Is Avocado Acidic or Alkaline?
Avocado (ripe) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion. Alkaline, and strongly so. A ripe avocado has a PRAL of −9.9 per 100 g, which makes it one of the most alkaline foods you can easily eat every day.
Classification
Avocado is high in fat, and fat alone would be neutral. It owes its alkaline value of −9.9 to its high potassium content combined with little protein. Among fresh fruit, that makes it one of the strongly alkalizing foods, well ahead of banana or apple. On whole-grain bread, half an avocado already offsets the acid load of the slice. At 132 kcal per 100 g, though, it is not something to eat in passing.
In the Fruit category, avocado (ripe) ranks #13 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Apple (−10.2), Raisins (−12.7), Plum (prune) (−13.0). More acid-forming are Pear (−9.2), Plantain (−9.0), Sapote (−8.4).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is avocado 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: Avocado (ripe) has a PRAL of −9.9 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado do I need for a noticeable effect?
Half an avocado (100 g) of avocado adds −9.9 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of avocado roughly offsets one of them.
Why is avocado alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Avocado provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−9.9).
Avocado 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 Fruit: Fruit 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.