Is Cream Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Cream cheese (raw) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Regular cream cheese is only slightly acid-forming at +3.0, because it contains a lot of water and fat, and the milk protein isn't as concentrated as in aged cheese. The comparison with the light version is interesting: it's much higher, because more protein takes the place of fat. On bread with radishes or cucumber, regular cream cheese makes an almost balanced meal.
In the Cheese category, cream cheese (raw) ranks #2 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
A slice (30 g) of cream cheese 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 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 (raw) has a PRAL of +3.0 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a slice (30 g) of cream cheese?
A slice (30 g) of cream cheese adds +0.9 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 10 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid cream cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Cream cheese is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Cream Cheese 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 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.