Is Wheat-rye Bread Acidic or Alkaline?
Wheat-rye bread (baked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Wheat-rye bread comes in at +4.7, above white bread (+3.7) and well above rye-wheat bread (+2.8). Protein and phosphorus from the wheat and rye flour make it acid-forming, and potassium offsets only a little. A 50 g slice adds a good +2. Top it with tomato, radishes or cucumber and you win part of that back.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, wheat-rye bread (baked) ranks #61 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Rye, whole kernel (+4.4), Wholemeal roll (+4.3), Wholemeal toast bread (+4.3). More acid-forming are White rice (+4.7), Wholemeal wheat bread (+4.9), Breadcrumbs (+5.0).
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 wheat-rye bread
Two slices (100 g) of wheat-rye bread adds +4.7 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is wheat-rye bread 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-rye bread (baked) has a PRAL of +4.7 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets two slices (100 g) of wheat-rye bread?
Two slices (100 g) of wheat-rye bread adds +4.7 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 40 g of kale offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid wheat-rye bread on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Wheat-rye bread is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Wheat-rye Bread 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.