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Beginner’s guide to alkaline meal prep

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Photo example of Beginner’s Guide to Alkaline Meal Prep.

Ready to alkaline meal prep? In this post I share a beginners guide to preparing alkaline meals for the week. Keep reading to learn which foods are alkalizing and get a free shopping list.

Disclaimer: Prior to making any changes to your diet or consuming any of the supplements mentioned in this post, please consult your healthcare physician. Some foods are not good for everyone and may interact with medications. The information in this post is meant for informational purposes and is not medical advice. I am a chef sharing my ingredient recommendations for making alkaline boosting meals based on the PRAL calculations of certain foods.

What is alkaline meal prep?

  • Alkaline is a term related to the pH balance in the body.
  • Our kidneys work to maintain a healthy pH balance in the body after we eat foods.
  • Some foods, “alkaline forming foods”, help the kidneys maintain a healthy balance.
  • Other foods, “acidic forming foods”, make it harder for the kidneys to maintain a healthy balance.
  • The goal is to not overburden our kidneys with the food we eat. To do this, we can focus on eating alkaline forming foods and limit eating acidic forming foods.
  • Meal prep is a term used to describe the process of washing, chopping, cooking and preparing foods to eat at a later date. This can be simply chopping some vegetables, cooking some grains, or assembling an entire meal into a meal prep container.
  • Alkaline meal prep is a term used to describe the process of prepping alkaline forming foods and meals.

Alkaline meal prep for weight loss

Another reason to meal prep alkaline meals is for weight loss. Plant based alkaline forming foods are great for weight loss. In this post I share a plant based shopping list filled with great ingredients for weight loss based on alkaline meals.

Here’s a video sharing more about alkaline meals and weight loss:

How to know if foods are alkaline forming

There is a simple formula which was developed over 100 years ago called PRAL (potential renal acid load).

This formula is used often by dietitians and physicians helping people with kidney disease who’s kidneys are not able to regulate pH very well. However, we can use this formula before kidney disease occurs as well.

PRAL calculation

You can use the PRAL formula which is:

PRAL (mEq/day) = (0.49 × total protein (g/day)) + (0.037 × phosphorus (mg/day)) − (0.021 × potassium (mg/day)) − (0.026 × magnesium (mg/day)) − (0.013 × calcium (mg/day))

Cronometer app PRAL calculator

Photo Example of the best alkaline diet app in 2024, Cronometer.
Example of the best alkaline diet app in 2024, Cronometer.

Or, use the PRAL calculation found in the Cronometer app. This is the easiest option for calculating your daily PRAL for planning alkaline meals.

Using the PRAL formula is a great tool for determining if foods we like to enjoy are alkaline forming or acid forming after we eat them.

PRAL can be used to calculate single ingredients, food products, meals and even a full day of meals. It is simply a calculation which takes into consideration total consumption of:

  • Protein
  • Phosphate
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium

Foods with a negative value are alkaline forming.

Foods with a positive value are acid forming.

As a general rule, I’ve found that foods which are high in protein and phosphate, and low in potassium, magnesium and calcium are acid forming. And the opposite results in alkaline foods.

Nutrition facts calculation with Cronometer

To determine the nutrition facts of certain foods and recipes, I like to use the free Cronometer app. This app allows me to input specific foods from specific brands, and gives nutrition facts in detail for each item. I can also input several foods to create a recipe and get the nutrition facts for the recipe.

In the Gold membership there is an option to calculate PRAL. This is a gamechanger for planning alkaline meals.

Here’s a video tutorial for how I track my alkaline diet using Cronometer Gold:

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Alkaline Meals

By adding up the total PRAL values for each food in a recipe, we can calculate if the meal is overall acid or alkaline forming. We can then take those recipes and create an alkaline diet meal plan to create a menu which is overall alkalizing.

Here’s a list of basic meals I like to prep each week:

  1. Skillet Meals
  2. Stir Fry
  3. Fried rice
  4. Soups
  5. Stews
  6. Salads
  7. Hummus platters
  8. Unleavened whole wheat bread
  9. Oat Bars or Oatmeal
  10. Casseroles
  11. Tacos and Fajitas
  12. Burritos and Burrito Bowls
  13. Sandwiches
  14. Smoothies
  15. Hot and Cold Beverages

Shopping list for alkalizing foods

Here’s a video sharing what I purchase oftentimes at farmer’s market for alkaline vegan meal prep:

Here’s a list of foods I like to use on a regular basis for making alkaline meals. These are based on the Daily Dozen dietary recommendations and focused around alkaline forming foods. Some foods are acid forming but when combined with alkaline forming foods they become alkaline meals.

Below are affiliate links to purchase some items on Amazon:

Legumes

  • Red Lentils
  • Garbanzo Beans
  • Kidney Beans
  • Tofu
  • Soy Beverage

Fruit

  • Lemons or Lemon Powder
  • Dried Apricots
  • Melons
  • Raisins

Whole Grains

  • Oats
  • Brown Rice
  • Whole Wheat Flour
  • Quinoa
  • Whole Wheat Pasta

Leafy Greens

Vegetables

  • Onions
  • Green Onions
  • Cucumbers
  • Celery
  • Bell Peppers
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes
  • Canned or Fresh Tomatoes and Tomato Paste

Cruciferous Vegetables

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage

Seeds

  • Flaxseeds
  • Sesame Seeds or Sesame Tahini Paste

Nuts

Berries

Spices

Sauces/Seasonings

14 Alkalizing herbs and spices

Here’s a video sharing a recent Amazon grocery haul of bulk organic herbs and spices:

11 best alkaline food supplements

Alkaline food supplements are foods which are added to the diet specifically to help maintain a balanced pH.

These are supplements to the diet which are actually foods.

For example, instead of consuming synthetic ingredients like are oftentimes found in supplement pills, food supplements are comprised of one or more food ingredients and can be purchased in powder format.

In the below post I specifically share food ingredients which are alkalizing. This means you can purchase these in the grocery store in areas like the spices aisle.

Here’s an overview of the some of the best alkalizing dried food supplements listed below. These are all foods high in electrolytes:

  1. Celery Flakes
  2. Kale Powder
  3. Lemon Juice Powder
  4. Parsley
  5. Basil
  6. Dill
  7. Tarragon
  8. Turmeric
  9. Ginger
  10. Cinnamon
  11. Cumin

Further reading: 11 best alkaline food supplements

Alkaline meal prep ideas

Each week, after returning from the grocery store or farmer’s market, I like to meal prep my ingredients. This helps make mealtimes quick and easy.

Here’s a video showing a full meal prep:

Here’s a basic list of alkaline meal prep I do each week with links to tutorials on this website:

  1. Shred and chop cabbage
  2. Slice and chop onions
  3. Chop celery
  4. Chop bell peppers
  5. Chop and shred carrots
  6. Chop cucumbers
  7. Chop broccoli
  8. Chop cauliflower
  9. Boil or bake potatoes
  10. Cook brown rice or quinoa
  11. Make unleavened bread
  12. Make hummus
  13. Cook lentils or beans
  14. Prepare alkaline seasoning mixes
  15. Simmer and puree soups for ready-to-eat hot meals

This simple meal prep routine allows me to prepare a variety of alkaline meals throughout the week without the hassle of washing and chopping vegetables or cooking grains everyday.

It takes between 30-60 minutes, depending on how much I am preparing and if I am making soup.

All I have to do is simply pull out the prepared ingredients and combine to make any meal I prefer. Sometimes I will prep full meals, but usually I like to be able to prepare meals as I go throughout the week.

Alkaline vegan meal prep videos

Here’s my videos how to meal prep the items mentioned above:

Easy alkalizing green drink

Here’s how to make a quick and easy alkaline forming green drink without a juicer or blender:

Vegetable meal prep

Here’s my tutorial video for how to meal prep a lot of vegetables in 30 minutes:

Alkaline herb mixes

Here’s how to mix alkalizing herbs and spices for easy use throughout the week:

Hummus platters

Here’s how to make hummus lunch plates:

Unleavened bread

Here’s how to make the whole wheat unleavened bread:

Cook brown rice

Here’s how to cook whole grain rice in a rice cooker:

Meal Prep Equipment

Here’s my top ten meal prep must haves:

    1. Vitamix blender
    2. Kitchenaid food processor
    3. Power XL air fryer
    4. Wusthof knives
    5. GreenLife slow cooker
    6. Elite Gourmet rice cooker
    7. All-Clad stainless steel cookware
    8. Pyrex meal prep containers
    9. Bentgo meal prep containers
    10. Ball glass jars

Further reading: 10 best kitchen tools for weekly meal prep

Here’s a video where I share about my favorite kitchen tools:

Further reading:

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Photo example of Beginner’s Guide to Alkaline Meal Prep.
Beginner’s Guide to Alkaline Meal Prep.