Is Wheat Flour Acidic or Alkaline?
Wheat flour (raw) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
As the base of almost every baked good, wheat flour comes in at +5.6 and is acid-forming. The grain brings protein and phosphorus, while much of the potassium is lost in milling. Whole wheat flour is a bit higher at +6.3, and type 1050 at +6.5. In white bread, the water in the dough lowers the value to +3.7, so what matters is what you bake with it.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, wheat flour (raw) ranks #71 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Wheat roll (+5.5), Barley flour (+5.4), Wholemeal rye bread (+5.3). More acid-forming are Focaccia (+5.7), Pretzel (lye) (+5.7), Pretzel stick (+5.7).
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 flour
A dry serving (50 g) of wheat flour adds +2.8 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is wheat flour 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 flour (raw) has a PRAL of +5.6 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets a dry serving (50 g) of wheat flour?
A dry serving (50 g) of wheat flour adds +2.8 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 20 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid wheat flour on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Wheat flour is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Wheat Flour 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 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.