Are Wholemeal Spaghetti Acidic or Alkaline?
Wholemeal spaghetti (cooked) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Cooked wholemeal spaghetti is at +4.2 and mildly acid-forming because the cooking water clearly dilutes the protein and phosphorus of the whole wheat. Raw, it is at +7.3. White spaghetti comes in at +5.8 cooked, so the wholemeal version is milder. A 200 g serving with 200 g of steamed zucchini (−3.7 per 100 g) makes an almost balanced plate.
In the Grains, Bread & Pasta category, wholemeal spaghetti (cooked) rank #55 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 spaghetti: cooked, raw
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| cooked | +4.2 |
| raw | +7.3 |
What balances wholemeal spaghetti
A small side (100 g) of wholemeal spaghetti adds +4.2 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are wholemeal spaghetti 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 spaghetti (cooked) have a PRAL of +4.2 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a small side (100 g) of wholemeal spaghetti?
A small side (100 g) of wholemeal spaghetti adds +4.2 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 40 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid wholemeal spaghetti on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Wholemeal spaghetti are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Wholemeal spaghetti, cooked or raw: which is more alkaline?
Wholemeal spaghetti (cooked) is at +4.2, Wholemeal spaghetti (raw) at +7.3. So the "cooked" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Wholemeal Spaghetti 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.