Is Wholemeal Pasta Acidic or Alkaline?
Wholemeal pasta (cooked) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cooked wholemeal pasta is at +4.2, even lower than cooked white spaghetti (+5.8), because the whole grain brings potassium and magnesium along with phosphorus. Raw, it is at +7.3. A 200 g serving adds about +8. A sauce made from 200 g of canned peeled tomatoes, at about −8, wins almost all of that back.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, wholemeal pasta (cooked) ranks #54 of 121, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Baguette (+4.1), Rice flour (+4.0), Corn pasta (+3.9). More acid-forming are Brown rice (+4.2), Wholemeal toast bread (+4.3), Wholemeal roll (+4.3).
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.
Wholemeal pasta: cooked, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +4.2 |
| raw | +7.3 |
What balances wholemeal pasta
A small side (100 g) of wholemeal pasta adds +4.2 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is wholemeal pasta 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: Wholemeal pasta (cooked) has a PRAL of +4.2 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a small side (100 g) of wholemeal pasta?
A small side (100 g) of wholemeal pasta adds +4.2 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 50 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid wholemeal pasta on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Wholemeal pasta is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Wholemeal pasta, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
Wholemeal pasta (cooked) is at +4.2, Wholemeal pasta (raw) at +7.3. So the "cooked" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Wholemeal Pasta 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.