Is Rice Drink (Unsweetened) Acidic or Alkaline?
Rice drink (unsweetened) (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Unsweetened rice drink comes in at −1.7 per 100 ml, which makes it mildly alkaline. It is mostly water and rice starch and contains hardly any protein, so its small amount of potassium is enough for a negative value. A 200 ml glass comes to about −3.4. It only contains calcium if the manufacturer adds it, so check the package.
In the Plant-Based Alternatives category, rice drink (unsweetened) (raw) ranks #5 of 21, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Silken tofu (−2.0), Coconut milk (−2.1), Coconut water (−5.7). More acid-forming are Soy drink (unsweetened) (−1.6), Soy milk, unsweetend (−1.6), Almond milk (unsweetened) (−1.3).
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 rice drink (unsweetened) 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: Rice drink (unsweetened) (raw) has a PRAL of −1.7 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much rice drink (unsweetened) do I need for a noticeable effect?
100 ml of rice drink (unsweetened) adds −1.7 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of rice drink (unsweetened) roughly offsets one of them.
Why is rice drink (unsweetened) 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. Rice drink (unsweetened) provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.7).
Rice Drink (Unsweetened) 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 Plant-Based Alternatives: Plant-Based Alternatives 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.