Is Red Bell Pepper Acidic or Alkaline?
Red bell pepper (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion. Alkaline. Red bell peppers have a PRAL of −3.5 per 100 g, yellow −2.9 and green −2.3, and they contain more vitamin C than any citrus fruit.
Classification
Red bell pepper is the fully ripe pepper, and at −3.5 it sits lower than yellow and green, because it stores potassium longer before harvest. Grilled or as antipasti, it loses water, so the value per 100 g tends to drop even lower. A 150 g pepper eaten raw in a salad adds about −5.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, red bell pepper (fresh) ranks #61 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Cauliflower (−3.6), Daikon radish (−3.6), Zucchini (−3.7). More acid-forming are Pumpkin (Hokkaido) (−3.4), Red cabbage (−3.4), Sauerkraut (−3.4).
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 red bell pepper 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: Red bell pepper (fresh) has a PRAL of −3.5 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much red bell pepper do I need for a noticeable effect?
One bell pepper (150 g) of red bell pepper adds −5.3 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of red bell pepper roughly offsets one of them.
Why is red bell pepper 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. Red bell pepper provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−3.5).
Red Bell Pepper 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.