Is Nachos with Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Nachos with cheese (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Because the cheese sauce supplies protein and phosphorus and the tortilla chips add hardly anything, nachos with cheese come in at +2.8, making them mildly acid-forming. For a cheese dish that is moderate; plain cheese is several times higher. Jalapeños and tomato salsa pull the plate down slightly, while a dollop of sour cream changes little.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, nachos with cheese (prepared) ranks #64 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Pho soup (+2.7), Ramen noodles (instant) (+2.5), Vegetarian wrap (+2.4). More acid-forming are Pizza margherita (+2.8), Currywurst (+3.1), Ravioli (meat filled) (+3.1).
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 nachos with cheese
A meal (300 g) of nachos with cheese adds +8.3 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is nachos with 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: Nachos with cheese (prepared) has a PRAL of +2.8 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much kale offsets a meal (300 g) of nachos with cheese?
A meal (300 g) of nachos with cheese adds +8.3 to your daily balance. Kale (fresh) has −11.7 per 100 g, so about 70 g of kale offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid nachos with cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Nachos with cheese is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Nachos with 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 Meals & Fast Food: Meals & Fast Food 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.