Are M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies Acidic or Alkaline?
M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies (prepared) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Peanut M&M's are slightly alkaline at −1.1 because cocoa and milk chocolate bring potassium and magnesium that narrowly outweigh the protein in the peanut center. That doesn't make them a source of alkalinity: the PRAL says nothing about sugar and fat, and they have 498 kcal per 100 g. A 45 g bag is meaningless for your balance.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies (prepared) rank #26 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include White chocolate (−1.5), Strawberry jam (−1.5), Apricot jam (−1.5). More acid-forming are Apple strudel (−1.1), Milky Way (−0.8), Apricot cake (−0.7).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies 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: M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies (prepared) have a PRAL of −1.1 per 100 g, so they count as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies do I need for a noticeable effect?
A small serving (40 g) of M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies adds −0.4 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies roughly offsets one of them.
Why are M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.1).
M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies 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 Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks 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.