Is Whole Wheat Flour Acidic or Alkaline?
Whole wheat flour (raw) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Whole wheat flour reaches +6.3, above white wheat flour (+5.6), because the germ and bran contain extra phosphorus. The magnesium and potassium they also contain offset this only in part. In finished wholemeal wheat bread, the water in the dough lowers the value to +4.9. Whole grains have many benefits, but with wheat, a milder acid-base balance isn't one of them.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, whole wheat flour (raw) ranks #87 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Teff (+6.3), Rice cakes (unsalted) (+6.2), Durum wheat semolina (+6.2). More acid-forming are Wheat flour type 1050 (+6.5), Buckwheat (+6.5), Millet flour (+6.5).
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 whole wheat flour
A dry serving (50 g) of whole wheat flour adds +3.2 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is whole 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: Whole wheat flour (raw) has a PRAL of +6.3 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a dry serving (50 g) of whole wheat flour?
A dry serving (50 g) of whole wheat flour adds +3.2 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 40 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid whole wheat flour on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Whole wheat flour is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Whole 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.