Cucumbers Acidic or Alkaline?
Pickled cucumbers (pickled) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Pickles are slightly alkaline, too, at −2.0. Your metabolism breaks down the acetic acid in the brine, while most of the cucumber's potassium remains. Pickles bring hardly any protein. One with a cold supper or with raclette is a small alkaline extra, although the salt from the brine doesn't appear in the PRAL formula.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, pickled cucumbers (pickled) rank #82 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Green bell pepper (−2.3), Onion (−2.4), Kohlrabi (−2.5). More acid-forming are Oyster mushroom (−1.7), Savoy cabbage (−1.7), Porcini mushrooms (−1.6).
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 pickled cucumbers 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: Pickled cucumbers (pickled) have a PRAL of −2.0 per 100 g, so they count as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much pickled cucumbers do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of pickled cucumbers adds −3.0 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of pickled cucumbers roughly offsets one of them.
Why are pickled cucumbers alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Pickled cucumbers provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.0).
Pickled Cucumbers 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.