Is Goat Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Goat cheese (raw) is acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Goat cheese reaches +11.6. That is well below Tilsit cheese (+17.3) but clearly in the acid-forming range: concentrated milk protein and phosphorus drive the value, and part of the minerals drained off with the whey. Goat milk is often considered easier to digest, but that doesn't change the mineral balance. A 40 g slice, baked on top of a dish, adds about +4.6.
In the Cheese category, goat cheese (raw) ranks #11 of 37, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Feta cheese (+11.1), Goat cheese (+9.9), Brie cheese (+9.0). More acid-forming are Queso fresco (+12.5), Gorgonzola cheese (+12.6), Blue cheese (general) (+12.7).
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 goat cheese
A slice (30 g) of goat cheese adds +3.5 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is goat 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: Goat cheese (raw) has a PRAL of +11.6 per 100 g, so it counts as acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a slice (30 g) of goat cheese?
A slice (30 g) of goat cheese adds +3.5 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 40 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid goat cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Goat cheese is acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Goat Cheese 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.