Are Sweetened Cornflakes Acidic or Alkaline?
Sweetened cornflakes (raw) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
At +2.5, sweetened cornflakes are even slightly lower than unsweetened ones. Sugar takes up part of the weight and carries no acid load of its own, so the corn protein is diluted per 100 g. That's no argument for sugar: the PRAL doesn't see the sugar content, nor the 366 kcal per 100 g. With a banana, the bowl turns alkaline.
In the Sugar & Sweeteners category, sweetened cornflakes (raw) rank #11 of 12, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Corn syrup (+0.2), Stevia (steviol glycosides) (+0.1), Fructose (0.0). More acid-forming are Sweetened wheat pops (+4.2).
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 sweetened cornflakes
Two teaspoons (10 g) of sweetened cornflakes adds +0.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are sweetened cornflakes 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: Sweetened cornflakes (raw) have a PRAL of +2.5 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
Do I have to avoid sweetened cornflakes on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Sweetened cornflakes are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Sweetened Cornflakes 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 Sugar & Sweeteners: Sugar & Sweeteners 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.