Is White Cabbage Acidic or Alkaline?
White cabbage (fresh) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
White cabbage is alkaline at −4.2 because it supplies potassium and calcium with little protein. As sauerkraut, it stays clearly alkaline at −3.4. Coleslaw made with vinegar and oil stays alkaline too, because neither has a PRAL effect. A 200 g side adds roughly −8, which more than makes up for a pair of frankfurters.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, white cabbage (fresh) ranks #48 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Romaine lettuce (−4.4), Lettuce, green (−4.4), Radish (−4.4). More acid-forming are Sorrel (−4.2), Tomato (−4.2), Zucchini (−4.1).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is white cabbage 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: White cabbage (fresh) has a PRAL of −4.2 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much white cabbage do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of white cabbage adds −6.3 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of white cabbage roughly offsets one of them.
Why is white cabbage 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. White cabbage provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−4.2).
White Cabbage 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 Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad 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.