Is Herb Butter (Garlic Butter) Acidic or Alkaline?
Herb butter (garlic butter) (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Herb butter is slightly acid-forming at +2.9. Butter brings hardly any potassium but some milk protein with phosphorus, and there are too few herbs and too little garlic to offset that. At 587 kcal per 100 g, it is mainly a source of fat. A 10 g pat on your steak adds about +0.3 and barely affects your balance.
In the Oils & Fats category, herb butter (garlic butter) (prepared) ranks #22 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Butter (+0.9), Clarified butter (+0.1), Lard (+0.1).
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 herb butter (garlic butter)
A tablespoon (10 g) of herb butter (garlic butter) adds +0.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is herb butter (garlic butter) 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: Herb butter (garlic butter) (prepared) has a PRAL of +2.9 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
Do I have to avoid herb butter (garlic butter) on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Herb butter (garlic butter) is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Herb Butter (Garlic Butter) logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Oils & Fats: Oils & Fats 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.