Is Pumpkin (Field Pumpkin) Acidic or Alkaline?
Pumpkin (field pumpkin) (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Fresh field pumpkin is slightly alkaline at −1.1. The watery flesh brings some potassium with little protein, but much less than Hokkaido or butternut. The large field pumpkin usually ends up in soup or gets pickled sweet and sour. Pickled, it loses even this small minus. If you want to cook more alkaline, choose the compact varieties with firm, orange flesh.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, pumpkin (field pumpkin) (fresh) ranks #93 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include White asparagus (−1.1), Green olives (−1.2), Green olive (−1.2). More acid-forming are Asparagus (−1.0), Chili peppers, pickled (−1.0), Black olive (−0.9).
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
Is pumpkin (field pumpkin) 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: Pumpkin (field pumpkin) (fresh) has a PRAL of −1.1 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much pumpkin (field pumpkin) do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of pumpkin (field pumpkin) adds −1.6 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of pumpkin (field pumpkin) roughly offsets one of them.
Why is pumpkin (field pumpkin) 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. Pumpkin (field pumpkin) provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.1).
Pumpkin (Field Pumpkin) 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.