Is Bubble Tea (Milk Tea with Tapioca) Acidic or Alkaline?
Bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) (prepared) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Bubble tea made from milk tea and tapioca pearls is mostly water, sugar and starch. The milk supplies some protein but also calcium, and the two cancel out, hence the neutral value of +0.1 per 100 ml. A large cup does nothing for your balance, but it brings plenty of sugar, at 55 kcal per 100 ml. The PRAL says nothing about that, but the label does.
In the Drinks category, bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) (prepared) ranks #68 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Lemon soda (0.0), Lemonade, sugar-free (0.0), Lemonade, clear (0.0). More acid-forming are Gin (+0.1), Korn (grain spirit) (+0.1), Whisky (+0.1).
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 bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) 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: Bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) (prepared) has a PRAL of +0.1 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At +0.1 per 100 ml, bubble tea (milk tea with tapioca) is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Bubble Tea (Milk Tea with Tapioca) logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Drinks: Drinks 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.