Is Beef Steak (Sirloin) Acidic or Alkaline?
Beef steak (sirloin) (raw) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
A raw beef steak comes in at +8.7. Muscle meat brings plenty of protein and phosphorus and hardly any alkaline minerals. When you cook it, it loses water, and the value per 100 g rises a bit more. A 250 g grilled steak therefore comes to over +20. A large salad and baked potatoes on the side make the plate more balanced.
In the Meat & Sausages category, beef steak (sirloin) (raw) ranks #24 of 67, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Lamb chop (+8.6), Pork chop (+8.5), Chicken wings (+8.3). More acid-forming are Beef tenderloin (+8.7), Chicken, whole (with skin) (+8.9), Beef, general (+9.0).
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 beef steak (sirloin)
A serving (125 g) of beef steak (sirloin) adds +10.9 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is beef steak (sirloin) 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: Beef steak (sirloin) (raw) has a PRAL of +8.7 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much spinach offsets a serving (125 g) of beef steak (sirloin)?
A serving (125 g) of beef steak (sirloin) adds +10.9 to your daily balance. Spinach (fresh) has −12.2 per 100 g, so about 90 g of spinach offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid beef steak (sirloin) on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Beef steak (sirloin) is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Beef Steak (Sirloin) logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Meat & Sausages: Meat & Sausages 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.