Are Carrots Acidic or Alkaline?
Carrots (canned) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Canned carrots are alkaline at −3.1, but only about half as low as fresh ones. Blanching and storage move part of the potassium into the canning liquid, which you usually pour away. At 23 kcal per 100 g, they remain a light side dish. If you use the liquid for soup or sauce, you get some of the potassium back.
In the Vegetables & Salad category, carrots (canned) rank #70 of 110, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Shallot (−3.1), Red cabbage (−3.2), Endive (−3.2). More acid-forming are Eggplant (−3.0), Green asparagus (−3.0), White asparagus (−3.0).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are carrots 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: Carrots (canned) have a PRAL of −3.1 per 100 g, so they count as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much carrots do I need for a noticeable effect?
A serving (150 g) of carrots adds −4.6 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of carrots roughly offsets one of them.
Why are carrots alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Carrots provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−3.1).
Carrots 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.