Is Coffee with Milk (3.5%) Acidic or Alkaline?
Coffee, with milk (3.5%) (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
At −2.2 per 100 ml, coffee with milk is almost as low as black coffee. The potassium from the coffee sets the balance, and whole milk on its own sits close to zero, so it barely shifts anything. Two mugs in the morning add up to about −11, without the splash of milk reversing the direction.
In the Drinks category, coffee with milk (3.5%) (prepared) ranks #12 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Lemon juice (−2.3), Coffee, black (−2.3), Coffee, decaffeinated (−2.3). More acid-forming are Cider (−2.0), Espresso (−1.9), Port wine (−1.9).
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 coffee with milk (3.5%) 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: Coffee, with milk (3.5%) (prepared) has a PRAL of −2.2 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much coffee with milk (3.5%) do I need for a noticeable effect?
A glass (200 ml) of coffee with milk (3.5%) adds −4.5 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of coffee with milk (3.5%) roughly offsets one of them.
Why is coffee with milk (3.5%) 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. Coffee, with milk (3.5%) provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.2).
Coffee, with Milk (3.5%) 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 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.