Is Parmesan Cheese Acidic or Alkaline?
Parmesan cheese (raw) is strongly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Parmesan sits far in the acid-forming range at +29.6 because long aging draws out water and packs protein and phosphorus into a small space, while the potassium was lost with the whey. Grated over pasta, though, the amount is small: 10 g adds about +3. A 50 g chunk with your wine is a different story, at about +15.
In the Cheese category, Parmesan cheese (raw) ranks #37 of 37, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Alpine cheese (Bergkäse) (+22.5), Emmental cheese (+21.0), Appenzeller cheese (+20.9).
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 Parmesan cheese
A slice (30 g) of Parmesan cheese adds +8.9 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Parmesan 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: Parmesan cheese (raw) has a PRAL of +29.6 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a slice (30 g) of Parmesan cheese?
A slice (30 g) of Parmesan cheese adds +8.9 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 110 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid Parmesan cheese on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Parmesan cheese is strongly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Parmesan 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 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.