Is Pumpkin Soup Acidic or Alkaline?
Pumpkin soup (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
At −1.0 per 100 ml, pumpkin soup is mildly alkaline. The potassium-rich pumpkin flesh plays the lead role, though cream and broth dilute it a little. A 300 ml bowl comes to about −3. A tablespoon of pumpkin seeds on top takes back more than half of that, while a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil takes back nothing.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, pumpkin soup (prepared) ranks #25 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Onion soup (−1.0), Bean soup (−1.1), Pea soup (−1.2). More acid-forming are Miso soup (−0.8), Mushroom soup (−0.7), Spring rolls (−0.6).
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
Is pumpkin 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: Pumpkin soup (prepared) has a PRAL of −1.0 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much pumpkin soup do I need for a noticeable effect?
A meal (300 g) of pumpkin soup adds −2.9 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of pumpkin soup roughly offsets one of them.
Why is pumpkin soup 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 soup provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.0).
Pumpkin 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.
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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.