Is Brie Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Brie cheese (raw) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Brie is a soft cheese with a high water content, and the water dilutes protein and phosphorus. That puts it at +9.0, at the low end of the cheese scale. Hard cheeses like Appenzeller or Alpine cheese (Bergkäse) reach more than twice that. It still stays clearly acid-forming. A pear or a few grapes on the side win back part of the acid load, while baguette adds a little on top.
In the Cheese category, Brie cheese (raw) ranks #8 of 37, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Cottage cheese, regular (4% fat) (+8.8), Cream cheese, light (up to 10% fat) (+8.1), Cottage cheese, low-fat (+8.0). More acid-forming are Goat cheese (+9.9), Feta cheese (+11.1), Goat cheese (+11.6).
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 Brie cheese
A slice (30 g) of Brie cheese adds +2.7 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brie cheese 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: Brie cheese (raw) has a PRAL of +9.0 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a slice (30 g) of Brie cheese?
A slice (30 g) of Brie cheese adds +2.7 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 30 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid Brie cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Brie cheese is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Brie Cheese logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Cheese: Cheese 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.