Is Egg White Acidic or Alkaline?
Egg white (raw) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Egg white comes in at +2.1, surprisingly mild for something that's almost nothing but protein and water. It lacks the phosphorus that sits in the yolk, and the high water content dilutes the protein. At 42 kcal per 100 g, it's also practically fat-free. If you make an omelet or scrambled eggs partly with egg whites, you lower the dish's acid load considerably.
In the Eggs category, egg white (raw) ranks #1 of 7, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Scrambled eggs (+9.9), Egg (+10.3), Quail egg (+10.3).
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 egg white
One egg (60 g) of egg white adds +1.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is egg white 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: Egg white (raw) has a PRAL of +2.1 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets one egg (60 g) of egg white?
One egg (60 g) of egg white adds +1.3 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 egg white on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Egg white is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Egg White 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 Eggs: Eggs 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.