Is Textured Soy Protein (Soy Chunks) Acidic or Alkaline?
Textured soy protein (soy chunks) (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Dried textured soy protein comes in at −7.4, so it's alkaline despite its high protein content. The defatted soy flour it's pressed from brings a lot of potassium. Defatted soy flour itself reaches −11.3. When soaked, the chunks absorb several times their weight in water, and the value per 100 g on your plate drops accordingly.
In the Plant-Based Alternatives category, textured soy protein (soy chunks) (dried) ranks #1 of 21, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Coconut water (−5.7), Coconut milk (−2.1), Silken tofu (−2.0).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is textured soy protein (soy chunks) 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: Textured soy protein (soy chunks) (dried) has a PRAL of −7.4 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much textured soy protein (soy chunks) do I need for a noticeable effect?
100 g of textured soy protein (soy chunks) adds −7.4 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of textured soy protein (soy chunks) roughly offsets one of them.
Why is textured soy protein (soy chunks) 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. Textured soy protein (soy chunks) provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−7.4).
Textured Soy Protein (Soy Chunks) 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.