Is Emmental Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Emmental cheese (raw) is strongly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Emmental comes in at +21.0. This hard cheese ripens for months and loses water along the way, leaving protein and phosphorus in high concentration. Its plentiful calcium can only partly offset that. Per 100 g, it's well above roast chicken, even though cheese is often seen as a light alternative. A few slices in a sandwich call for lots of vegetables as a counterweight.
In the Cheese category, Emmental cheese (raw) ranks #35 of 37, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Appenzeller cheese (+20.9), Gruyere cheese (+20.5), Harz cheese (sour milk cheese) (+20.4). More acid-forming are Alpine cheese (Bergkäse) (+22.5), Parmesan cheese (+29.6).
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 Emmental cheese
A slice (30 g) of Emmental cheese adds +6.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Emmental 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: Emmental cheese (raw) has a PRAL of +21.0 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much avocado offsets a slice (30 g) of Emmental cheese?
A slice (30 g) of Emmental cheese adds +6.3 to your daily balance. Avocado (ripe) has −9.9 per 100 g, so about 60 g of avocado offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid Emmental cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Emmental cheese is strongly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Emmental 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
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.