Is Pilz Shiitake Acidic or Alkaline?
Pilz Shiitake (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Fresh shiitake mushrooms are mildly alkaline at −1.4. Mushrooms provide potassium, and their protein content, while fairly high for a vegetable, stays small in absolute terms. Porcini mushrooms fall in the same range at −1.6. Stir-fried with bok choy and a little soy sauce (+1.2), the dish stays on the alkaline side as long as no meat is added.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, Pilz Shiitake (fresh) ranks #87 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Morel mushroom (−1.5), Porcini mushrooms (−1.6), Savoy cabbage (−1.7). More acid-forming are Seaweed (wakame) (−1.3), Broccoli (−1.3), Green olive (−1.2).
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 Pilz Shiitake 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: Pilz Shiitake (fresh) has a PRAL of −1.4 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much Pilz Shiitake do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of Pilz Shiitake adds −2.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of Pilz Shiitake roughly offsets one of them.
Why is Pilz Shiitake 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. Pilz Shiitake provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.4).
Pilz Shiitake 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.