Is Carrot Acidic or Alkaline?
Carrot (fresh) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion. Alkaline. Carrots have a PRAL of −6.3 per 100 g and carrot juice comes in at −3.8, which makes them a reliable everyday staple, raw or cooked.
Classification
Fresh carrots are alkaline at −6.3 because the root contains a lot of potassium and little protein. The sugar in them plays no role in the calculation. Canned, the value drops to about half, because some of the potassium moves into the brine. Two raw carrots weighing 150 g together add about −9 for just 60 kcal.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, carrot (fresh) ranks #21 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Soup greens (−6.5), Fennel (−6.5), Potato (−6.5). More acid-forming are Lettuce (−6.2), Broccoli (−6.1), Wild garlic (−5.8).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is carrot 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: Carrot (fresh) has a PRAL of −6.3 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much carrot do I need for a noticeable effect?
One large carrot (100 g) of carrot adds −6.3 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of carrot roughly offsets one of them.
Why is carrot alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Carrot provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−6.3).
Carrot 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 Vegetables & Salad: Vegetables & Salad 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.