Are Spätzle Acidic or Alkaline?
Spätzle (prepared) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Spätzle land at +3.7, because flour and eggs bring protein and phosphorus, with hardly any potassium to offset them. Cooked spaghetti is even higher at +5.8. A 150 g side comes to about +5.5. In cheese spätzle, the cheese pushes the value up considerably, and a large salad helps as a counterweight.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, spätzle (prepared) rank #74 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Veggie burger (+3.6), Beef goulash (+3.5), Falafel (+3.5). More acid-forming are Ramen noodle soup (+3.8), Hamburger (McDonald´s) (+3.8), Sushi with tuna (+4.0).
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.
What balances spätzle
A meal (300 g) of spätzle adds +11.0 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are spätzle 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: Spätzle (prepared) have a PRAL of +3.7 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets a meal (300 g) of spätzle?
A meal (300 g) of spätzle adds +11.0 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 90 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid spätzle on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Spätzle are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Spätzle 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
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.