Is Cream Cheese Spread (Plain) Acidic or Alkaline?
Cream cheese spread (plain) (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
At +3.0, cream cheese spread is a fairly mild acid former among cheeses, because its high water and fat content dilutes the milk protein. Aged hard cheese is many times higher. Spread thinly on bread, it hardly counts for more than the bread itself, and with chives, radishes or cucumber on top, it gets even more balanced.
In the Cheese category, cream cheese spread (plain) (prepared) ranks #1 of 37, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Ricotta (+3.4), Meat loaf bavarian style (+7.4), Cottage cheese, low-fat (+8.0).
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.
What balances cream cheese spread (plain)
A slice (30 g) of cream cheese spread (plain) adds +0.9 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cream cheese spread (plain) 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: Cream cheese spread (plain) (prepared) has a PRAL of +3.0 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets a slice (30 g) of cream cheese spread (plain)?
A slice (30 g) of cream cheese spread (plain) adds +0.9 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 10 g of kale offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid cream cheese spread (plain) on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Cream cheese spread (plain) is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Cream Cheese Spread (Plain) 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.