Are Wheat Berries Acidic or Alkaline?
Wheat berries (raw) are acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Raw whole wheat berries come in at +7.1 because the germ, endosperm and bran together supply a lot of protein and phosphorus, and the potassium isn't enough to offset them. Refined wheat flour comes to +5.6, and wheat germ alone to +20.1. When you cook the berries as a grain side or for a salad, they absorb water, and the value per 100 g drops considerably.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, wheat berries (raw) rank #96 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Instant oats (+6.8), Rolled oats (+6.8), Buckwheat flour (+6.7). More acid-forming are Spelt flour type 630 (+7.3), Wholemeal pasta (+7.3), Wholemeal spaghetti (+7.3).
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.
What balances wheat berries
A dry serving (50 g) of wheat berries adds +3.6 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are wheat berries 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: Wheat berries (raw) have a PRAL of +7.1 per 100 g, so they count as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets a dry serving (50 g) of wheat berries?
A dry serving (50 g) of wheat berries adds +3.6 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 30 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid wheat berries on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Wheat berries are acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Wheat Berries logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Grains, Bread & Pasta: Grains, Bread & Pasta 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.