Is Greek Yogurt Acidic or Alkaline?
Greek yogurt (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Strained, yet neutral: Greek yogurt lands just above zero at +0.2, because protein and phosphorus on one side and calcium and potassium on the other balance each other almost exactly. These values don't support the common belief that its concentrated protein makes it clearly acid-forming. At 124 kcal per 100 g, however, it is richer than regular plain yogurt.
In the Dairy category, Greek yogurt (raw) ranks #15 of 25, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Skim milk (+0.1), Milk (3.7% fat) (+0.1), Lactose-free milk (+0.1). More acid-forming are Sour cream (+0.2), Kefir (+0.2), Yogurt, plain (3.5%) (+0.5).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Greek yogurt 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: Greek yogurt (raw) has a PRAL of +0.2 per 100 g, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does Greek yogurt count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At +0.2 per 100 g, Greek yogurt is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Greek Yogurt 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 Dairy: Dairy 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.